Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-09-11
MURDER OF LINCOLN.
TALES TOLD OF THAT NIGHT BY
ONE WHO KNOWS.
aIe mories of tho Doorkeeper OF Ford's
Theatcr-The Subsequent story OF
the Old Buiiding-Govcrn-
ment Property.

4 ~
extends over "a good long time For
most OF these years | have seen the
theatre from the doorway, and for
nearly thirty OF them ! have taken the
tickets OF the Washington theater-
going public. ! know the faces, /
think of most of the people in town
who are fond of the play, and have
/ had tho pleasure of admitting many
celebrities to an evening of recreation
/ from the cares of state. At this sea-
son. however, the celebrities are very
sparse indeed.
Among the prominent men in the
last congress who came often TO the
! theater were Mr.. Breckenridge of Ken
lucky, Mr.. Carlisle and Mr.. Eustis.
President Harrison likes an evening
here, and is q greater theater-goer
than any president since Arthur.
Harrison, Arthur and Lincoln make up
the recent presidential patrons of the
drama. Between Lincoln's time and
Arthur's no president showed very
much fondness for the theater.
| was tending the door at Ford's
theater the night that Lincoln was
shot. The impression it made upon
my mind is still so vivid that don't
like to talk about ii, but for all that
there was nothing of the horrible
scene often described. The soldiers,
who were almost Immediately upon
the spot did not charge upon the
crowd with fixed bayonets, as is some
times enormously stated. There was
very great difficulty in making the
people 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 and
spoke TO Mr. Wallach, for many years
mayor of the city. He came in, and
going as far as he could down 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 | 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 guard was
put in charge, and the soldiers made
sad havoc with the appearance 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 n great deal, and alto
gether left the place in sorry con-
dition. 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 theater was
: cleaned, and | bought roll of Grape
and draped the box which President
Lincoln had occupied. We were busy
ali day on the 10th, and | hurried
: home late to dress for the evenings
business. a little before time for the
performance | came back and found a
row Of soldiers on the steps. Mr.. Ford
came up and told me that he had been
summoned to appear at the war de-
partment, and that there could be no
performance that evening. He went
to see Secretary Stanton. The building
was bought by the government for
500, 600, and has not been used for
theatrical purposes since.
, i keep as mementoes good-sized
, scraps of the wall paper and box cur
tains of the old theatre. but these
pieces have grown smaller and smaller
: and smaller. until all / have left are a
9 few little bits which | have had pho
tographed. / have cut off little for
/. first one friend and then another. until
b have had to put the remaining pieces
, under glass and frame them to pro-
tect them from my own hand.
/ think Washington theaters are diff
, ferent from even the best houses in
many other cities, in the quiet and de-
: corum OF the audience, and the alb
sence of any large door crowd made up
, of people who come TO see the audience
and not the play. Ladies come to the
theater with each other and with
ing would be considered more unfor-
tunate by the managers than to have
this custom fall into disfavor. Our
audiences are very varied. for what
J calls out one set OF people will not at
tract another and, of course, the win
ter audiences and the summer ones are
, made up in the main of different
: classes. Still, you would be astonished
to find how many society people like
to drop in to summer opera il they are
in town. For my own part i have
reached the point where / care very
little what is going on inside the doors.
| am often asked what the piece is,
and have 10 stop moment before
can collect my thoughts and answer
IL has made so little impression upon
my mind.