Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1892-12-01
A TREASURED COAT.
gr WAS sLAsHED BY WILKES BOOTH
WHILE RUNNING AWAY.

The Coat was Worn by the Leader OF
the Orchestrs she Night Lincoln was
Assassinated-A New Story About an
Historic Tragedy.
William Withers, Jr., is the quiet
man who leads the ochestra at the Cali
fornia theater, and when not marshal
ing his musicians is writing music IN
his room at the Brooklyn hotel. de Is
SO retiring that few a claim TO know
him well, although his musical genius
has for thirty-fve years given him stand
ing among the composers and leaders OF
the country.
Mr.. Withers is ffty-fve years old now,
vet looks to be not more than forty, ana
would appear even younger except for
an episode that occurred on the evening
of April IA. 1865. at Ford's theater | n
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
" from the stage to an entrance where
a confederate had a horse in waiting.
Mr.. Withers' 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 a sharp
edge. One, high up, as though a stroke
for the wearer's neck, had missed it by
a little and descended upon the gar
ment. 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 Sits,
| 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 Mr.. Withers
put it on to lead the orchestra on the oc-
casion of Abraham Lincoln's visit 20 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
coins assassination while sitting in an
upper box of Ford's theater enjoying
''Our American Cousin" but few have
learned what occurred just after Booth
had fired the cowardly shot, because
William Withers is the only man who
can tell the story, and he does not often
do ii.
when the fatal shot was fred" he
says, II thought some property man had
fred a pistol. Just then heard a heavy
fall on the stage and the people began
to yell: Hang himv Lynch him! Stop
himT and l saw a man running across
the stage toward me. When he got
near l saw his eyes were almost starting
from his head and there was the most
fearful expression on his face l ever saw.
81 recognized Wilkes Booth and al
that instant he put down his head and
came rushing IN, saying; Let me pass.
let me passP
81 was standing where / could not
move much, the passage was so narrow.
He came on aud when he got neal struck
me with a bowie knife and kept saying,
Let me passr ! felt the cut and turned
/ a ltlLlCs 4hCh LC I hSh LAO hLl1L0 llIN
me again near the back of my neck and
| fell. When | was down he rushed tc
the stage door, grasped the knob with
both hands and dragged the door open
I saw Peanut John standing outside
holding a bay horse. Thea Booth pulled
the door shut.
Every soon Detective Stewart rar
cver me and out of the door after Booth
The crowd came upon the stage and
grabbed me and wanted 70 hang ms
right there, but some who knew ms
shouted that was not the man. waI
arrested, however, and taken to jail
when Mayor Wallack examined me.
II thought / was severely cut, bu'
when | took off my clothes l found tina
the knife had only pierced my clothing
and cut the skin a little. The cuts wer,
as clean as though a razor had mad,
them, and | have never understood how
| escaped. The knife was found in from
of the patent Office, where Booth hat
dropped it as he rode away after tht
murder.
Il had seen Booth before the show
standing neal the Tenth street entranc,
to the theater, and after the Performance,
began saw him again standing agains
the rear wall of the parquet circle, ant
then noted that he had gone into tn,
balcony. After President Lincoln cam
in Booth stole down the balcony until h,
could look through a hole that had beef
bored in the box door and locate tn,
president exactly. Then he had opened
the door a little, taken careful aim an(
fired the fatal shot. He burst through
the box and jumped fourt zen feet to tn,
stage.
ut was such an experience as | neve,
wish to have again. 1t made me sicl
for weeks, and | get excited now when
think of it. | taught little Tad Lincoll
to play the drum, and was always kindly
treated by the president. The Who'll,
shooting and escape were done in a few
seconds and Unexpectedly. Booth hat
evidently made his plan carefully, ant
was prepared to resort to any means t.
avoid arrest. keep that old coat now
and Talue it more than everything els,
have."--San Francisco Examiner.