The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1895-02-14

properly posted. There was q large
crack at one side. / placed Sergeant
Boston Corbett there. 1t was my in
tention to wait until daylight before
before examining the inside OF the!
examining the inside OF the barn.
But the men told me that they heard
voices and the moving about OF men
in the hay. I then decided to get at
them as soon as possible. The other
Garrett boy was caught by corporal.
He gave me the key, and opened the
door. I ordered Booth and Harold
to come out.
| 'T did not get any answer. % Or
dered Corporal Newgarten to pile some
hay and brush against the side Of the
building and set it afire.
"Booth heard the order and called
"If you come back there. I will
put bullet through you
81 suppose he meant If came back
to the door. I again decided to wait
until morning But the men at the
other end of the barn had acted
promptly on my orders. and set it
lafire.
81 called out to Booth:
"'You'd better come out
"'For whom do you take me" he
asked.
"Tt does not make any difference,
I replied.
"I may be taken by my friends he
said, sarcastically. I am cripple
and alone. Draw your men up at
twenty-five PAGES and give me
chance for my life.'
"T did not come here to fight. ]
have fifty men, and can take you,' l
said.
ssHe waited a few minutes, then he
lsaid:
"sOh, captain! there is a man here
who wants to surrender pretty bad
"sYou had better follow his example
and come out too,' answered.
!. "sNo, have not made up my
mind he replied.
sI then told Harold to hand out
his arms.
, "T own all the arms said Booth
} He has no arms. may have to use
them
'sBy this time Harold was at the
door. I again commanded him to
give I'D his arms. He said he had
none I opened the door slightly, and
.osd him to put his hands out. l tool
him by the wrists and turned hin
over to Corporal Newgarten. JUS
then I heard shot. I thought BOOtI
had shot himself.
'"The hay in the barn, which haG
been set on fire at the other end, was
blazing up brightly.
. Sergeant Corbett had been looking
through the crack where I had sta
toned him, and in the light of the fire
he saw Booth raise his rifle to shoo
me or Harold as / caught hold o1
: the latter by the wrists, when ht
: surrendered. Corbett put his pisto
through the crack and shot at Booth
: intending to hit his arm and disable
.. him so that he could not shoot me OF
Harold. He was a splendid marks
man. But instead of hitting Booth il
the arm, as he intended, he hit hin
in the head, within an inch of the
place where the president had beer
hit
81 rushed into the barn. Booth.
crutch had fallen. He was trying tt
support himself with his rifle.
, sprang forward and caught him in my
arms as he was falling.
"We carried him out of the burning
barn and laid him down just outside
the door. He tried to raise his hands
He seemed powerless to do SO, and
took hold of his hands and RAISED
. them raised. But he shook his hea6
and muttered:
"'Useless, uselessp
eve picked him up again ant
|, carried him to the veranda Of the
Garrett house. because the fire was
too hot to let him remain where VIZ
first put him. I sent over to Por
Royal for DIR. Urquart. He examined
Booths wound and pronounced i
fatal.
sit was between 4:30 and 5 O'Clock
the morning Of April 26, 1865, when
Booth was shot. He died q few min.
utes before o'clock the same morn.
ing. Although he was conscious al
most all Of the time he did not SPEAK
after having shook his head and said
Useless, useless
'"Those were the only words he
uttered after he was shot ALI the
stories about the message for his
mother were made out Of whole cloth
"As soon as Booth died, sent the
. troopers about the country to get a
wagon. took my two saddle-cloths
and had them sewed together for a
blanket. 1t was not until nearly
o'clock that the men found a wagon
with a negro for driver. We put
Booths body in it and covered it with
the improvised blanket Then we
started back ito Washington.
eve got to Belle Plain just as the
steamboat John S. Ide was sailing
laway, according to my orders. But
1--WE signaled to her, and she came back.
We went on board and sailed for
Washington. There I turned over
Booths body to the officers of the iron
Iclad Montuk."
! Congress appropriated $4,000 to pay
the rewards offered by the govern
ment for the capture of Booth and
lHarrold. IT took a year for the hear
ling of the various applicants for por-
Itions of this reward. Every man,
woman and child who. had given any
information of even the slightest
value, and many who gave no infor-
M q t;on All all ro<.oivod mart of the