Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-04-17
JOHN WILKES BOOTH.
End Of the Assassin = Disposition of
His Body.
Recovered by His Family and Rein
TERED in Baltimore.
BY FRANK C. CARPENTER.

the tool-room of the Navy ard at Wash
ington for assisting John Wilkes
Booth to escape after his assassination of
President Lincoln. calls attention to the
fact that the whereabouts of Booths body
after it was brought from the Jet farm
and placed on board a monitor lying In the
Eastern Branch until the date of It's ulti-
mate burial in Greenmomt Cemetery, at
Baltimore, has never been published.
heard this week through a man who was
employed at the Washington Arsenal at
that time. and who aided in caring for
the body, the following facts. Said he:
Booth was shot by Boston Corbett. and
the body was then rolled up in a gray
blanket, and In this shape it was brought
to Washington. When it arrived at East
Washington it was placed on one of the
monitors in the Branch, and during the
day it was visited by DR.. May, and others,
of Washington, who were intimately ac-
quainted with the deceased actor. Dur
ing the day plain coffin of dressed pine
was made at the Navy-I ard, and it was
the idea of the people there that Booth
would be buried IN this coffin. The ex-
element at the time was intense and
every man in the Yard claimed the privi-
lege of driving nail into the box. This
privilege was accorded them, but the box
was not the one used for the burial. In
the afternoon some of the Army Surgeons
examined the body and removed section
of the spine through which the ball had
passed. This fragment can be seen N
the exhibition hall of the Army Medical
Museum here.
1T was almost nightfal of that day
when a Government steamer was made
fast to the Monitor, on which the remains
were placed, while boat with four sail
Ors and CoXswain was run up close to the
Monitor, and several of Bakers detectives
were noticed walking about the deck
Then what appeared to be the remains of
the assassin were placed aboard the steam
boat, which started down the river toward
Alexandria The next morning the pub
lie were informed through the local press
that Government craft was well on its
way down the Potomac with Booths re-
mains on board which were to be sunk at
sea. Such, however, was very far from
the truth. The body put aboard the
steamer was a blind, and the press re-
ports of the following day showed how sue
cessfully the ruse had worked. The body,
in fact, had been sewed up in a grey
blanket and placed in the boat. manned
by several sailors and couple of Bakers
detectives, and started off toward Anacos-
tia, making a zig-zag track from opposite
the Navy Yard toward Giesboro Point,
and the boat finally touched at the Arsen-
al S eastern wharf, and the grey blanket
and its contents were quietly carried
ashore A guard was at one place on duty,
and no one was allowed to go near the
wharf, every effort being made to keep the
workmen ignorant of the facts.
Late in the afternoon several of the
employees were directed to make an exca-
walton in one of the cells of the old peni-
tertiary in the Arsenal (which structure
has since been demoEshed). This was so
cement floor of the cells, that it had to be
abandoned, and new location was chosen
in the large store-room of the building.
The brick floor was taken up and a deep
hole dug just south of what is now Gen.
Gibsons residence. The remains were
then placed in a wooden arms-case fused
was quickly carried under cover of dark
ness, up through the Arsenal grounds to
the penitentiary building, and through
UDt uOOI lbduluS HUH UIlC SUOIC-lOOui W
the courtyard There it was met by Col.
Benton, Commandant of the Arsenal, some
of Baker, detectives and a War Depart
ment officer, and by the aid of lanterns,
for it was between 9 and 10 o'clock at
night, it was placed in the impromptu
grave, which was covered with earth, and
the bricks which had been removed were
piled up near by.
''There the body of John Wilkes Booth
reposed until February, 1867, and in the
meantime Mrs. Surratt, Atzerott, Herold
and Payne had been tried executed and
buried near the opposite end of the build
ing In November of that year Henry
Wirz, of Andersonville prison notOriety,
had been condemned, executed and in
tered near them. In 1867 the United
States government determined to tear away
all that portion of the old penitentiary
building which had been used as prison
proper leaving the quarter which had
been occupied by the warden and deputy
warden to be converted into residences for
army officers. The bodies, including
Booths. were therefore removed in FeLru-
arv of 1867 and buried within the walls of
store-house No 2, about SO yards from the
1hClC thCy lCllhlhCt uLiOAi
the latter part of Johnson administration,
when, application having been made for
the remains of Mrs. Surratt, all the bod
les were disinterred. About this time the
Booth family sent Baltimore dentist to
Washington to examine the teeth of the
corpse of John Wilkes Booth, to identify,
if possible, the work which he had done
upon the assassin's teeth several years
previous. The dentist recognized his
work and the identity being thus ascer-
tanned by the family beyond doubt (which
was the object in view) the family took
charge of the remains which were entirely
past recognition, except through the den
fist, as above described. The corpse was
then placed in a wagon and driven to
stable adjoining the one IN which Booth
sometimes kept his horse, this stable being
in the alley from whence he escaped after
firing the fatal shots and leaving the
theater on that eventful night four years
previous. When the bag containing the
CORPSE was opened, it was found that the
flesh had almost entirely disappeared from
the body, and the clothing had nearly rot
ted away, and it was also observed that on
one foot was boot with its top cut off
and slit from the inside and made like a
shoe. The head, which lad a most uncanny
aspect, was detached from the body, and
the hair was long and glossy, even oily,
and there was little mildew in the long
locks. The features were far past recogni-
ton. The undertaker's attendant lifted
the corpse from the gun-case by the blan-
ket, which was in good condition, and
placed it In an ordinary coffin.
SIN few hours the remains were In
Baltimore, and after being placed in
richly-embellished casket they were inter
red beside his fathers grave in Green