The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-07-07
BOOTH AND A SKULL.
How the Elder Booth Procured n
Skull for Vortex.

Some years age, IN the city OF Louis
vile. Florence found the elder Boo,bI.
son Edwin in profound contemplation
of human skull. There is a remar.
kable history connected with that head ,,
said Booth. 1T properly belonged to
my father. but he never came in posses.
sion of it, and only few hours ago DR..
Morris, of this city, handed it to me as
my property by the right of inheritance
The story connected with it. as he then
related il, ran about as follows:
Upon one occasion, in Louisville. the
elder Booth engaged IN what would be
called in these degenerate DAYS. pro-
longed howly1n fact he INDUCED in one
of those lapses that the great tragedian
was prone to-. Passing a field in which
horse was grazing, he entered il.
secured the animal, mounted and rode
away. At that time horse-stealing in
Kentucky was considered an even more
| fragrant offence than il is to-day, and
was ranked as a capital crime, the pun
ishment for which was death. The
greatest horse thief in all that section,
and one upon whose head a heavy price
was liked, was named Fontaine. Well.
Booth logged along on the horse that
did not belong 10 him, and was in a
supremely happy condition until he met
! two farmers, who inquired of him where
] he had obtained the animal.
II captured him in a field back here,
said the tragedian, with joyial frankness.
Indeed" said one of the farmers,
land what might your name be?''
MY name IS Fontaine," said Booth,
with a smile.
"Fontaine" calculated both men
simultaneously, Then you are the
very man we want. Come back to town
with Us.
Certainly, p said Booth in the most
gOod-natured manner, and, wheeling
the horse, he rode back TO Louisville
with his captors
The city Jail was then in charge OF a
Colonel Thomas, who knew Booth well.
I'VE haye brought you Fontaine, tn
horse thief, and claim the reward, said
the farmers, proudly, addressing the
jsilor.
where IS her" they we're asked.
Booth was produced. why. what
does this mean, Mr.. Booth7" asked
Thomas. aE-
II haven't the slightest idea" said
the great tragedian with the utmost
simplicity. II met these two men with
this horse and they insisted upon giving
it 70 me. / guess they stole il. think
one of them is Fontaine." The hOrrihed
and nov alarmed rustics were about TO
be locked up pending an inyeStgat on
of their suspicious conduct. when, by
the most singular coinc dence. a man
rushed 10 the prison door on horseback
and shouted out the information that
the real Fontaine had been taken in
custody. When he was brought 10
Louisville. Booth expressed a desire TO
see him and paid him a visit In his cell.
Strange to say, strong sentimental
friendship sprang up between the two
men. Night after night the kind
hearted jailor took Fontaine to the
theatre where Booth was playing, and
there secre:ed in the flies, he looked
down upon the acting of his queerly
found friend. Stranger still, night after
night, when his performance was ended,
Booth visited the prison, and frequently
slept all night beside the horse thief in
his cell
In the confidence that this commuR-
ion begat Booth once spoke of the diff
Guilty he experienced in always having q
human skull at hand when he played
Hamlet
That shall be remedied," said Fon-
tame quietly. and he then and there
made his will. devising his head to
Junius Brutus Booth after he had been
hanged Booth left Louisville before
FOntaine was executed and the incident
passed from his mind. Years after
wards. when he was dead and his son
was play ing in Louisville, DIR. Morris
called upon Edwin Booth, told him the
story have related, and presented him /
With Fontaine's skull. which he SubSe- I
quently used in Hamlet"