The National tribune., 1902-12-18

tured and Minister 10 1luSSl1 was inter-
rupted for a few minuteS, That was the
not only when heard of assassination.
but during ELL the years ,flAt have passed
since that sad day, whef&er think of
our martyred President, ol.see again the
slightly -stoopins form aeaSsa deep-iined,
striking features Of that 1isaii Of iron nerve
who saved the American Republic as 1
saw them for the last time that night at
Wizards Hall in Washington.
Then, too. the information that ].
Wilkes Booth was the ASSASSIN brought
to mind recollectiOns just, as vivid, but of
ferent subject. / saw again that hare
Drained, heartless fend who did the bloody
deed as l had seen him, as an actor in
various Shaksperean characters. During
the same Spring of 1864 l had frequent
y attended Ford's Theater, where J.
Wilkes Booth was then starring, and
remember him, particularly, in the char
acters at Petruchio, Hamlet and Richard
III, in each of which he presented the
same characteristics of foolishness or
madness-very different from the acting
Of his brother Edwin Booth, Keenc.
Davenport. Forrest and other great actors
Of his time. 1t seemed as natural as to
draw his breath for him to carry every
part of his acting to the very extreme of
madness-to make some display or break
that no other actor had ever thought Of
In the scene where Katharine recites
the "wifc's duty to her husband,'' and
Petruchio commands her with a kiss, j.
Wilkes failed not to leave a great wad of
tobacco on the fair Ketherine's cheek,
which was simply disgusting. except to
the very lowest class of theater-goers.
In the part of Hamlet J. Wilkes was a
failure throughout the greater portion of
the play, but he stabbed old Polonius
through the arras with more than ordinary
zest; and especially in the scene at the
grave of Onhelia he was perfectly at
home. and rolled out the following lines
with the vehemence of a mad bull:
POUNDS, show me what thou'lt do;
Woo't weep. woo't fight! woot fast! woo't
tear thyself!
Woo't drink up Esile, eat crocodile?
III do't-dost thou come here to whine?
To outface me with leaping in her grave?
Re buried quick with her, and SO will L:
And If thou prate of mountains, let them
throw
Millions of acres on us; till our ground,
Singeing his pate against the burning zone
Make Ossa like wart! Nay, an thou'lt
mouth,
I'll rant as well as thou"
Ranting was really J. Wi!kes's best
hold. and he spoke the lines as though he
found much delight in them.
In the character of Richard III, J.
Wilkes Booth occupied the niche for
which nature intended him, for he could
''snarl and bite and play the dog" more
true to life than any other actor that
ever saw attempt to personate Richard
His deformity Of body was more pictures
que, the hump on his back was larger
his crippled limbs shorter and his halting
gate more noticeable, and he acted the
part of villain and fiend so naturally and
enthusiastically that when heard he was
the assassin Of the President / was not
so greatly surprised. ,rrn
About that time, and while still in An
napolis, | wrote some verses in commem-
Grafton of this event, entitled "The Assas
sins Fate" The Style and sentiment of
my poem are very different from the poem,
on the same subject. written by Col Ter
reli, of the 9Th Tex. Cav. Col Terrell
saw in J. Wilkes Bootll.the, embodiment of
the Spirit Of Liberty rather the spirit of
a fend incarnate. CoL, Terrell was Am
bassadOr to the Court of Stamboul. under
the Administration of oGRover Cleveland.
At the time Of the Presidents assassna-
ton there were many Rpeople in Mary
lands Capital in sympathy with the Los.
cumspect in their speech as they had rea-
son to be, fof the city was full of Union
officers. and we loaded our repoivers care
fully for business the sInoment we heard
OF the assassination :: .bnt, ,si am happy to
say, we had no occasion to use them.
Of all the demonstrations of sorrow for
the untimely taking-off. of President Lin
coin, the most impressive, to me, was the
simple and silent act Of an old negro. On
the afternoon of April Is, as I was going
from Annapolis to Camp Parole, about
two miles out. where the paroled enlisted
men were quartered, / met this old man.
who asked me in a choked and sorrowful
voice: "Sir, is it true that they have killed
Mistah Lincoln?" When I informed him
that it was true, he spoke not another
word. but simply stood there aghast, as
If stunned by mighty blow, gazing with
bewildered stare into space with a look
OF unutterable woe upon his dark features.
that would defy the brush Of the most
skillful artist in the world to reproduce
on canvas. When l passed out of sight
that old negro was still standing there,
gazing into space, in the attitude of one
whose whole soul was overburdened with
sorrow.
FROM FIELDS OF WAR TO PATHS OF PEACE.
In the latter part of April. 1865, we
paroled prisoners Of war were declared
duly exchanged. and received orders TO
report for duty to our various regiments.
Then our numerous family, endeared to
each other after the manner Of soldiers.
by long association and untold i1ardships
together endured. separated, most of us
never again to meet on earth.
l found my regiment and the old COM
rades who had not fallen by the way,
which l had left many months before. still
in the vicinity of Petersburg, being then
attached to the Twenty-ffth Corps. In
reyisiting or passing through Petersburg
on my return great change of conditions
was noticeable, as compared with nv
former visit on the last day Of July, 1864.
nine months before. The Confederate
General A. p. Hill, who so successfully
planned that Sabbath days diversion for
the kind people of Petersburg, wherein /
had figured as a part of the show, had
passed in his checks at the last battle in
defense of the city, and his soldiers, who
had fought so stubbOrnly and fiercely for
their ill-conceived rights. had passed from
the stage of action. and the Stars and
Stripes protected the negro and the mig
ger officer" as well as the white man, in
Petersburg.
My stay with my regiment was short.
On May E l was mustered as Captain and
assigned to the command of Co. III, my
commission as such having been issued
from the War Department on Aug. 8,
p.rk