Arizona republican., 1892-12-24
IA TREASURED COAT.
IT WAS sLASHED BY WILKES BOOTH
 WHILE RUNNING AWAY.

Historic Tragedy.
 William Withers, Jr., is the quiet man who leads the ochestra at the Cali fornia theater, and when not marshall ing his musicians is writing music in his room at the Brooklyn hotel. He is so retiring that few can claim to know him well, although his musical genius has for thirty-fve years given him stand ing amoug the composers and leaders of the country.
 MT. Withers is fifty-fve years old now, yet looks to be not more than forty, and 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 al- most had the unpleasant distinction of being murdered by Wilkes Booth after the latter had fired the fatal shot at President Lincoln and was rushing mad ly from the stage to an entrance where a confederate had horse in waiting.
 Mir. Withers' most valued treasure is & dress coat, now in part destroyed by the moth that Sorrupts all wool, but on the back of the coat can be plainly seen two clean cut slits, made with sharp edge, One, high up, as though stroke for the wearers neck, had missed it by a little and descended upon the gar Tuent. The other cut, nearly over the center of the space under which the wearer's right shoulder blade would be, is longer but equally well defined, and made with the same sharp steel.
 Wilkes Booth made both these slits, and the wonder is that his victim was not fatally slashed instead of being only nicked through the upper cut
 The coat was new when Mir. Withers put it on to lead the orchestra on the oc- casiOn of Abraham Lincoln's visit to the play, but the coat has never been worn since, so great was the sentimental de- votion of the musician to the great man who won for friends all who came to know him.
 Every one knows the story of Lin coln's assassination while sitting in an upper box of Ford's theater enjoying ''Our American Cousin" but few have ANeAA AANN NAldb Juob dlltl ADOOln had fired the cowardly shot, 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, "I thought some property man had fired pistol Just then heard heavy fall on the stage and the people began toyell: Hang himr Lynch himr Stop him! and saw a man running across the stage toward me. When he got near saw his eyes were almost starting from his head and there was the most fearful expression on his face l ever saw.
 ''l recognized Wilkes Booth and at that instant he put down his head and came rushing on, saying; Let me pass! let me pass'
 ''l was standing where 1 could not move much, the passage was so narrow. He came on and when he got near struck me with a bowie knife and kept saying. Let me pass! felt the cut and turned a little. Then he struck the knife into me again near the back of my neck and fell. When was down he rushed to the stage door, grasped the knob with both hands and dragged the door open. saw Peanut John standing outside holding bay horse. Then Booth pulled the door shut
 Very soon Detective Stewart ran over me and out of the door after Booth. The crowd came upon the stage and grabbed me and wanted to hang me right there, but some who knew me shouted that 1 was not the man. was arrested, however, and taken to jail, when Mayor Wallack examined me.
 ''l thought 1 was severely cut, but when took off my clothes found that the knife had only pierced my clothing and cut the skin little. The cuts were as clean as though q razor had made Shem, and hays never understood how escaped. The knife was found in front of the patent office, where Booth had dropped it as he rode away after the murder
 "l had seen Booth before the show standing near the Tenth street entrance to the theater, and after the performance -hAA ctt" AiAlli uodih 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 locate the president exactly. Then he had opened 1he door little, taken careful aim and fired the fatal shot. He burst through the box and jumped fourteen feet to the stage.
 "lt was such an experience as never wish to have again. It made me sick for weeks, and get excited now when l think of it. taught little Tad Lincoln to play the drum, and was always kindly treated by the president. The whole shooting and escape were done in few seconds and unexpectedly. Booth had evidently made his plan carefully, and was prepared to resort to any means to avoid arrest. keep that old coat now, and value it more than everything elso I have, San Francisco Examiner.
 What Susan Saw.