Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-06-06
BODYOF Wilkes BOOTH
Certainly Lies in a Baltimore
Cemetery.
CONVINCING PROOF
TESTIMONY OF A PARTICIPANT
IN THE TRANSFER.
Assassin's Head Passed From Hand to
Hand Of Those Who Knew
Him in Life.


This is due to the fact that a man known
as David e. George who recently COM
mitted suicide in Enid Okla, is said to have
borne such striking resemblance to Booth
that some people who knew the latter in
life identified George as the actor, and also
to the publication of stories that Booth
made his escape at the time and that 1t
was confederate soldier who committed
the act, was pursued, captured, brought
here dead buried at the arsenal and after
ward reinterred in Baltimore. There has
also been a rumor af1oat that Virginia
lady received a letter from Booth SIX
months after the assassination of Lincoln,
describing his wanderings in Maryland and
Pennsylvania, and friends of this lady
firmly believe this story. Added to all these
stories is the latest from Baltimore, con-
tanning a statement of Basil Monkey, the
doorkeeper at Fords Opera House in that
city, that he saw the body when In Balt-
more and acted as pallbearer; that while
the features were unrecognizable, the shape
of the head and general appearance did
not seem to be that of Booth, and he was
impressed by the hair being OF a reddish
brown color, while the hair of Booth was
jet black.
Identified at the Time.
On several occasions The Star has pub
lished proof that the body buried at Green
mount was that of John Wilkes Booth. 1t
is needless to recall that persons in the
audience and on the stage at the time of
the assassination identified him as he ran
from the scene of the tragedy, and although
few doubt that he was the assassin, but
some believe that the body brought here
was that of another person While 1t lay
on the monitor at the navy yard there was
positive Identification by the late DR.. j.
Fred May, who had performed for Booth
slight operation for the removal of
fi,yrn oil 1,xy
friend. There much mystery woven
about the case, and to deceive the public
when the body was removed from the mont
tor dummy was used, and both were car
ried away, steamer. and a row boat each
taking a bundle from the monitor, so that
those not Immediately concerned could not
determine which carried the body. The
steamer proceeded down the river, and re-
port was put in circulation that below Alex
andria a transfer would be made of the
body to a gunboat, which would proceed to
sea and cast it overheard. In the meantime
there had been prepared box for the body
in the carpenter shop of the navy yard
but this was not used.
The row boat, after beating about the
Eastern branch for some time finally land
ed its charge on a wharf at the arsenal
and while it lay there sentry prevented
the approach of any one An attempt was
made to dig grave in one of the cells of
the old penitentiary building but such slow
progress was made-the floors being of
stone laid in cement--that a place in the
Old store room few feet east of the com
handing officers present residence was Sc
lected. Here the first interment was
mace. Inc Body wrapped in an army
piahket, was put in box, and a representa-
tive of the War Department. with two ord
nance officers, three or four of Bakers
detectives and several civilian employees
were present.
The First Burial.
Ihese facts became known to a Star
reporter a short time thereafter and an
animation was given the public but so in
dustriously circulated was the report that
the body had been taken to sea. that peo-
pie generally could not be induced to be-
leVe otherwise, especially since few days
later the illustrated papers published nic
lures of the burial at sea
The body remained in its grave in Wash
lhgton Tor some two years, when it was
removed to one of the store houses of the
arsenal ana buried under the floor with
those of Captain Wirz of AndersonvilIe
fame, Payne, Mrs. Surratt and others who
were executed in July, 1865, as accomp!ices
of Booth.
Booths Body Removed.
In February, 1869, an order was given by
President Johnson to Mr.. Edwin Booth for
the delivery of the body of John Wilkes
Booth to his family, and Mr. J. H. Weaver
OF Baltimore was engaged to receive it, A
representative of The Star was told that
II he would be at the rooms of Harvey &
Mari on F street near 10th on a certain
afternoon at o'clock he would get a good
piece of news. The reporter was nron,nt
and in a little time a wagon drove into
the alley in the rear of the shop the same
alley IN which Booth mounted his horse
and started on his flight.
Here they are" said one and the little
band of four or five went out to meet the
wagon in which We're Mr.. Weaver, Mr. Har-
vey and Mr. w. r. Speare, the latter then
having but recently entered the employ
of the firm The wagon was backed IN to
the door of Mr.. Berrys stable which adj
joined the one where Booth had sometimes
from the wagon into the stable 1t was
not much decayed, though it had been
nearly four years in the ground and when
opened the gray blanket had not disinte-
grated and was strong enough to bear the
weight of the body when it was trans
ferred to a temporary coffin in which to
carry it to Baltimore.
Found Head of Booth Detached.
Mr.. Weaver found the head detached.
and taking it up passed it to a gentleman
who had come in and who, we learned was
dentist who had done some work on
Booths teeth. After looking at the teeth
moment he recognized his work and said.
Yes, this is Wilkes Booth
He left us at once and we understood
that he had reported1to Mr. Edwin Booth
in the front office The head was passed
from hand to hand, and the fact that the
hair of jet black seemed to have grown
was commented upon At first glance if
seemed that several inches had been added
to it's length, but it was found that some
shavings placed under the head had adj
hered to it and become discolored. The
undertakers carefullyIlooked over the con-
tents of the box and noted that some of
the vertebrae of the neck were missing:
also that the leg had been cut from one of
the boots and the remainder slit SO as to
make a shoe. Thus was corroborated the
testimony that before the removal of the
body from the monitor two or three of the
vertebrate through which Corbet's shot
passed were taken out and that during his
flight after his crime the boot was made
into shoe to remove pressure on the leg
in which the small bone was broken
Family Of Booth Satisfied.
The witnesses being satisfied that there
was no mistake, In less than an hour the
body was on it's way to Baltimore.
OF those witnesses Mr. Speare and
one other are the. only survivors In
Baltimore the body, according to Mr..
Norval E. Foard of the Sun, was care
fully examined by members of the family
and friends and fully identified. He saws
that in company with Mr. John IT, Ford
he h1l,x