The Forrest City times., 1890-02-01
THE STORY RET0LD.
Account of tho Assassination of Lincoln as
 Told in "the Century"
Graphic Description of tho Scene in Ford : Theatre at tho Awful Moment-The Leap of tho Assassin, His Flight and the Pur-
 

the stage, could ever remember the last words of the piece that were uttered that night the last Abraham Lincoln heard upon earth. The whole performance remains in the memory of those who heard it a vague phan- tasmagoria, the actors the thinnest of specters. The awful tragedy in the | box makes everything else seem pal 0 and unreal Here were five human beings in marrow space the greatest man of his time, in the glory of the most stupendous success In our history, the idolized chief of nation already mighty, with illimitablc vistas of grandeur to come; his beloved wife, proud and happy; a pair of betrothed lovers, with all tho promise of felicity that youth, social position. and wealth could give them; and this young actor, handsome as Endymion upon Latmos. the pet of his little.world. The glitter of fame, happiness. and ease was upon the entire group, but in an instant everything was to be changed with the binding swiftness of enchantment t. l Quick death was to come on the cen tral figure of that company-the cen | tral figure. we believe, of the great and good men of the century. | Over all the rest the blackest fatcs lowered mcnacingly- from which a mother might pray that kindly l death would save her children in their | infancy. One was to wander with tho stain of murder ou his soul, with the curse of the world upon his name, with a price set upon his head, in frightful l physical pain. till he died dog's death in . burning barn; the stricken wife was to pass the rest of her days in | melancholy and madness; of those two young lovers, one was to shy the other and then end his life raviug man. fac.
 'The murderer seemed to himself to be taking part in a play. Tho fumes I of brandy and of partisan hate had for weeks kept his brain in amorbid state He felt as if he wore playing Brutus off l the boards; he posed expecting ap- l plause. Holding pistol in one hand | and knife in the other. hc opened the box door, put tho pistol to the Presidents head and fired; dropping the weapon, he took the knife in his right hand, and whom Major Rathbouc sprang to siege him he struck sayagiy at him. Major Rathbone reseivcl the blow on his left arm, suffering a wide and deep wound Booth, rushing for l ward, then vaulted lightly over to ihs stage. It was hgn leap, but nothis 2 to such Il trained athlete. He was in l the habit of introducing what actors call sensational leaps in his plays In Macbeth where he met the weird sisters, he lcaped from q rock twelve feet high He would have got safely away but for bis spur catching in the folds ol the Union ilag with which the front of the box was draped. He fell on the stage, the torn flag trailing on his spur, bat instantly rose as he had 1 received no hurt, though in fact the fall had broken his leg. turned to the audience. brandishing his dripping knife and shouting tho State motto of 1 Virginia, Sic Semper Tvranuis. and lied rapidly across the stage md out of sight. Major Rathbone had shouted. stop himr The cry went out .ho has shot the President From tho audi enee. at first stupid with surprise and afterwards wild with excitement aud horror, two or thrce men jumped upon the stage in pursuit of the llyiug as- sassln; but he ran through the familiar passages, leaped upon his horse. which was in waiting in tho alley behind. rewarded with a kick and curs0 the call-boy who had held him. and rode rapidly away in the light of the just | risen moon.
 "rhe president scarcely moved {: his head dropped forward slightly, 1 his eyes closet. Colonel Rathhone. at first not regarding bis own grcyious hurt, rushed to the door of the box to summon aid. He found u barred and on the outside some ono was beating and clamoring for entrance He open- ed the door, young officer named 1 Crawford entered one or two army surgeons soon followed, who hastily examined the wound lt was Ut once seen to be mortal It was afterwards aseertained that a large derripger bullet had entered tho back of tho head on tho left side, and passing through tho brain, had lodged iust behind the left eye By direction Of Rathbone and Crawford. the President ! was carried to house across the street and laid upon bod in n small room at the rear of the hall. on the ground floor. Mrs. Lincoln followed. half distracted tenderly cared for by Miss Harris RAthbone, exhausted l by loss of blood. faintod, and was car ried home. Messengers were sent for the members of the Cabinet for tha Surgeon-GeneraL for Dr., Stone tho ! Presidents family physician crowd of people rushed iustinciigely 10 tho I White House and. bursting through the doors. shouted tho dreadful news tn Robert Lincoln and Major Hay, who sat gossipiag in an upper room They ran down sttirs. Finding carriage at the door, they entered Il to 20 to Tenth street. As they were driving away. n friend came up and told them that Mir Sewart and most of the Cahi- net had been murdered The news was all so improbable that they could not help hoping it was ali untrue But l when they got to Tenth street and found every thoronghfare blocked by the swiftly gathering thousands. agi- tated by tumultuons excitement they were prepared for the worst In a few I ihAuhNSo atA W hN tlIu bFNn SeHk Ibr. ana many others, were gathered in the little chamber where tho Chief of the State lay In agony, His son was met at the door hy nr. Stone. who with grave tenderness informed him that there was no hope. Alter q natural outhurst Of grief young Lineola de- voted himself the rest of the night to soothing and comforting his mother
 The President h@d been shot a few
 minutes past ten. The wound would haye brought instant death to most men, but his vital tanaeity was extra ordinary. He was. ot course, uncon- scious from the first moment; but he breathed with slow and regular resni- ration throughout the night As tho dawn came. and tho lamplignt grew pale in the fresher beams, his pulse began 10 fail; but his face even then
 was scarcely more haggard than thosa of the sorrowlng group of statesmen and generals around him. His auto