The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-08-03
CAUGHT
on the Fly.

Il shall never forget the fearful and
heart rending cry of Mrs Lincoln on
that eventful night in Fords theater,
Washington, when she saw her hus-
band assassinated by John Wilkes
Booth, said Thomas Fair, Of New
York, who is now in this city in the in.
tereSt of metropolitan drug firm, a.
he began a graphic story Of the foul
murder which deprived the nation of
one of its noblest heroes. Mr.. Fair
was then a young man and an in-
innate friend of Charles Brush at that
time chief steward of the Lincoln
United States general hospital. On
Good Friday evening. April IA, 1865,
ut the invitation of Mr.. Brush he at
tended the opera. Laura Keene was
playing Oar American Cousin" They
had seats in the orchestra circle in the
third row not more than twenty feet
from the box occupied by Prssi-
dent Lincoln and Major Rathbourn.
The first act of tho drama
was being played and Mr. Fair
said his attention was attracted
to the door of President Lin coins box
by the rapid footsteps of IA man walk
ing toward it He saw Booth, whom
he knew, enter the box and immedi-
ately there was a report Of revolver
With desperate agility Booth was seen
10 leap over the front rail of the box
to the stage, distance Of ten
feet The box was festooned with bunt-
ing and flags and spur of the assas-,
sins boots caught in the decoration and
he stumbled. but landed squarely on
his feet on the stage. He drew dag
ger from his overcoat pocket and with
a maniacal shrek uttered, "Sic Semper
Tyrannis, then limpel to the side of
the stage and disappeared in the wings.
Mr.. Fair says he leaped from his
seat and climbed to the box where the
murdered president lay writhing in the
agony of DEATH caught the dying
Lincoln in bis arms and carried him to
the foyer. Mrs. Lincoln and Major
Rathbourn were too much affected to
block the escape Of Booth or b. OF any
assistance to President Lincoln, al.
though Major R1thbourn grappled
with Booth and was shaken off like @
hrawny man would free himself from
the grasp of child.
%% X
While the general impression pre- =
walls that Medala, the Old Forge mur-
derer, is in u foreign land, it is possible
that he Is still secretsd in the noun
tains. About week ago Thomas
Grimes, Of Oak Hill. u small hamlet
below Greenwood, heard that sus-
picious looking character was prowling
in the neighborhood He followed
the fellows tracks and came up
to him at the door of a
farm house in the Moosic
woods. The fellow was begging for
provsnder, and asked for something
light, saying that his stomach was in a
tumble down condition from lack Of
nourishment, as he has been forced to
| allay the pangs Of hunger for over a
week with berries and green leaves, in
the absence of any yIhins of Il more SUBJ
stantial quality While he was waiting
to be served with supper, which the
farmers wife was preparing for him, a
violent attack of cramps ovorcame him,
and the only remedy at hand. a
small dose OF laudanum was admins.
tered. The drug turned his stomach
and caused him to vomit the contents,
which proved to corroOorato his state
ment that he had eaten not hing but
berries and leaves. He recovered and
attacked the luncheon on tho farmers
table with alacrity, after which he
thanked them and prepared to depart.
But the folks observed that he bore a
close resemblance to the fugitive
Melala from the description given,
and the trausitory lodger was detained
until a man named Murphy
from Old Forge was sent
for to identify the man if he
were the bloodthirsty Italian. The man
had the particular scar which Medala
is said to bear and in age and build Cor.
responded to the description. He had
the Italian accent, although he denied
being of that nationality. When MUIR
ply arrived he said that the man was
not tall enough to be Medala and on
this explanation the man was allowed tC
bstake himself wherever his fancy
directed.