Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1897-04-30
How wilkes Booth Died.
The story OF the Man who Held the As.
sassin's Head.

~ 'h'A w Wv nun WIN hNAu wv ~
sassin's Head.
The exact way IN which John Wilkes
Booth the assassin of President Lincoln.
died is told 10y a correspondent of the st.
Louis Globe-Democrat in the language of
the man who claims to have held Booth S
head while his life ebbed away This man
is William Garrett. son of Henry Garrett,
at whose farm house Booth was killed soon
after the close of the war the Garrett fam
! lily moved to Texas and it is from that state
that the story Of William Garrett comes
/ lie says that Booth and his companion
Harold, appeared at their house the day
! following the assassination and asked to be
| allowed to rest there, saying that they were
| soldiers from Lees army who had refused
to surrender and who wanted TO get out of
the country The elder Garrett hesitated
about entertaining them. but Booth was
suffering so evidently from his broken leg
that they were given supper The family
did not like their appearance, and Mr. Gar
rett suggested to them that they 20 to some
other house but finally 1t was agreed that
they might sleep IN the barn The two
boys of the family were SO suspicious of the
men that they went out and locked the
barn from the outside lest they should de
camp during the night with the two good
horses which under Grant generous terms
of surrender. they had been allowed to take
home from the Confederate army The
narrative of William Garrett then CON
tlnues
About o'clock at night column of
union soldiers filed into the ward and several
armed men went straight to my fathers
room. One soldier had "a rope in his hand
They made my father get up and go out III
to the yard. where they informed him that
he had but a few moments to live unless he
told where those two men were Nv father
was frightened SO badly that he could not
speak. My brother Jack instantly stepped
forward and told the soldiers that the men
they wanted were IN the barn They went
to the barn and found that Booth and Har-
old were both already awake An officer
demanded that they should instantly sur
render. Booth replied detiantiv but Harold
did not say a word. The officer then or
dered me TO bring tagots and other com
bustlbe stuff and pile 1t against the side of
the barn. ! brought two armfuls. and then
booth pointed "a pistol at me and said
Dung man. don't YOU do that again
SAID to the soldier, Pack the stuff yourself
l think the fellow will shoot, One soldier
lighted a match and held 1t against some
straw inside of the barn About this time
Harold surrendered and came out. but he
left his pistol with Booth The fire began
10 blaze up and Booth walked toward 1t,
evidently with the intention of putting il
out. Boston Corbett raised his carbIne,
poked 1t through a crack and. taking de
hberate aim. fired and Booth fell PROSTATE
with blood squirting from his neck The I
soldiers ran into the barn and dragged /.
Booth out He was breathing very hard f.
and II was evident that be was dying
In tins condition be was carried % the T.
nous and laIu on the porch felt sorry .
for the dying man ! thought that be wa, .
the rnestIOokluC man ] ever saw sat
down by IN, side and drew MS head over on .
my knee My aunt, Lucinda Holloway
brought pillow. and placed 1t IN my Iap
under the dying man mead n died in a
few moments, and Mrs. Holloway. who was
evidently touched 10y the beauty of the DIV
ing man hne features and magnificent
eyes, got pair of scissors and cut "a lock of
HAIR from the man. head. remarking. NO
doubt the poor fellow mas some relations
VINO would ike to have lock of MS hair.
and We may hear from them some day
i ms lock Of halr was afterwards given to
Booth brother, Edwin Booth. the actor.
his story of T. Wilkes Booths escape
rom the country and ms subsequent career
u South America, which has been told SO
)ften. continued MIR. Garrett, is "a very
ingenious piece of literary labor; but it lacks
he essential element of truth Nothing is
ruer TO my mind than the historical fact
hat j. Wilkes Booth was killed IL nv ia
hers barn, and that the generally accepted
history Of the tragedy is correct. except
ONE trihing details