Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1893-03-21
A TREASURED COAT.
IT WAS sLAsHED BY WILKES BOOTH
WHILE RUNNING AWAY.


-"s S's' was worn ~ tho Leader Of
'he orchestra the Night Lincoln Was
Assassinated--A New story About nm
Historic Tragedy.
w;u;.,n u;.to = :.
mo-, a,,ss. Ia. .' ~, r., = the quiet
= 80 :, 'e's inc oc,sS.ra ~ tne Cali
~ mo 'lealer, anu wnen not marshall
ing MS musicians IS writing music in
MS room at the Brooklyn hotel. He IL
20 retiring that few can claim to know
him we'll, although his musical genius
has for thirty live 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, 1868, at Ford's theater il
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
confederate had morse in waiting.
MIR. Withers' most valued treasure IL
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 II nv
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 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 fred 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. Il thought some property man had
hred pistol just then heard heavy
fall on the stage and the people began
to yell: Hang himr Lynch himr sStor
him! and saw 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 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 passV
81 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 saving,
Let me passf felt the cut and turned
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.
Very soon Detective Stewart rar
over Inc 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.
Il thought | 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 razor had made
them, and l 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 the
murder.
81 had seen Booth before the show
to the theater, and after the Performance,
began saw him again standing agains