Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-07-17
THE MAN WHO SHOT BOOTH.
Boston corbctt a. n Lecturer Was Not n
Success.

Success.
1t will be remembered that Boston
Corbctt, the man who killed j. Wilkes
Booth, lived for many years in Cloud
county. Kan. About ten years ago he
was elected doorsceper Of the Kansas
house of representatives, and while
holding that position went crazy and
was sent to the asylum. Later ho was
released from custody and went OFT to
Texas, where it is presumed hc died.
The discussion now going on i'll the
periodicals over the death and burial OF
Booth recalls to tho editor of the Con-
cordiu Empire that, something like q
dozen years ago, tho ladies of the Pres
hytcrinn church i'll TINT town seized up
on tho idea of having Corbett give a
lecture upon the killing of Booth, and
committee was appointed to wait up
on him. One of tho committeeman was
the editor of Tho Empire, and he thus
describes what followed:
''Wc found him ut homo i'll his dug
out, kind of hole in the side of steep
hill with Il brownstone front and Il roof
of brush, clay and clapboards. There
was but one room, and the furniture
was an old stove, II table, chair, u
homemade bed, Il trunk, Il box or two,
we'll worn Bible and variety of fire
arms. Mr.. Corbctt had received a PEN
sion of several hundred dollars short
time before and invested what he had
not given away to others that he thought
might be needing money i'll Il flock OF
sheep \ herd of antelopes would have
served him just us well-he had no
practical knowledge of the use of sheep.
He was very hospitable, told us much
of his history, and readily consented to
deliver IL lecture on the capture OF
Booth and his experiences i'll Andersen
Vile.
"A packed house greeted him on the
night set. BY way of introduction the
choir sang a song. Some sentiment of
the song set him off ON a regular sermon
(he was in the habit Of preaching coca
sionally), and for nearly al hour he
talked, but failed to either capture
Booth or get to Andcrsonville. at last
the pastor reminded him that he was to
talk of AnCcrsonvillo and Booth. Ho
apologized for his forgetfulness, and in
about dozen words told that he was
captured and landed safe inside the
walls Of Andersonville prison. The first
man he met was an old acquaintance,
who told him that overln certain por-
ton of the prison they were holding Il
prayer meeting. He went directly to it.
Then he talked for half al hour about
the prayer meeting, which, as far as his
description went, might have been held
in Cloud county or the backwoods OF
Arkansas.
Being reminded again that he was
forgetting all about tho capture of
Booth, lie apologiZed and said i'll sub
stance: we surrounded the barn i'll
which we found he had taken refuge.
We demanded that he surrender, but he
refused. We then set fire to the barn.
BY the light he saw one of our men and
raised his revolver to shoot him. was
peeping through a crack, saw him raise
his arm, and to keep him from killing
one of our men fired and killed him.
The bullet went into his head i'll nearly
the same course as his bullet had enter
ed Lincoln's head This is as full his
tory rs he saw fit to give of an incident
that had called forth many long articles
during the past so years and about
which none knew more than did our
neighbor, Boston Corbett. y