The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1902-04-05
risToL THAT KILLED LINCOLN


The Weapon 4. In the Possession of the
War Department.
Col. Calhoun NJ. Deringer OF 1919
Spruce street, takes issue with Ar,hi-
tect George Plowman on the interest
ing question of Mr.. Plowman's owner.
ship of the pistol with which j.
Wilkes Booth killed President Lin
coin.
Soon after the assassination OF
President Mckinley Mr.. Plowman was
quoted in the North American as say
ing that he had the Booth weapon
in his possession. He said that after
the shooting of the president, Booth
in his nervous excitement, dropped
his pistol on the stage of Ford's the
atre, Washington.
The stage carpenter picked 1t up
and kept it for some time. Then he
gave it to George X. Goodwin. man
ager of the playhouse. Mr.. Goodwin
and Mr.. Plowman were associated in
the theatrical business for many years,
the latter having designed 20 theatres
and owned several.
When Mr.. Goodwin died Mr.. Plow-
man acted as executor of the estate.
AS he declined to accept compensa-
ton for his service, Mrs. Goodwin
gave Mr.. Plowman the deringer. 1t
bears plate inscribed with this
name: y. Wilkes Booth" The spring
of the trigger has lost much of its
strength and the portion which sets OF
the cap is Clipped. Otherwise the
historic weapon is in good condition.
Col. Deringer, member of the fam
lily which for many years manufac-
tured the famous weapons bearing
the family name, says that he once
before had occasion to look into the
matter, and that when the Plowman
claim was put forth again he decided
to get official data to back his state
ments.
He has just received this letter from
assistant secretary of war;
Answering your letters of 18th ulti-
mo. and I'd instant, in which you re-
quest certain information concerning
the pistol with which President Lin
coin was assassinated, beg to in
form you that the weapon In question
is in the. Office of the judge-advocate
general of the army and has been in
the custody Of the war department
since the proceedings of the military
commission which tried the conspir.
ators were received for file, the pistol
having been found, just after the
assassination, on the floor of the box
occupied by the president.
st does not have the name OF
Booth on any part of it, but has the
letter p on the left side of the bar
rel, the words 'Deringer, Philadel.' In
front of the rear sight, and the same
words in the rear of the hammer on
the lock plate"
Speaking of the matter, Col. Derin.
ger said:
Il propose now effectually to settle
this claimants ambition by my state
ment and the letter which hand you
for publication from the assistant sec.
rotary of war to me, which just re-
ceived from him. This full and ex.
plicit letter, / presume, will put a
Quietous on this claim.
1.-THE facts are that the spurious pis.
toll may have been made, as claimed,
at Kreider's gun shop, Second and
Walnut streets, but not the genuine
deringer which shot the president, for
rLat was made at the old factory in
the Northern Liberties, where all the
Deringer firearms were made for the
Indian and war departments and indi.
viduals, from the year 1906 down to
the death of the ingenious inventor
of the worldrenowned rifles and PTS
tolls Familiarity called the deringer.
1.-THE gun barrels are always
stamped 'Deringer, Phila.' on the
breech OF the barrel, and on the side
of the lock-plate, as stated by the as
s.stant secretary Of war to be on the
pistol in his department. The letter
p referred to on the barrel means
proved and was always stamped on
each barrel after they were tested and
proved. There is little cap box in
the butt of the pistol. When exam
ined it there were only percussion
caps in it, left there by Booth. that
had not been used. "-Philadelphia
North American.