The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1892-11-18
A TREASURED COAT
IT WAS SLASHED BY WILKES BOOTH
WHILE RUNNING AWAY.

The Coat Was Worn by the Leader of
the Orchestra the 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 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 we'll, although his musical genius
has for thirty-fve years given him stand
ing among the composers and leaders of
the country
Mr.. 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.
Mr.. Withers' most valued treasure is
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 a stroke
for the wearer's neck, had missed it by
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 &C.
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
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 it.
"When the fatal shot was fired" he
says, 81 thought some property man had
fired pistol. Just then heard heavy
fall on the stage and the people began
to yell: Hang himv Lynch himp Stop
him! and | saw 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 ever saw.
81 recognized Wilkes Booth and at
that instant he put down his head and
came rushing on, saying: Let me pass!
let me passp
81 was standing where l 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.
l saw Peanut John standing outside
holding bay horse. Then Booth pulled
the door shut.
every 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 was not the man. | was
arrested, however, and taken to Jail,
when Mayor Wallack examined me.
II thought | was severely cut, but
when took off my clothes found that
the knife had only pierced my clothing
and cut the skin a little. The cuts were
as clean as though razor had made
them, and have 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.
81 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 locate the
president exactly. Then he had opened
the door little, taken careful aim and
fired the fatal shot. He burst through
the box and jumped fourteen feet to the
stage.
sit was such an experience as | never
wish to have again. 1t made me sick
for weeks, and get excited now when
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 else
have."-San Francisco Examiner.