The morning call., 1891-06-07
HOW HE ELUDED
AN ANGRY MOB.
Junius BrutuS Booths Escape After
LinG0ln'S Death.
A Story That Was Told by an Ex-Army 0fH'
Ger in the United Service Club-Over
a Roof and Down Ladder.

A party OF gentlemen SittlDg III the United
Service Club were discussing military mat
tiers in general when the talk turned to the
suppression of mobs.
IAN angry mob is dreadful thing. gen.
tlemen." said well-knOwn eX-army officer.
81 saw one once, aud l never want to see
another 1t was just twenty-six years ago,
the day that President Lincoln died from
Booths bullet. / was on duty then at Gov
ington, opposite Cincinnati, and with Gen.
eral Wade, now Colonel of the Fifth Cavalry.
lived at a country house about two miles
back of Newport.
about o'clock that Saturday morning
was reused by hearing a horse furiously
galloping up the hard turnpike, and as L
listened the sounds told me that the rider
had turned into the lane leading to our home.
Wade, whose bed was in the same room,
jumped up and rushed out on the broad
veranda in his night clothes. rem arking,
There's some big news.
Il Joined him in the bright moonlightOut-
side just as one of the orderlies swung from
the saddle and handed Wade dispatch
from the Adjutant- General.
"The General stepped back and lighted
lamp, when l heard him groan loudly, Oh.
my God, and when L hurried forward he
had dropped in an armchair with his head
in his hands, and the dispatch lay on the
floor.
$40 my anxious inquiries he replied by
handing me the paper without a word. b
was from General Palmer at Louisville,
notifying us that President Lincoln had been
shot aud killed in a Washington theater,
that Mr. Seward had been also assaSSinated,
and attempts made on the lives of Secre-
tary Stanton, Vice-President johnson and
others.
50 / don't think il was bi; over five min
utes when we rode away with our orderllesr
mounted at headquarters in CoYlngton, not
more than fifteen minutes later.
STILL ALIVE.
"News came that the President was still
alive, but dispatches came slowly and we
rode TO the Ohio River and crossed to Gin
cinnati, where, at General HeintZelmanS
headquarters. messages arrived every few
moments.
I'm Covington and Newport the dreaded
news had spread aud the streets were
thrOnged, but in Cincinnati the whole of the
great population CT men and boys seemed
to be packed in the downtown streets about
the Custom-hOuse and Burnett House.
''Men spoke in whispers as they surged
about the bulletin-bOards and passed tue
substance of each new message to their
neighb0rS. Every face was grave and
anxious, and not few were quietly crying.
1t was the complete opposite of the wild and
joyous mob of the Sunday night before,
when news came to the same people OF the
surrender at App0mattcX.
''After a while Wade and | rode back to
our Headquarters, but at about o'clock in
the morning went over to Cincinnati again.
The crowds had very largely increased. for
every incoming train brought thousands
from neighboring towns 100 miles away
''JuSt about o'clock the dispatch came
announcing that the great President was
dead. and hush fell upon the mighty null
titude that was almost appalling. a mighty
roar broke forth that was great yell OF in
tense rage.
1.-THE mob turned to host of madmen, as
one tore down huge theatrical poster at
the Commercial corner, and in a mass they
rushed across Fourth street to Pixies Opera
House, where two huge billboardS were
torn from the building and literally crushed
to a powder. 1t is an actual fact that those
bowling demons didn't leave bit Of wood
as large as parlor match.
THE NAME OF THE BROTHER.
Why this? Junius Brutus Booth was
playing an engagement at Pixies Opera
House that week, and the posters bearing
the name Of the elder brother OF the assassin
announced that he would play Richelieu"
that Saturday night. as ne had the night
before.
$ Gut the house he played in" suggested
one, but as the mob surged toward the huge
ciOotQ uOOISf q SiiSuL Duilt udIk udlIeu anu
dark eyed man, sprang before, and. draw
ing two heavy reyolyerS, placed himself
with his back to the doors, facing the angry
sea of faces below.
"'Pm Sam Pike, said the dark-eyed man.
as he waved revolver: every man here
/ knows me and who | am. l am as loyal to
| the American flag as any man that lives,
and I've given freely to help uphold its
| honor.
i But because the brother of the assassin
! who has murdered cur beloved President
| has been playing in my house is no reason
| why you should destroy my property.
The first man that lifts a hand to in
jure this place l will kill in his tracks. You
must Kill me before you go through these
doors, but some of you will keep me COM
pany. You all know, Sam Pike, and that
when he says thing he keeps his word
There was dead silence for brief
time, and then voice, Boys, Sam is right;
let's get Booth and away surged the mob
around the corner to the Burnett House,
where Booth was staying.
"Junius Brutus Booth was as thoroughly
loyal to the Union as his brother was dis
loyal, and was in his room with some friends,
very much depressed and broken down at
the terrible news when Billy Wilkinson the
manager of the Burnett House. bursti in with
the startling news that the mob was hunt
/ ing the tragedian As the mob poured in
and multitudiDously asked for Booth VIII
kinSon lodged through side door and in
few minutes had the party slowed away in
the servants quarters at the top of the
house.
GENERAL WADE.
Wilkinson then came to General Wade.
whom he knew well, aud told him that an
effort would be made TO get Booth across the
river to ask military protection. and that
started us off.
In less than half an hour Wade and 1
were at headquarters, and in less than an
arrived with three friends, and General Wade
placed him IN my charge for protection.
Booth WAS very pale. but quiet, aud did not
seem nervous over the narrow escape he had
made, but he seemed more relieved when |
landed him in the Office inside the military
prison in Covington-the ''bull pen"-where
he stayed until the next TueSday-thTee
days-before leaving for Louisville and
Chicago.
While Booth was at the prison, which
was guarded by two regiments, not even the
commandant of the troops or the provost of
the prison knew who he was.
lone OF Booths party told of the escape.
A frightened bell-bOy had led the mob to
the actors rooms, where, when the escape
was discovered, furniture and fittings vera
destroyed as completely as Sam Pixies bill
boards had been.-
"Then the mob spread to other rooms
and searched even in impossible corners for
their human prey. From floor to floor they
Went, ana were nearly at the top when the
victim and three friends went ous on the
roof. An eighteen-foot alley at the west
side of the Burnett House separated the
hotel from large wholesale house, the roof
of which was few feet lower than that
where the fugitive was.
"A long ladder with rope attached had
been brought to the hotel roof, and other
friends who had gone to the other building
caught the rope and hauled one end of the
ladder to that roof. On the rungs OF the
sloping ladder Booth crawled across, and
then the ladder was lowered away to The
alley, fifty feet or more below.
Passing out through the alley to the