Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1889-03-29
and shoot the man who had lighted it. But the |


apout to tip it over upon the flames. liz quick
y saw the futility OF this, and dropping one
At about tho center OF the bari. he stopp,a and
drew drew himself up to his full heighN. The ls..
araetured in his jump to the sta Sc ut ths
and Booth stood before his solitary WATCHER
erect and defiant. His Int was Off, ami his en-S
hnlr pushed back from his high. white forehead
IN tlle other. In his belt was another pistol Gnd
a bowie knife. His lips We're compressed, his
isntrres fierce, and his full, durk eyes were roll
ing aud slttering with excitement. The fumes
awep5 up to the roof, rolled across and to The
f foor below. He was picture OF Apollo i'll a
frame OF fire. He stood under ntc of t,,s.:le
lettplng, rolling and Missing, us i'll mOckeTy OF
his misery.
His only hope now was to make {. dash for the
OF soldiers Suddenly he dropped his remain
ing crutch, threw down the carbine, and
sprans forward. Then sounded the pistol
coin hnd parloned when once sentenced to
be be shot for remissness in guard duty, and Booth
fell forward %;' on his face Lieut. Baker spsans
was unnecessary The shot had parnlyzed him
below the wound, and all save the fertile brain
The assassin WAS carried from the barn and laid
under an apple tree out of reach of the flames.
PRESENTLY he opened his eyes and appeared to
said:
Tell mother. Tell mother"
lnen he became unconscious again The heat
tree, and he was removed to the piazza. A cloth
wet with brandy md water was placed between
his lips. and at length he revived again. His
eyes looked with dumb appeal into the faces OF
those about me- 20, kill me; kill me quick, he
whispered bitterly.
4 Another lapse into rnconsciousness. aud it
, seemed impossible that he could revive again,
but just before sunrise there was q last bright
ening Of the stunned brain AS he revived he put
wanted to know if there was blood in his mouth,
told him there was none.
Tell mother | die for my country" Booth
B Bss5 TO the 0m'er 1 did what thought was
Baker lifted one of the nerveless hands, 1t
fell back by his side again. Useless, useless"
1 These were the last words
+n Col. conger had been sent on to Washington
and after a hurried breakfast, Lieut..
Baker started after him with the body. It
was wrapped in a blanket that had been used as
s, saddle CLOTH and after the blanket had been
market wagon. An old negro, supposed to be
thoroughly familiar with the country, acted as
him as soon as they had breakfasted, and with q
single corporal by his side departed for Belle
Plain lain Landing thirty miles away.
The story Of that days ride has never appeared
i'll print. Mile after mile was passed over, but
the cavalry did not rejoin them, although the
negro driver sssqgea bin that they We're On the
became alarmed for the safety of his command
and sent the corporal back with orders to the
squad to push forward with the utmost haste.
The corporal did not return, nor did the cavalry
men appear. One officer was alone with the
negro in a hostile country and with the body Of
the murderer of the hated Lincoln in his possess
si2 r. wood - ,,,,,, ,n
came hot and sultry. Baker began to meet
st lggi groups Of Confederate soldiers, who
Yank?" .
There has been no other day in Lieut.. Bakers
h
cal and mental strength. Exhausted by thirty
six hours of hard riding i'll the saddle he was
required to be constantly on the alert in antici-
gasl92pz g. IN attack frep every rayine Hungry
Now tie kngbolt broke and the front end Of the
%agon4o I'd dr9g ,pe down The corpse slipped
down upon the axle and reach and s1I1eared the
hands of the old negro as he bent under the
out in terror.
Stop your noise" sternly commanded the Of.
ficer; "it will wash Off"
1T will nebber, nebber wash off," walled the
derer."
, Up hills almost without end, threading mum
berless favines, the two plodded along, finally
reaching the Potomac in The evening" only tt
find themselves three-fourths of q mile allow
the landing The negro had taken the old road
while Lieut.. Bakers command had returned OF
the newer and better road constructed by tn,
: Government during the war. When the cor
that bad
placed in authority above him, refused to follow
Baker, and said shortly:
IF he wants to go off the wrong road he
must take the consequences"
Baker and the negro made the best of the
situation, by carrying Booths body to the
river and hiding it under clump of willows,
after which the former rode two miles around a
bluff and found his command and gunboat at
the. Government landing. He pulled back
body, and when it was swung on board the gun
boat he dropped exhausted on the deck and lay
there until the boat had steamed half way to
Washington.
The next 1sy he gave the Secretary Of
Stanton had Booths carbine, and it was
found that the cartridge was out of position and
could not be exploded. Its appearance showed
that number OF efforts had been made to dis
snapped it repeatedly at Baker as the latter
stood before the old barn with the candle in his
hand.
The administration was in q quandary regard
ing the disposal of the assassin's body, which
Was still on board the gunboat. The second day
after Lieut.. Bakers return Gen Baker came to
of Booths body. He doesn't care where it is
put, only it will not be found until Gabriel
blows his trumpet. want you to go with me-"
| The two started for the navy yard, stopping on
the way for a moments conversation with the
officer in charge of the old penitentiary, then
At the n the two
| taken on board, and q heavy ball and chain was
conspicqously placed in the boat: 1t was then
l4Co III Ulle AFTERNOON. CfOWuS Ol peOple
! river and followed the rowboat far down the
| stream as the marshes would permit.
The story sprang from lip to lip that the body
was to be weighted down with ball and chain
| and sunk in midstream. For several days there
after searching parties dragged the stream, and
| the next issue of Frank Leslies newspaper con-
tanned singularly accurate full page picture,
| showing the Bakers in the act OF showing the
| body into the river.
Two miles below the city the boat halted in g
| little cove near the grounds where condemned
warehouses; were slaughtered, and remained until
darkness had settled down. Thel! it was pulled
slowly back to the old penitentiary. A door at
! the waters edge was opened and the corpse car
| ried to criminal cell where the stone slab that
! covered the floor had been removed and grave
| dug in the earth beneath. Into that black hole,
| with only the United States blanket as a wind
ng-sheet, was lowered the body Of ]. Wilkes
! Booth, and the stone slab replaced above 1t.
| Col. Conger afterward insisted that the COM
mand of the capturing party was turned over to
him in Virginia, and claimed the lions share of
/ the reward All the foundation there was for
this claim was that Conger informed Baker
| during the search that he knew the lay Of the
land well, and the latter replied: We'll, If you
are familiar with the country, go ahead" How
ever. Conger induced corporal of the guard to
testify that Baker had really turned over the
command and by shrewd engineering eventually
secured $4,000 as the commander OF the party,
T,iaut Rakar ret.aivinp only O00