The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-04-26
RELICS OF A TRAGEDY.
They Are Carefully Preserved in
the Archives of the War
Department.
The Weapon With Which Abra-
ham Lincoln Was Killed
by Wilkes Booth.
Dagger Used by the Assassin in His Flight
From the Theater-Other
Implements.
Especial Correspondence of Tnx INDEPENDENT.

Especial Correspondence of THE INDEPENDENT
WASHINGTON, April 22.-'How many
people do YOU suppose" asked MIR. Saxton,
a clerk in the office of the judge advocate
general of the army, the other day, ''havs
ever seen the weapon with which Wilkes
Booth killed President Lincoln"
Mr.. Saxton was with a party of friends,
and his question rather aroused interest.
Nobody could guess, OF course. 1t had
been generally supposed that every relic OF
the Lincoln assassination had long ago
been seen or written about by everybody
who had interest in such things, but when
somebody in Mr.. Sa1ton's company sug-
Rested that idea, he only smiled, and
said: "Then everybody has been greatly
fooled. suppose the dime museums
are filled with such things. n
we all know that the Army Medical
museum. which is now in Ford's
old theater, has many interesting relics of
those tragic days, which every visitor to
Washington can see if he chooses. But the
real implements of the sssassination-the
genuine exhibits of the trial before the mil
itary commission which hanged Booths
fellow conspirators, are up in the Judge ad-
vocats generals Office, AZ part of the record
of the trial, and" Mr.. Sa1ton bowed mod
estly, 'they are in my charge"
Mr.. Saxton is a grevhaired man. His
friends try to dub him major" but he
won't have it, for he says, II was never big
ger than first sergeant, and l am proud OF
that title" Sergeant Saxton has charge of
all five OF the rooms in the big war de-
partmsnt building, which contains the
court martial records. 1t is a bureau of
war departments rarely visited because it is
not known to contain anything especially
interesting. Everything connected with
the assassination of President Lincoln was
long ago supposed to have been distributed
among the various museums and historical
societies, or to have passed into private
hands.
Not SO, every implement, every exhibit,
every physical object that figured in the
record of the trial, and as such is carefully
guarded in the office Of the judge advocate
general. But few people ever see these.
Not many know they are in existence.
When Mr.. Saxton asked how many in the
opinion of his young friends preaent, had
ever looked at them, his answer, About
three or four people a year-friends of the
secretary Of war. or judge advocate gen
erAl." was indeed q surprise. The exhibits
in the great trial are most carefully guard
ed. No body can ever see them without
permission of the secretary, or the judge
advocate general, and nobody can take
copies of any of the written matter with
out express permission Of the secretary
himself.
It is = gruesome exhibit that Mr.. Saxton
has to display, when anybody comes to him
with. the proper authority. The room that
he occupies is big and broad, with ceilings
fifteen feet high. All the four walls are
covered with a solid framework of pigeon
holes and drawers, numbered in a way that
nobody could understand. To the lief. of
Mr.. Saxton's desk is a range of ~three-deep
drawers. In these drawers, packed in close,
is the record Of the trial of the Lincoln
assassins. There were no ~type-writsrs in
those DAYS; the whole record is written in a
big, bold hand. on department. paper, and
the whole is kept carefully locked up.
The physical exhibits of the trial are kept
in the vault. When. Saxton brings out
these dreadful things, he does it with an
air that indicates his personal responsible
ty. His voice is hushed; he directs his type
writer's to cease work, he sends his lady
stenographer out of the room, and with
the most delicate touch lifts the precious
relics, shows them and it is only with evil
dent reluctance that he allows even a ia
vored visitor to touch them.
The first thing of Importance that he has
to show, is the stage plan of Ford's theatre
the same that was drawn by the engineer
ing department of the army for use on the
trial. 1t is ragged and thumbstained. Four
colors indicate the positions of the various
actors in the great tragedy. very position
occupied by Booth-with his line of flight,
is marked in red. Where Mr.. Lincoln sat
in his box. and the position of the people
with him-Mrs. Lincoln, Major Rathbone,
and Miss Harris, is marked in blue. Where
Laura Keene and her chef support, Harry
Hawk, stood in the second act of Our
American Cousin right in the center of
the stage is marked in purple, and where
Booth fell upon the stage on his leap from
the box and broke his leg, is indicated in
green.
This diagram is interesting, because it
was the official diagram, before the court.
The certificates as to its genuineness are
signed in the most careless way by a young
lieutenant of engineers who probably had
no idea of what a great historic document
this was likely to become. When Mr.. Sax