The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-07
THE ASSASSINATION.
Booths Crime, His Escape and Death
confederate officials Blamed.


President Lincoln was shot on the night
of the 14th of April. 1865. while at Ford
Theater, in Washington. to witness the
production of Our American Cousin" The
chief executive of the Nation fingered until
% minutes past O'Clock on the morning
of April Is, 1865, when death came.
While the second scene Of the third act
was being performed the audience was
startled by hearing the discharge of pis-
toll Booth having entered the box, and
while standing between the door and the
President. fired the fatal shot. with an
exclamation which Is, said to have been
Freedom" Maj Henry F. Rathbone. who
was in the box, grappled with Booth, but
the actor wrenched himself from his grasp
and at the same time wounded that officer
in the left arm with knife
Booth rushed to the front of the box and
leaped over the railing to the stage In
jumping Booth used flag hanging by the
box to aid himself in the leap. crying at
the time, "Sic semper tyrannis." The as
sassin ran out of the back door of the
theater, where a horse was in waiting, and,
although his leg had been broken. made
good his escape for the time.
NneD lnOSe III the DOA ndu TIME 10 TcdiilC
what had happened the President was found
TO be unconscious. The outer door Of the
passageway had been barred with heavy
piece of plank by Booth and persons out
side were unable to get in until this OBJ
struction was removed by Major Rathbone.
The President was carried from the theater
and Mrs. Lincoln, who intensely ex-
cited, was assisted from the playhouse.
Neither Mrs. Lincoln nor Miss Harris, who
was present in the box, noticed Booth
until he fired the shot.
CONFEDERACY ENUMERATED.
During the story Arnold takes upon his
own shoulders, in conjunction with Booth
Atzerodt Payne, O'Laughlin, Herold, Sur
raft and Spangler, the entire responsibility
of a number of plots to abduct or kidnap
President Lincoln, and he exonerates from
all completely in these plots, or in the as
sassination, which he described as but the
product of a few hours, the Confederate
| States government its higher officials.
| During the trial the prosecution endeavored
to bring out statement to that end. and the
early histories of Lincoln and of his IN
| timely end give wide credence to this
| theory.
! In that portion of THE Life of Abraham
Lincoln" by Joseph III. arrett, commits
! sioner of pensions, published in 1866, deal
| ing with the death of Lincoln the trend OF
the opinions of that time in government
circles in Washington is probably as well
shown anywhere else. A portion of this
| publication is as follows;
1.-THE assassination of abraham Lincoln
was the elimination of a series of fiendish
! schemes undertaken i'm the aid of an in
famous rebellion. 1t was the deadly flower
of the rank and poisonous weed of treason
! The guiding and impelling spirits of seces-
sionism nerved and aimed the blow struck
by the barbarous and cowardy assassin
! who stole up from behind to surprise his
victim, and brutally murdered him in the
privacy of HRS box and in the presence OF
| his wife,
Large rewards were speedily offered fol
the capture of the chief ASSASSIN and OF his
principal known accomplices. Atzerodt and
Herold. The villain who attempted tn,
murder of Mr.. Seward first arrested
giving his name Payne. Booth and hi.
companion, Herold were traced through
the counties of Prince Georges, Charles and
st. Mary's, Maryland, and finally across tn,
Potomac in King George and Caroline coun
ties in Virginia.
FOUND IN A BARN.
They had. crossed the Rappahannock a
Port Conway and had advanced some dis
lance toward Bowling Green. BY the ait
of information obtained from negroes ant
from a rebel paroled prisoner they wer,
finally found in a barn on a Mr. Garrett,
place early in the morning of the 2eth o