The National tribune., 1903-08-06

Walk, tDey saw the street pdcheu Will
white-lipped men and women staring with
painful anxiety at the doors and windows
of the lowfrOnte6, dinsy old theater. and
nervously questioning all who came out
and within reach of their voices, as to
what had happened and how the Presi-
dent was. A crowd of maddened soldiers
were eager to tear .'own the theater. and
slaughter every one connected with It,
| They could not be made to believe that
all the actors were not in the plot-all
rebels ut heart, and capable of any crime
\ battalion of provost guards had
promptly arrived on Tenth street. and
were assisting the police in maintaining
order. and clearing way for the audience
to emerge. and for physicians. surgeons
and apothecary attendants to get insd
| Every minute breathlesS messengers ar
rived with dire reports 10 add to the hor-
ror and excitement.
''They forced their way into Vice -Presi-
dent .Iohnsons rooms AT the kirkwood,
and killed him."
Secretary McCulloch has been shot"
"Three masked men attacked Secretary
| Stanton, and after an awful fight. stab
bed him to DEATH
Secretary Usher's been shot as he came
| home from making Il call.
Attorney General Speed was killed bi
some of Morgan's men. who met him o.
the street. and recognized him.
Gen. Grant was shot in the DEPOT. a
| he was about to take the train to visit m
family in New Jersey
Its said that Speaker Co,fax has been
killed. but that's Ecen denied"
| "A man got into Secretary Seward
house, on Lafayette Square. where the
Secretary lying sick. He .etended that
he was bringing medicine that the doctor
had ordered. He killed the Secretary.
and after a fearful fight killed the nurst
and the Secretary's son. and then, run
ming out. jumped on horse that was be-
ing held for him. and gal.oped off down
| the Avenue. | saw him myself. galloplng
as if he was crazy.
Yes said another man. anxious to be
| in the conversation. Il saw him, too. He
had that fine pacing stallion of Allison
| Nailor's-yOu all know him-and Allison
Nailor's nigger-John you all know John
he recognized the horse. too. and WAS
running after him, to get the stallion. But.
great snakes. he might welrve run af-
ter the wind. You know that horse. He
can make Il mile in 2:30. when he's put
to it. and that man was sticking the spurs
clear into him every jump. He'll Kill the
horse in an hour."
This last seemed so correct and circum-
stantial that 81 and Shorty tried to edge
up nearer the, speaker and ask them some
| questions, but a crowd of detectives in
citizens clothes, Immediately closed
around the speakers. and carried them off
10 extract more information. while the
police sternly ordered 81 nuu Shorty to
move on, and not block the way.
They're bringing him OUT. cried those
| nearest the entrance.
'Stand back, there. Open up a way
I A. fl.l,
pushing back the crowd on the sidewalk.
and extending the opening in the street.
Women screamed and tried TO faint. but
We're held up by the pressure of the dense
crowd. which was slowly crushed back by
the vigorous arms. of the police. until a
passage was,- made from the front en-
trance of the theater to the stoop of a lit
tie tiiree-story brick house on the opposite
| side of Tenth street.
Every hat came off. and every voice
was hushed into silence as group labored
| down the front steps of the hpuSe, carry
| ing with the utmost tenderness the once
staiwart form of the dearly-be.oyed Presi-
dent. His face could not be seen through
the crowd around him, only one of his
| great bands-the hand so slow to strike;
so swift to spare"-now lying so pitifuliy
| limp and fOrceless.
Amid the awed silence the group worked
door of the house.
Secretary Stanton's not been killed.
He's there with them said voice. the
first cheering thing in that dOleful night.
Every one took hope at the sight of
| the square-shouldered. stout form OF the
| Secretary of War. with his whiskered
| face and spectaced eyes. The Govern
ment would not fall into ruin as long as
that tower of strength stood erect.
Move on, now. Clear the walks. This
street must be cleared commanded the
police seconding their words with ener-
| getic impulses upon all within reach of
| their brawny hands. Everybody must
move out of this street at once. We must
have absolute quiet here
They had to go up the high hill as far
| as G. street. before they could extricate
themselves from the dense mass of peo-
pie Then, as they stopped to breathe,
and the young ladies to rearraDge some
what the clothing which had suffered Sc
yerely in the awful crush, Maria COM
manded:
"Now. boys. we're going as straight to
the boarding house as We can walk. and
YOU must get to bed. You've had all the
excitement and fatigue you can stand in
your present condition, and another feath-
er's weight may bring on relapse. Come
right along.
~ think she's right, Shorty" 81 regret
fully admitted. 81 don't feel as if could
go to bed. but / suppose we must. We
can't be of any help, and there's certainly
enough out here to attend to anything that
can be DONE"
81 hate to 60 away without laying my
hands on some Of the devils who'ye been
doing this work." said Shorty.
''Come on; you couldn't get within a
mile of one Of them, if you knew who
they were," said Maria scornfuly. ''That
crowd out there would tear them limb
from limb, the instant they found them.
/ never imagined that men should look so
much like tigers, in spite Of their sorrow.
You'll break yourselves down, and be of
no further use, if you stay out another
minute in this night air. Come along"
She took Shorty by tho arm with an
air Of entire ownership that fascinated
him, in spite Of the feelings that were
raging within him, and towed him off
toward the boarding house, followed by
| 81 and Annabel.
They found the Deacon and Mrs. Klegg
already arrived. With her hands clasped
before her, and set, immovable face, her
attitude in times Of deepest sorrow, Mrs.
Klegg sat and rocked while tho Deacon,
red bandanna in hand, paced back and
forth.
The Kleggs had had their trials and
their days Of intense sorrow, but never