The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-07
WILKES BOOTHS SCAR.
How Dr.. May Definitely Determined
the Dead Mans Identity.
From the Baltimore american.

the Dead Mans Identity.
From the Baltimore american.
1t is one of the standing traditions that
Wilkes Booth is still alive, and at biennial
intervals some newspaper comes along with
sensational interview, declaring that the
writer saw him. 1t is history that he was
found in the barn at Ganneli's farm, not far
from Fredericksburg, was shot and fatally
wounded, was brought to Warrington, iden-
tilted, and buried by the United States
authorities. But still there are thousands
of paople who have their lingering suspi-
cions. A bit of testimony was told an
American correspondent which, it was
said, had never before been published.
There lives here in Washington one d..
May, the father of Fred May Of New York,
of Bennett duel and other flames. DR.. May
was leading physician of Washington at
the time of President Lincoln's assassina-
ton, and it was known that Wilkes Booth
had but recently been under his surgical
treatment.
When the remains of the man who had
been shot in Gannelps barn were brought to
Washington they were taken to the United
States steamer Monitor and held there for
official identification. Judge john A. Bing-
ham of Pennsylvania was special Judge ed
vocate in the trial Of the assassi IS, and it
was he who selected the party of identifica-
ton. Among whom he chose were DR.. May
and Mr.. Moore, then private secretary &c
Secretary Stanton, now major of police OF
Washington.
As the party entered the little cabin
where lav.the remains of the assassin, DIR.
May stopped, and, before the black pail
that lay over the body vas removed, sa d TO
Judge Bi1gham:
II had been treating John Wilkes Booth
for tumor on the back of the neck Just
shortly before he OF President Lincoln. |
performed an operation, and it was SO sue
ceSsful that | told him there would be no
scar remaining. He went away, but short
time afterward he returned. There had
been very serious rupture and the wound
was IN bad condition. l questioned him,
and he told me that in the course of per-
formance, III which ne was playing with
Charlotte Cushman, her role required her
to throw her arms around his neck verv
violently. in doing so she mad rup5ured the
wound, which bad not yet had time to heal
properly. l examined the wound aud then
told Booth that my promise regarding the
absence of any scar would no longer hold.
and that there won d now certainly @ one.
II this Is Wilkes Booths body the g must
be a mparatively fires scar on the back
or the neck. Besides this, you must find
on his arm, tattooed, the letters j. w. B.'n
The remains we're examined DR.. Nav
himself raised the cad of the corpse and
turned 1t about On the hack OF the neck
was the cicatrice, plainly visible, left by tire
surgeons knife. He stripped back the
sleeve from the arm, aad there were the
Initials, ~. W. b." faint. but distinct.
They could not be questioned. More than
one of the witnesses OF the official identih-
cation are still living. They all remember
the circumstances just told, and they have
not the least doubt that Wilkes Booth is
dead,