The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-11-09
Mr.. WITHERs' DRESS COAT.
It's 81 Years Old. But Ills Most Valued
Possession.
From the Neo York Recorder.

NFOHt Lle AeU lOTk EeCOTueT.
William Withers, Jr, is the quiet man
who leads the orchestra at the California
| theater, and when not marshaling his
musicians Is writing music in his room at
the Brooklyn hotel. He is SO retiring that
few eau claim to know him we'll, although
MS musical genius has for thirty-hve years
given him standing among the composers
and leaders of the country, says the San
Francisco Examiner.
Mr.. Withers is So years old now yet looks
to be not more than 40, aud would appear
even younger except for an episode that
occurred on the evening Of April IA, 1865,
at Ford's theater, In Washington. That
evening Withers almost had the unplees-
ant distinction OF being murdered by Wilkes
Booth after the latter had fired the fatal
shot at President Lincoln and was rushing
madly from the stage TO an entrance where
confederate had horse in waiting.
Mr.. Wither's most valued treasure is a
dress coat, now in part destroyed by the
moth that corrupts all wool but on the back
of the coat can be plainly seen TWO clean cut
Sits, made with sharp edge. One high up,
as though stroke for the wearer's neck
had missed it by "a little and descended upon
the garment. The other cut, nearly over
| the center of the space under which the
wearer's right shoulder blade would be, Is
ANAAANN
with the same sharp steel.
Wilkes Booth made both those Sits, and
the wonder is that his victim was not ia
| tally slashed instead OF being only nicked
through the upper cut.
The coat was new when Mr.. Withers put
it on to lead the orchestra on the occasion
| Of Abraham Lincoln's visit to the play but
the coat has never been worn since, so great
was the sentimental devotion of the must
clan to the great man who won for friends
all who came to know him,
Every one knows the story Of Lincolns
assassination while sitting in an upper box
of Ford's theater enjoying Our Amer
lean Cousin but few nave learned what
occurred Just after Booth bad fred, because
William Withers is the only man who can
tell the story, and he does not often do it.
when the fatal shot was fred he says,
II thought some property man had fired a
pistol. just then | heard q heavy fall on
the stage and the people began to yell:
Hang himP Lynch himp stop him.
and | saw a man running across the stage
toward me. When be got near ] saw his
| eyes we're almost starting from his head
and there was the most fearful expression
on his face ever saw.
! Il recognized Wilkes Booth, and at that
instant he put down his head and came
rushing on, saying: Let me pass! let me
| passp
~ was standing where could not move
much, the passage was so narrow. He
came on and when he got near struck me
with bowie knife and kept saying, Let
me passp felt the cut and turned q little.
| Then he struck the knife into me a9aiu
near the back OF my neck aHd | fell.
! When was down he rushed to the stage
| door, grasped the knob with both hands and
dragged the door open. | saw 'Peanu t
| John standing outside holding bay horse.
! h,oJ ~,
very soon Detective Stewart ran over me
and out the door after Booth. The crowd
came up on the stage and grabbed me and
wanted to hang me right there, but some
| who knew me shouted that l was not the
man. | was arrested however, aad taken
to jail, when Mayor Wailack examined me
81 thought | was severely cut, but when
I took off nv clothes found that the knife
had only pierced my clothing and cut the
skin little. The outs we're as clean as
| though a razor had made them and | have
never understood how escaped. The knife
was fou1d in front Of the patent office,
whore Booth had dropped it as he rode
away.
II had seen Booth before the show.
standing near the Tenth street entrance to
| the theater, and after the performance
began saw him again standing against the
rear wall of the parquet circle, and then
noted that he had gone into the balcony.
! After President Lincoln came in Booth
stole down the balcony until he could look
through hole that had been bored in The
box door and located the President exactly
Then he opened the door a little, taking
careful aim and fred the shot He bursi
through the box and jumped fourteen feet
to the stage.
1t was such an experience as never wish
to have again. 1t made me sick for weeks
and l get excited now when | think OF
il. l taught little Tad Lincoln to play the
! drum and was always kindly treated by
the President. The whole shooting and
escape we're done in few seconds and I'M
expectedly. Booth had evidently made hi.
plan careful and was prepared to resort &c
any means to avoid arrest. | keep that old
coat now and value it more than every
thing else have"