Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1888-05-27
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9ai1Y eagle
THE DEATH OF BOOTH
A GRAPHIC ACCOUNT AS GIVEN
Y IN "GATH'Sy NEW NOVEL.

At the suggestion Of John Brown his
wandering powers took conference and
example, and he remembered the man
nerism in which old Brown had met his
fate, and Booth tried to be his pupil
Captain said Booth, assuming a hol-
low, theatrical voice, 'give me living
chance; withdraw your men a hundred
PAGES from the barn and I'll come out
and fight your
This had been John Browns request
when entrapped in his engine house, and
Booth aspired to die like Brown.
He repeated the request, and thought
it quite unmerciful that he was not ac-
corded little stage space to die effective
ly in.
"We'u waste no more time, the civil
officer without spoke, in tone of disgust.
The katydid or cricket never ceased to
call its resounding beads, and ''pray, pray,
pray"
Booth searched the heaven6 and the
world for some intercessor, anu fetched
from weakness his mothers name. By
that saint he asked for fifty yards and for
O little more time.
Everything was refused.
'Now, then, my brave boys,o he de-
claimed, in the tones of the stage again,
i'prepare a stretcher for mel"
"Stretchers" were the canvas biers to
carry out of battle wounded men. Booth
assuming to the end-would appear to
be veteran entitled to the honors of war.
He raised his carbine, feebly resolving
to kill some one or to fire it off at least,
and as he stepped, on foot and crutch,
toward the center of the barn, to be
farthest from mems aiming, a friction
match was scratched behind him, as if his
broken bones had rasped each other, and
sent cold chill up his spine.
He turned and saw the barn on fireI
A lighted whisp of straw, twisted, by
some one without, had fallen into the
loose hay, and some brush piled against
the outside of the barn was also afire
The warm flame for a single instant car
ried the odor and crackle of his fathers
log cabin TO his heart, and he shouted as
his crutch fell from under his arm and
left him helpless:
Captain, do it quickl Now shoot me
through the hearth
The cricket ceased to sing, though
everything beside came forth in the
bright light, till what had been the throne
of a gloom stood revealed in the blessed
implements and yield of husbandry, and
in the roof, seeming fame, and in the lit
ter of the floor ran rats in single file, all
slyly, as from a sinking ship, and one
squealed as it crossed his shadow like an
old witch in an incarnation scene.
The pillow and the harrow teeth took
rudy CLEAN; some swallows in the tim
bers few round and round, blinded by
the fire, and the pegs for tobacco and the
burning tobacco leaves grew to be ferns
and scallops of gold as they hung, like
gilded scenes in spectacles, around the
desperate man.
He had seen fires upon the stage and
helped to stamp them out, and he limped
toward the greater flame near corn er;
but suddenly great tongue of fire licked
him and singed him as if Cerberus at
hell's door had fondled on him with a fur
mace tonguei
Fear seized him and he ran toward the
door on misfitting bones-the door held
open as by some invisible angel-and as
he ran the ponderous beams and trees in
the structure seemed to fall upon his
skull and smash it like an egg.
Booth next felt water in his face, and
two men were holding him up and search
ing his body and putting their fingers in
his brain
''It's here" said one, Fright where he
shot the president, behind the ear and on
the same side, and here it comes throughr'
In gagging torments he discerned be- |
fore him two men in Confederate dress,
all shown by the light of the burning
barn, which was reflected in the home
stead porch he lay upon.
'Did-he-betray-m sighed Booth,
pointing to one of these, the officer who |
had brought him to the house
He did not hear the answer, but he |
made it himself:
''Tell-mother-I thought did-best |
-rights-a country-till-I died. Kill |
me! XIII mer'
lawn, saw them turn Booth 10 make him |
comfortable and heard him gasp and /
groan, and Herold shed the only tears
Booth could not swallow. and his words
were measured like dew in the honey
suckle s cup that dropped above his eyes
and opened to the fire.
He saw them in his paralysis, hold ND
the arsenal of things he had carried so
Tonga great, fierce knife, with rust of /
blood upon it; two pistols with revolving
cylinders thick as his riven ankle and
loaded in every chamber; a seven shotted
carbine; candle spotted pocket compass;
his diary full of protestatiors and despair,
and holding Light Prisons name. his
pipe and scarf pin and the lilenesses of
ladies; and little Catholic medal. He
sighed:
''Tonguer'
The detective opened his mouth and
said:
Booth, no blood is on your tongue"
He started at his name, which seemed
B century since it had been mentioned,
and gasped:
'IHandsp'
The officer raised his hand and moist
ened it with piece of ice, and lifted it all
limp 10 Booths lace 1t fell uncontrol-
able Ike his broken foot.
lie feebiy moved his eyebalIs through
an arc which swept all nature and exhaled
the closing words:
"Useless-leSsl''
HIS face now expressed the unseen
egony for which there was no word and
the cherished pride of strength pushed
Death away that mercifuuv drew near
again and again, but ever was repelled by
the finishing rose and pulse OF life. till
that the continuance Of the actor and /
athlete seemed a battle ground of wounds
and spaSlIlS growing follower with each
contention and ready at the cocks crow,
Ike the wandering ghost, to fade into the
morn
A carbineer had killed him in the barn;
md long afTerward was found in the ashes
here the field glass delivered TO him at
surratt's-its leather case found unin-
ried IN a distant farm house.
The cocks began tC crow. The morn
IwaSed with suilsn eyes. A doctor had