Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1897-02-10
SAW LINCOLN SHOT.
ONE WHO WITNESSED THE
GREAT TRAGEDY.
Story of the Man Who Was the First
to Reach the side of the Wounded
President-His Clothing Stained by
the Blood of the Martyr.
Our Nntlon,s pnrkest nav.

There now lives in Philadelphia a gen
tleman who saw the whole scene Of Lin
coins assassination, and was the first to
reach the wounded man in the prevailing
panic. William Flood is the gentleman's
name and he gave the following graphic
account, which is taken down in his eX
I act words:
"At tile time the President was shot"
said he in answer TO query, Il was in the
I United States navy and was acting Gu
/ sign and executive officer on board the
steamship Toazer. Captain Silas Owen
was the commander. and the ship was To-
Gated at the navy yard on April II. That
| evening Captain Owen, who had been
over in the city during the day, came
70 the ship and suggested that we go TO
the theater that evening, ms Laura keene
WAS to play Our American Cousin and
the President was to be there We went
TO the theater and secured seats in the
parquet or orchestra chairs The Pres-
dent occupied the second box UP from the
orchestra and second from the stage. Just
rs the curtain fell on the first act | heard
a shot and saw a man jump from the
Presidents box to the stage, As he jump
ed his foot caught in the folds of the flag
that draped the box, and he fen sideways
on the stage. 1T was quite a good jump,
and he came very near falling back into
the orchestra. He got up and limped
away across the stage, brandishing a
great long knife in his right hand, and
shouted, Sic semper tyrannis
In less time than it takes to tell it
was ON the Stage. How | got there over
the heads of the orchestra | really don't
remember just as | reached the stage
Mrs. Lincoln looked out of the box. She
was crying and wringing her hands and
said: They have shot papa; will no one
/ Gomez | answered that | would come,
and Immediately climbed up the side Of
| the boxes to the one the President occu-
/ pied
The President was sitting as If he
! had fallen asleep. He was breathing,
| however, and we at once laid him on the
/ floor of the box | looked for the wound
1 but at first did not discover it. Miss
Keene brought pitcher of water and
/ bathed his forehead with that so as to re-
yive him. | then discovered the wound
4 in the back Of his head, where the bah had
entered. and the blood ran out on my arm
and down the side of my coat Some army
officers brought in stretcher and lie was
placed on that and carried out. | thel
went to the front Of the box and motion
ed for the audience to remain quiet. Every
one was talking, and there was a genera
uproar. As soon as il ceased for a minute
told them that the President was still
alive, but had been shot and was no doub
MORALLY wounded. Captain Owens and
then went ont to the front Of the building
and found platoon Of police in TIA,
street The sidewalks were so crowded
with people that we had TO get out in TIA,
middle Of the road to get down the street
We went TO the National Hotel, and b.,
the time we got there the mob was 5,
dense we could get no further, SO a coupl
of police took us through the hotel to {
street, at the rear, and we got a cab ant
were driven to the navy yard. was 5,
bloody from the wound. my right hant
and arm being covered that it is wonde
that | was not hanged by that mob. The
were intensely excited at the time, and /
would have taken very little 70 hay,
driven them into frenzy.
"The next day our ship went down tn,
river to head Booth off and did not return
until after he was killed. | was ther
sent for to 90 down and identify him.
recognized him very readily as he jumped
from the box as J Wilkes Booth"