Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-02-11
THE GAS MAN AT FORD'S.
THE PART HE WAS TO PLAY IN
LINCOLN s ASSASSINATION
Arranging to Plunge the Theatre
Into Total Darkness-The Plan
SnOiled by n Trivial Incident.


Theatre, Washington, would have played
an important part in Lincoln's assasina-
ton but for a trivial incident which
spoiled the well-arranged scheme. Mr.
Fits says: The man referred to was the
gas man of the theatre. Such person
is an important factor behind the scenes.
He has sole charge of the apparatus, and
at the signal of the stage-mapager low
ers and raises the lights, turn off and
lights up the gas, etc. All this is done
nowadays by merely touching different
electric buttons; but at Ford's the
clumsy system of that day was in use,
Turn cocks were attached to the pipes
in chest set well back on the stage,
out of sight. The gas man kept the
key, and he alone had access to the
chest.
1t is a mistake to regard Booth rs a
desperate, bent on executing his scheme
even at the sacrifice of his own life. The
public manner of the assassination, and
his leap to the stage in full view of 1000
people, was an afterthought, adopted on
the pressure of the moment, when his
own carefully matured scheme had leen
defeated. Much as he wanted to kill the
President, he never wanted TO be known
as the assassin.
His plan was simple, and its very sim
plicity seemed to insure its success. The
Presidents party having been seated in
their box, at given signal the gas was
to be turned off, leaving the whole house
in darkness. Booth, having marked the
exact position of his victim at the instant,
and having access to the box, would
promptly do the murder in the dark. So
great would be the confusion and uproar
in the immense audience that packed the
use, over the mere fact OF total dark
ness, that the horrible tragedy just Sc
cretly and successfully accomplished
could not be made known for some time
so that it could be understood. The gas
man would have locked the chest and
quietly departed with the key in his
pocket, probably en- route for Canada: it
might be half an hour before the house
could berelighted. In the meantime the
commission of the crime had been per-
fectly hidden by the darkness. 1t would
not be question in the case of the es-
cape of the assassin; for although Booth
had taken the precaution 10 have a sad
dle-horse ready in the alley outside, he
deemed it mere precaution. There would
be no proof, nothing more than suspicion
against him if his plot succeeded.
The signal for the turning off of the
gas was thought TO be the master stroke
of the plot. None but a man with
strong dramatic instinct could have
chosen it.
Let the reader recall the time. The
fall of Richmond and Petersburg and
the pursuit and surrender of Lee had fol-
lowed in quick succession, occurring but
few days before. The North was in
transport of joy; Washington wai full
OF soldiers; thousand of them would
be at Fords Theatre that night, and it
was known that the President would at
tend. The manager saw that something
besides the rather tame play of "Our
American Cousin" must be presented to
satisfy the patriotic overlooking of mems
hearts. So it was made part of the pro-
gramme that, when the Presidents party
was seated, several male quartettes
should take the st'ge, and sing the
anthem, 'My Country, 'Tis of Thee"
the house naturally joining in. A des-
ignated line of this anthem was to fur
nish the signal for the gas man. With
the last short line of the first stanza,
''Let freedom ring!'
the whole theater was to be plunged in
darkness, and the murder would swiftly
follow.
Down to time possibly not more than
one minute preceding the singing of the
fatal line, events seemed to march straight
30 nf he IT.
exactly as planned. The overture was
done; the President, Mrs. Lincoln,
Major Rathbone and Miss Harris had ar
rived and were seated, amid the plaudits
of the house; the singing of america"
from the stage had commenced. Booth
at the box door, one hand on the knob,
the other on his pistol; the gas man be-
hiud the scenes went to his chest. And
then
1t was the great Talleyrand, believe,
who said that '1rom the sublime to the
ridiculous is but step" The truth of
the saying was never proved as 1t was IN
that moment
An actor OF the company had for
several days been on what in these days
is commonly known as "a racket" lie
was lingering about the wings on this
evening in booty condition, when the
manager caught sight of him and pro
ceeded to give him ga wigging" TO do
so more at ease he pumped the d."
linquent down on the gas-chest and
took a scat beside him. The gas man
came up, and saw at once that the ''cue"
could not be given. He did not dare to
draw attention to his proceedings by
requesting the manager to move. To
be watched was TO insure him the
scaffold.
The anthem went on. 'Let freedom
ring" was sonorously rolled through the
house; the lights were undimmed; the
piece was finished with wild applause;
the play was begun.
And there in the lobby was Booth,
raging with disappointment, striding up
and down, now seen by half dozen
different persons nerving his hand aud
his brain for the public assassination that
occurred an hour later.