The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1901-11-23
stationed

the Potomac were stationed at
Washington at that time on provost
duty and we were members OF the
former.
1--WE reported to corporal of detail
and with him reported to a military
surgeon at the prison. It was a dark
night, and, to the best of my recollec-
ton, about midnight. We were all
strangers to each other, but on the way
learned that two were from Company
I, Forty-third Ohio, and two from
Company K. 1 belonged to Company
B of the same regiment. The corpo
RAILS identity did net learn.
Told to Keep it Secret.
cat the prison the surgeon COM
manded us to keep the incidents of the
night profound secret We entered
and found that a stone slab had been
removed from the floor. Under that,
in an excavation, lay the body of John
Wilkes Booth, the assassin. 1t was
wrapped in a tarpaulin and was smell
ing froms decomposition. We were Or
dered to lift the body out and lay it on
stretcher. It was bad job and we
complained that it was not in coffin.
The surgeon unwrapped the head and
identified the body. I remember dis
tinctly that on one side Of the head
and face the hair was burned Off and
the flesh scorched. This had been done
when he was captured in the burning
barn and shot to death by Boston Cor
bett p iii
I'VE then carried the body on a
stretcher to the wharf and on to a
gunboat lying in waiting. At this point
the surgeon left us and the officer in
charge Of the boat instructed us to
place the body on the forward deck
The boat then quietly dropped down
the river, I*should judge about ten
miles, and slowed up. We Were or
dered to tie the tarpaulin securely
about the body and attach weights to
it. It was then placed on plank and
showed off into the river. This, to my
positive knowledge, was the final dis
position Of the body Of Booth, knoWl-
edge possessed only by us five privates.
the corporal Of detail, the surgeon, and
the commanding officer of the gunboat.
Of course, the higher authority who
gave then, orders to dispose of the
body knew, but we were the ONLY eve
witnesses .s.slss i.
billiard the Only Survivor. \:
| ssThe two privates from Company I
were Philip Lalow and Elmer McEl-
wee. The former was killed at Fort
Wayne, Ind, nine years ago by a fall
ing tree, and the latter went to Cuba
on flibustering expedition during the
ten years war and was killed. The
two privates from Companies K I
never became acquainted with after
the incident. Their names were Dagan
and Dougherty, and as they were
| rather up in years at the time are
| probably dead now. The surgeon /
afterwards learned was a Dir. Porter of
Massachusetts. s$ 5#S,S #
# was under Captain j. o. McDon-
| aid of Company B, and Colonel Parks
was the commanding officer in charge
of our regiment-the Forty-third Ohio.
The latter part Of the summer of the
same year We were mustered out OF the
service at Columbus, %. . /.
81 have never told this until at the
| present time, as we were bound to Sc
| crecy at the time and I have, until
now, felt obliged to keep that knoWI-
| edge to myself. # any of the others
ever told it do not know. At this
time, when the recent tragedy enact
Fed at Buffalo IS occupy wing the public
mind. this rey lation may be interest