Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1901-03-09
Positive Declaration That It Rests in
a Baltimore Cemetery.
TRANSFER FROM old PENIFENTIARY
Details of Fist Burial by One Who
II
Witnessed 1t.
GRAVES OF DEMONSTRATORS

lie to the effect that the disposition of the
body of John Wilkes Booth, who assassi-
mated President Lincoln in 1856, is an I'M
solved mystery. Within a month one such
publication, on the authority of an army
surgeon, stated that the body was inferred
IN the arsenal grounds, now the barracks,
at the foot of ~ street, and that the To-
cation Is closey-guarded secret. Upon
the authority of several parties who assist
ed In the disposition Of the remains, one of
them tells the story. 1t is declared, however,
that the body rests in the family lot in
Greenmount cemetery, Baltimore. 1t was
buried first within the old penitentiary, then
used as store house Of the arsenal, and
when, in 1867, the penitentiary building was
RACED. was removed to one Of the large
store houses on the eastern side of the
arsenal grounds and there remained till
about the close of President Johnson's adj
min1stration, when it was exhumed and
taken to Baltimore and inferred in Green
mount.
The Identification of the body on the mon
llor was full and complete, it is said. There
are yet living in this city former detec-
i've or Gen. L. G. Bakers force, who went
with the body to the arsenal, and saw it
purled; two or three former employees at
the arsenal who assisted in the burial. Mr..
w. K. Speare, who with others, accom-
panied the body from the arsenal to Har-
Vey q Marr's undertaking establishment, on
Its delivery to the family, and an old news
paper man who was present at Harvey &
Mars when the body arrived
Body Examined.
After an examination of the body on the
deck of the monitor by some medical Of
hcers, who took from the neck that portion
OF the vertebrae through which the ball
had passed, the army blanket on which
low
movements indicated mystery and the Curl
Gus spectators watched with interest. The
Vertebrae is now specimen on the shelves
OF the Army Medical Museum.
Through the yard and elsewhere the re-
port had been circulated that a war vessel
Would take the body to sea and drop 1t over
BOARD. A small steamboat, one of the quar-
termasters fleet, came up the branch and
made fast to the ironclad while one of the
navy yard boats pulled out to the monitor.
ON each-the steamer and roWboat-was
placed what appeared to be the body No
spectator knew which had it. This was
Done, OF course, to mystify the onlookers
Shortly both started the steamer turning
her nose around Giesboro' Point, and, as
was supposed by some bore the body to a
man-of-war below Alexandria Others were
confident that the body was on the smaller
boat, for besides the sailors there were sew
eral Of Bakers detectives aboard. The
course of this boat was first toward the asy-
lum for the insane, then across to the north
shore; next to Giesboro, and finally, late In
the afternoon, 1t landed what was supposed
to be the body on a wharf at the arsenal
point. Here were several of Bakers men
and the bundle was left, a sentinel being
placed to keep off intruders
1t had been arranged with the command
ant that a grave should be prepared within
the penitentiary and an attempt was made
to dig one In cell, then vacant, but the
men found the work SO difficult and the cell
to be so small that another spot was select
ed. This was in what had been the large
store room of the penitentiary building, be-
tween that portion which had been used
by the warden's family and the off,
cer's-now the commanding officers's res
idence-and the cage In which the cells
were. Here, a few feet south Of the east
door and not far from the wall, the grave
was excavated. After nightfall the body
was placed in an old musket box and was
brought up from the wharf in wagon. The
laborers bore 1t within the walls to the
grave, in which. by lantern light, it was
placed, without ceremony, representative
Of the War Department, some Of Bakers
officers, one or two ordnance officers and
four or five employers of the arsenal being
present.
The excavation was hastily filled and the
bricks of the pavement elaid, and the party
dispersed
Conviction of CO-COnspiratOrs,
Shortly after came the trial of the alleged
co-conspirators in the opposite end of the
and execution of Mrs. surratt, Payne, Atze-
rot and Herold, and the Imprisonment Of
Mudd Spangler, Arnold and O'Laughlin
Those executed were buried near the scat
fold south Of the present field officers quar-
tiers, and their graves marked with plain
headboard, bearing the name Of each. A
few months thereafter the body of Capt.
Wirz, the Andersonvile jailer, who was
tried and executed at the Old Capitol prison,
was brought here and buried. Here re-
manned the five graves in a row, the body
Of Booth being in the grave inside the
prison building till 1867. when the central
(prison) portion of the penitentiary was
torn down. The six bodies were at that
time removed to one Of the storehouses on
the east side of the arsenal grounds and
buried beneath the floor.
Toward the close Of President Johnson's
Observation-Disclosures February 1S64-Ed-
win Booth obtained an order from the
President for the delivery of the BODY of
his brother to the family, and J. H. Weaver
of Baltimore was engaged to receive II and
have it buried in the lot Of the Booth fam
lily in Greenmount cemetery. Mr.. Edwin
Booth was Joined here by Mr.. Weaver. and
the latter, accompanied by Mr. r. F. Har-
vey, went to the arsenal with the order.
going by the street cars; and Mr.. Speare,
then young man in the undertaking husi.
ness, went down in furniture wagon.
When he reached the arsenal he was d.
rected to the storehouse, and the box. over
which piece OF canvas was spread, was
lItuSlSIIcu " lLC Wd6Ou Uy Tour soldiers
Messrs. Weaver and Harvey got into the
wagon and it was driven to the rear of
Harvey & Marr's establishment on F street
near 10th street.
In the meantime the newspaper man re-
ferred to above, having received a tin. had
Joined the workmen, disguised as a Iaborer
in the back shop, and was awaiting deveI,
opments.
Transfer of the Remains.
'"They will soon be here" said one 1oot-
ing out the back door to the rear of Ford,s
Theater. from which, Wilkes Booth had
escaped after firing the fatal shot Hardly
had the words been uttered when ths
wagon was driven into the ailey. and
backed up to the door Of Mr.. Berry's stahle
on the south side of the alley, where WilLes.
Booth had formerly Kept his horse. The as
sistants removed the box to the stable. and
though it had been four years in the
ground, it was not much decayed mr. die.
colored, the lettering upon it being easily
read. 1t was opened and upon the folds
Of the blanket being thrown aside what
remained of the body appeared, The flesh
was gone. as was also most of the cloth
ing, and the detached head was the f1rst
object sought fer. This was lifted out and
a dentist who had plugged Booths teeth
tool in ar INV,