St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1890-01-16

had for weeks kept his brain in a
morbid state. He felt as if he were
playing Brutus off the boards; he
posed, expecting applause. Holding
a pistol in one hand and a knife in
the other, he opened the box door,
put the pistol to the Presidents head,
and fired; dropping the weapon, he
took the knife in his right hand, and
when Major Rathbone sprang to
seize him he struck savagely at him.
Major Rathbone received the blow
on his left arm, suffering wide and
deep wound. Booth, rushing for
ward, then placed his left hand on
the railing of the box and vaulted
lightly over the stage. 1t was a
high leap, but nothing to such a
trained athlete. He was in the habit
of introducing what actors call SEN
sational leaps in his plays. In Mac
beth, where he met the weird sisters,
he leaped from a rock twelve feet
high. He would have got safely
away but for his spur catching in the
folds of the Union flag with which
the front of the box was draped.
He fell OH the stage, the torn flag
trailing on his spur, but instantly
rose as if he had received no hurt,
though in fact the fall had broken
his leg, turned to the audience,
brandishing his dripping knife and
shouting the state motto of Virginia,
Sic Semper Tyrannis,' and fled
rapidly across the stage and out of
sight. Major Rathbone had shouted
Stop him. The cry went out, He
has shot the President From the
audience, at first stupid with surprise
and afterwards wild with excitement
and horror, two or three men jumped
upon the stage in pursuit of the fly
ing assassin; but he ran through
the familiar passages, leaped upon
his horse, which was in waiting in
the alley behind, rewarded with a
kick and a curse the call-bov who
had held him, and rode rapidly
away in the light of the just risen
moon.
THE President scarcely moved
his head dropped forward slightly,
his eyes closed Colonel Rathbone,
at first not regarding his own griev
Gus hurt, rushed to the door of the
box to summon aid He found it
barred and on the outside some one
was beating and clamoring for en-
trance. He opened the door; young
officer named Crawford entered; one
or two army surgeons soon followed,
who hastily examined the wound.
1t was at once seen to be mortal.
1t was afterwards ascertained that
a large derringer bullet had entered
the back of the head on the left side,
and, passing through the brain, had
lodged just behind the left eye. BY
direction of Rathbone and Crawford,
the President was carried to a house
across the street and laid upon a bed
in a small room at the rear of the
hall, on the ground floor. Mrs Lin
coin followed, half distracted, tender
ly cared for by Miss Harris Rath-
bone, exhausted by loss of blood,
and was carried home. Mes
were sent for the members of
the Cabinet, for the Surgeon-General,
for DIR. Stone, the Presidents family
physician; crowd of people rushed
to the White House and
bursting through the doors, shouted
the dreadful news to Robert Lincoln
and Major Hay, who sat gossiping
in an upper room. They ran down
stairs. Finding a carriage at the
door, they entered it to go to Tenth
street. AS they were driving away,
a friend came up and told them that
Mr.. Seward and most of the Cabinet
had been murdered. The news was
all so improbable that they could not
help hoping it was all untrue. But
when they got to Tenth street and
found every thoroughfare blocked by
the swiftly gathering, thousands agi
tated by tumultuous excitement, they
were prepared for the worst In
few minutes all who had been sent
for, and many others, were gathered
in the little chamber where the chief
of the state lay in agony. His son
was met at the door by DIR. Stone,
who with grave tenderness informed
him that there was no hope. Aftera
natural outburst of grief young Lin
coin devoted himself the rest of the
night to soothing and comforting
his mother.
"The President had been shot
few minutes past ten. The wound
would have brought instant death
to most men, but his vital tenacity
was extraordinary. He was, of
course, unconscious from the first
moment; but he brea thed with slow
and regular respiration throughout
the night AS the dawn came, and
the lamplight grew pale in the fresh
er beams his DI1lSe beOau TO fail but