The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1896-05-23
BOOTH A SPECTATOR
WAS PRESENT AT THE EXECUTION
or JOHN BROWN.
The HecoIIcctions of PhiInd 81 ph ian
Famous Black Horse Cavalry
of Virginia.

There is in this city a living witness
to the hanging OF old John Brown says
the Philadelphia Inquirer. He is j. c.
Hoenich, of Sixty-frst and Lombard
streets. Mr.. Hoenich is Y years of age,
but he is hale and hearty and he has an
excellent memory.
John Brown was executed" he said,
yesterday, to an Inquirer reporter, "on
December 2, 1859. A day as warm and
pie asant as this fine morning in May. 1t
was at Charleston. Va. You see, / was
member of CompanyA, Richmond
Grays, and Governor Wise ordered us
t. repair to Charleston to do guard duty
at the prison We were in camp there for
some time and on the day of the eXecu-
ton the military companies formed V.
The scaffold was erected at the open end
of the V. My company was on the left
arm of the open triangle, with Company
f on our right toward the point The
other arm of the letter was made up of
the Young Guard and the German Rifles.
Facing the scaffold were all the big ofii-
GERS of Virginia and back of them were
the cadets from Lexington, wearing red
shirts and having battery Of howit-
zers.
1T was a great day for Charlestown,
but tie crowds of people were not al
lowed near the place of execution, which
was located upon a beautiful hill. Many
persons witnessed the hanging from the
house tops.
Ihe f'nrt BoOth fihyed.
Il have been particular about describ-
ing my position because 1 want to cor
rect an error which 1 see has crept into
the war columns of the Inquirer. In the
issue of April Is last, there was repub-
lished statement made by j. Wilkes
Booth to the effect that he aided in the
capture and execution of John Brown.
Now, / knew Booth we'll, and lest this
error may become a part of history L
think the truth about Booth ought to be
| told.
Among the members of the Richmond
Grays were several young men who had
/ been connected with theaters and theat-
rical companies They were a lively lot
of fellows and Booth used often to come
| to Charlestown to see them while we were
| in camp there. Booth had a great desire
| to witness the execution of John Brown.
and to crafty this wish Robert Caskey,
our quartermaster, loaned j. Wilkes
Booth his uniform. Booth put on the APP
! parel and was allowed TO march upon the
| ground with our company l was a nom
| commissioned officer and when the COM
pany in line 1 stood directly back OF
| it and Booth was only three feet from
me when John Brown was hanged. He
had nothing to do with the execution,
but was simply a spectator. AS to the
capture of John Brown, credit for that Is
due to the 200 marines sent from Wash
ington, who used ladder as a battering
ram to break down the walls OF the old
building used by Brown ana MS men as
a fort at Harper's Ferry. If Booth was
at Harper's Ferry am confident it was
merely a spectator.
Famous Virginia Troop.
Everyone familiar with the war and
the first battle Of Bull Run knows about
the famous Black Horse Cavalry. 1
want to tell you how il got that name.
When we were in camp at Charlestown
in 1859 the cavalry was there also. 1t
was known as the Fauqu, a county troop,
under Captain Ashby. Most of their
horses at that time We're black. Among
the members of the Richmond Grays was
a tailor named William Dean. One day
Dean, who was always ready for a song
or a dance had been having a good time
with the troopers, and returning he jest
iEgly made a remark about the Black
Horse Cavalry. The reporters for the
Richmond newspapers at once took IL up
and from that time on the organization
became known as the Black Horse Caval-
~ and it was named by Bill Dean"
Il suppose you served in the confeder-
ate army?" said the reporter.
Me? Oh, no. You see when the Rich
mond Grays were ordered to the field L
couldn't take up arms against the stars
and stripes. So slipped away by way OF
Chattanooga and got up north where 1
have been ever since"