The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-07-19
LINCOLN'S ASSASSINATION,
The Doorkeeper at Ford's Theater Tell
Some Stories of the Night.

The Doorkeeper at Ford's Theater Tells
Some Stories of the Night.
Forty-two years ago L was a call-boy to
the elder Booth; so you see my theatrical
experience extends over a good long time.
For most of these years l have seen the
theater from the doorway, and for nearly
thirty of them l have taken the tickets of
the Washington theater-going public.
was tending the door at Ford's Theater
the night that Lincoln was shot. The im-
preston it made upon my mind is still
so vivid that ! don't like to talk
about it, but for all that there was moth
ing of the horrible scene often de-
scrhed. The soldiers, who were al
most Immediately upon the spot, did net
charge upon the crowd with fixed bayane Is.
as is sometimes enormously stated. There
was very great difficulty in making the peo-
pie leave the house. Hardly two minutes
after the shot was fired the audience seemed
to flow over into the orchestra and upon the
stage. This state of things lasted for some
time until. at the request of Mr.. Harry
Ford, | went out to the sidewalk aud spoks
to MIR. WalIach, for many years Mayor of
the CITY, he came in, and, going as far as
he could down one of the aisles, addressed
the crowd and asked them to leave. He
was well known, and the people obeyed
with tolerable promptness. and that is the
way the throng was really dispersed. When
they were finally gone l locked the doors
and quilted the building.
All this, of course, is more or less widely
known to the public. What is less familiar
is the subsequent history of the old house.
A provost quad was put in charge, and the
soldiers made sad havoc with the appear
ance OF the theater. We had, for instance.
a pretty little waiting parlor for ladies; here
the guard cooked and ate their rations, until
floor and furniture were covered with grease
They damaged the boxes, too, great deal,
and altogether left the place in a sorry con-
ditlon. Mr.. Ford obtained permission to
open again on the 10th of July. The play
was The Octoroon," and was billed all
over the city. The provost guard was not
ordered out until the last moment, and after
that we attempted TO put things in order as
best We could. The thea.er was cleaned,
a and drape sGus the box roll which fFss
dent Lincoln had occupied. We were
busy all day on the 10TH and hurried home
lats to dress for the evenings business. A
little before time for the performance I
came back and found a row of soldiers on
the steps. MIR. Ford came up and told me
that he had been summoned to appear at
the War Department, and that there could
be no performance that evening. He went
TO see Secretary Stanton. The building was
bought by the Government for 100000, and
has not been used for theatrical purposes
since.
kept as mementoss good-sized scraps of
the Wallpaper and box-curtains of the old
theater, but these pieces have grown smaller
and smaller until all have left are few
little bits. which have had photographed
l have cut off little for first one friend and
then another, until / have had TO put the
remaining pieces under a glass and frame
them TO protect them from my own band
John E. Buckingham in Kate Fields Wash
ingtOp.