The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-01-28
THE MAN IN A BUGGY.
An Incident of the Lincoln Tragedy
Never Before Published.
oNew York Evening Post.)

President Lincoln, and a short time
before that tragedy took place, horse
and buggy were driven rapidly out of
the alley back of Ford's theatre, turned
down Tenth street to the avenue, and
then disappeared. going easterly to-
wards the capitol A few moments
later the greatest crime ever commit
ted in America paralyzed for a mo-
|nent the audience and held the whole
country spell-bound with horror. Booth
leap to the stage, his dramatic speech
land remarkable escape passed like a
dream before the audience. But then
Icame the awakening, and fast upon
the heels of the assassin came the ven
geance of an outraged people. VINO
the assassins were, how many were
involved in the plot, how large its
ramifications. were unknown. Evefy
clue was seized upon, every person
over whom hung the slightest sus-
picion, was Immediately arrested. A
reign of terror followed among all the
southern sympathizers in the city and
the country round. For the people in
their anger were not very particular
/ who suffered for the crime, provided
the principals were caught and pun
ished.
The disappearance of that horse and
buggy a short time before the tragedy
was soon brought to light, and was
eagerly seized upon as a clue that
might lead to important results. Sev-
eral companies of cavalry were imme-
diately ordered to follow and overtake
the buggy, to arrest the driver, and
bring him back to the old capitol pris-
on. They took up the trail at Penn
| sylvania avenue, and followed 1t
through the eastern part of the city
until they came to the old washing
| ton pike, and then to Bladensburg,
where they were told by the guard
that a man in buggy had passed a
short time before. They put spurs to
their horses and followed the pike for
a long distance, besides securing the
byroads of all the surrounding coun-
! try. But not trace could they find
! of the man in the buggy; he had dis
appeared, and though every effort was
made to unravel the disappearance,
the government authorities were never
able to do SO. Time passed. The trials
for the assassination were over, public
| interest died down, and the incident
was forgotten amid the stirring events
that soon followed.
1t was my good fortune a short time
ago to come across an explanation of
this incident; in fact it was explained
to me by the man in the buggy. l had
received a cordial invitation from an
old gentleman who lived about fifteen
miles off, in the upper part of Prince
Georges county, to join in fox hunt,
which was to take place during Christ
mas week. 1t was to be the event of
the season. as everybody had plenty of
time at that season of the year. It
was one of those delightful winter days
which are so common in Maryland,
just cold enough to keep the ground
from being too soft, and yet warm
enough to make riding pleasant with
out being oyerburdened with a. heavy
coat. The country was low and roll
ing, covered with woods, which have
taken the places of old worn-out to-
bacco patches. and great dark brown
fields. stretching way on either side,
frightened occasionally by the light
brown of the sedge grass, which waved
and rustled in the, breeze, almost like
+ fields of ripened wheat. AS | rode UP
to Mr.. MS house, | was greeted by
the combined and CHORUS of his pack
of foxhounds, whose noisy welcome
takes the place of doorbells in the
homes of southern, Maryland. A noted
Confederate scout once told me that
when he was scouting through this
part of Maryland during the war, he
ALWAYS felt safe when he rode UP tc
a house if he was greeted by foxhounds
as it was invariably q. sign that the
owner was a southern sympath1zer
most of the fox ntntinga gentry being
of that persuasion. The house ltsel1
was one of those great square red
brick houses, with long wide porch
in front. so comon in this part of Mary
land. set in the usual cluster OF ole
oaks and elTns, with the negro quarters
and the stables several hundred yards
distant in the rear. 1t had been built
in the latter part of the last century
when the planters made enormous Tor
tunes from tobacco, which, however
so IMPOVERISHED the soil as to make Il
almost worthless in many instances
/ was met by Mr.. M, a striking look
ling man, six feet in height, with
magnificent head and long white beard
He had been through many adventures
when a young man and during the
iperiod Of the war. when he had many
, narrow escapes in forwarding dis
patches and assisting scouts through
the lines Once for instance, the gov
eminent was very anxious to capture
a well known scout, who was at the
time in Baltimore The scout escaped
and made his way to Mr. M. house
, where he lay hid for the night. Mex
day there happened to be a primary
meeting at Bladensburg, where a. very
, large force of Union troops We're sta
) toned. The people generally went t.
the primaries in the morning and re
turned in the evening after having {
Notification. Mr.. NJ took advantage o
this, went to the primaries in the morn
: ing with the scout, took a, drink will
: the provost marshal; passed out on Thu
) other side of Bladensburg with SOM
5 friends returning to their homes in thu
Z lower part of the county, and reached
5 Piscataway in safety, where the scou
hid with some friends until he coulC
cross the Potomac, which was not diff
ficult, as there was great deal o
? Notwithstanding done in that quie
, little country town, overlooked on &C
count of it's insignificance.
Tt is needless to say that L was wei
! coined in the true Maryland style
! After dinner we were assembled roun'
} a large open fire, which sent a glev
: through the old hall. The fireplace
was so large that, instead of cuttin
: the cord-wood in half. as is usually tn
case, they used it just as it came fror
; the woods, four feet long. The hal
!. itself extended through the house fror
: front to rear, and was the favorit
! loafing-place of two or three oil
hounds. who had been famous in tn
q hunting-field in their youth. We ha
g been talking about narrow escapes i
I the hunting-field, when Mr. M said:
o Have l ever told you how l cam
: near being hung for the murder of Lir
coln?"
A chorus Of noes and a demand fo
. the story brought the following az
count:
"On the day that Lincoln was mui
dered, l had driven into town and PIT
: up my horse at the stables of DR.. =
t an old friend of mine, Immediately i
! the rear of Ford's theatre It wa
rather late when l returned to get m
i, horse, after attending to the bushes
/ was on. Indeed, l afterwards Learn