The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-16
OF WILKES BOOTH
OF THE FLIGHT n CAP
TURE OF LINCOLN'S ASSASSIN.
Incidents of the Affair Cleaned from
Official SOurces-End of a Trag-
ic Chapter of History.
SECOND PAPERA

The trail of the assassins had been struck
at last. A negro who had seen Booth and
Herold cross the Potomac communicated
that important fact to a detective named
Theodore Woodall, and an expert teleg-
rapher named Beckwith, who had been sent
down into lower Maryland by General L. C.
Baker, the chief of the detective service.
He told them that he had seen two men
answering the description of Booth and
Herold cross the Potomac on the night of
April % in a boat The information was
deemed of so much Importance that the
negro was Immediately transported TO
Washington. There, in General Bakers Of
flee, a number of photographs were shown
him, and he readily selected those of Booth
and Herold as the two men he had seen.
Baker at once hurried to Secretary Stan
toms office and communicated to that gem
tleman the fact of his discovery. 1t was at
once determined to send down a squad of
cavalry into lower Maryland and Virginia,
and the necessary application for such mill
itary aid was at once made to General Han
cock, the commanding officer of the Depart
ment of Washington. On the very day
April "A, 1865 - on which the fugitives
crossed the Rappahannock and were lodged
in the Garrett home First Lieutenant E. p.
Doherty, of the Sixteenth New York Caval-
ry, at about A p. m, while sitting on a
bench in Lafayette square, opposite the
White House, received the following official
orders through a messenger:
Commanding Officer Sixteenth New York
Cavalry:
"Sir-You will at once detail a reliable
and discreet commissioned officer, with
twenty-five men, we'll mounted, with three
days ,ratlonS and forage, to report at once
TO Colonel /. c. Baker, agent of the War
department, at I'll Pennsylvania avenue.
BY command of Gen. c. G; Aqgur.
A. A. A. General.
+Headquarters Department of Washing
I'm accordance with the foregoing order
First Lieutenant D. p. Doherty is hereby
once to Colonel Baker, 211 Pennsylvania
avenue. N. B. SWITZER.
Colonel Sixteenth New York Cavalry,
BreVet BTigadier, u. s.. A"
Lieutenant Doherty proceeded to the COM
pany barracks, had boots and saddles
sounded. selected the first twenty-five men
in the saddle who reported to him, Sergeant
Boston Corbett being the only one of his
W command, and in less than half an
hour had reported to Colonel Baker.
photographs Of the alleged assassins Of
President Lincoln were handed him, and he
was told that as no troops had
as yet been in Fredericksburg he must
reach that ~neighborhood as soon as possible.
Colonel E.. j. Conger and Lieutenant L. B..
Baker, of the detective force, were assigned
to accompany and assist him. Both were
good officers and experienced men. Colonel
Conger had raided the country in every di-
%rection, and was valuable on account of
his familiarity with the roads and for his
~undaunted courage and bravery.
The party went on board the tug John S.
TIa n fHN Cf-4Lr-4~o14 --L-c - -
down to Belle Plain, near the mouth of
Acquia creek. They landed about 10 o'clock
at night, and at once began the search for
the murderers. They proceeded directly
south until the main road to Fredericks-
burg was struck. Here a halt was made
until 4 o'clock on the morning of the 18th
of April. a negro informed Doherty that
a cavalry regiment had passed to Fred
ericksburg on the previous evening, going
on the north side of the river, and Lieuten-
ant Doherty then determined to go down on
the south side. He halted about 6 O'Clock
in the evening within a mile of Port Con-
way, and ordered his men to unsaddle and
feed. Then he rode with his bugler to Port
Conway.
THE TRAIL DISCOVERED.
In the meantime Lieutenant Baker, who
had been searching the country, came
across a man and his wife who were sitting
at the front door of their house, which was
four or five rods distant from the ferry.
They proved to be the ferryman and his
wife. He went to them and asked them if
they had seen, within a day or two, any
citizens passing that way-finally, if they
had seen a lame man. They answered they
had, and from their description Baker con-
cluded that it must have been Booth. He
then took a likeness of Booth from his pock-
ct, and asked the ferryman (Rollins was his
name) if that picture resembled the lame
man. He said it did. except the mustache,
which he said the lame man did not have.
He then showed him Herold's picture, and
the ferryman replied that he thought it
resembled the small man, who carried q
carbine. Baker then learned that Booth
and Herold had come to the ferry about
half-past 8 o'clock on the previous morn
ing, and that they had paid the negro Lucas