Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1894-01-05
EDWIN BOOTH.
The killing of President Lincoln and
It's Effect Upon the Actors Life.

The Killing of President Lincoln and
It's Effect Upon the Actors Life.
For the next year | saw him con-
stantly, either in Philadelphia or in
New York. where he was then play
ing at the Winter Garden. writes
William Bispham in the Century, in
those marvellous revivals of Shake
speare's plays which made his
fame as stage manager only second
to his fame as an actor. Then came
the horror of the event of Good Fri
day night OF 1865, and Edwin Booth
was stricken to the ground. Nothing
but the love that was poured cut for
him by his friends saved him from
madness. For days his sanity hung
iu the balance, and we all were fear
full for the result. but nature and
friendship gained the victory, and
though his very soul was torn with
anguish, his clear, strong brain re-
asserted itself and he was himself
again. For nearly year he with
drew from the stage, and it was only
when the call of the public for his
return became too strong to longer
be withstood that he consented to
play again. During the time that he
was in retirement it was my great
evening with him. / had come to
New York to live in the spring of
1865, and being alone here could
follow my own inclinations in being
with him as much as he desired. We
used to sit in his library on the first
floor of the house he occupied in
Nineteenth street, east of broadway,
where his mother. his sister Rosalle,
and his little daughter Edwina were
with him Often we gould talk so
late that when we were ready to go
to bed 1--WE were never ready to stop
talking), it was too late for me to go
10 my lodgings, and he would insist
on my turning in with him. which |
would do. sharing his room and bed.
Often in the evening we would stroll
through the dark streets, for it was
only at this time that he would ven
ture out, hardly knowing what kind
Of q reception would be his if he
were recognized, for. to it's eternal
infamy be it said. one of the leading
(?) papers OF New York had de-
nounced him in the most bitter man
ner, and said that neither he nor
any Of his name would ever again
be permitted to appear upon
the stage OF any theater in
the United States. 1t is a singular
comment on this that the only
vote ever cast by Edwin Booth
for president of the United States
was for Abraham Lincoln in 1864,
and that he saved the life of one of
Abraham Lincoln's sons. Booth
himself told me of this occurrence
He had started for Philadelphia from
New York, and while he was stand
ing on the platform Of a car, still in
the Pennsylvania railroad station at
Jersey City, and just as the train
was about to move. young lad, GO
| ing from one car TO another, stumbled
and would have fallen between them,
had not Edwin caught him by the
collar of the coat and landed him in
safety by his side. The boy, whom
Edwin had never seen before, evil
IDENTIFY recognized him, and holding
out his hand said to him: That
was narrow escape, Mr.. Booth, :"
and thanked him warmly. Two
weeks later Edwin received letter
from General Adam Badeau in which
the latter mentioned that Robert Lin
coin had told him that it was his
| life that had thus been saved.