Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-05-19
The Capture Of Booth.
, The Evening Star:

To the Editor OF The Evening otar'
Mr.. ]. e. Hoover's recent talk to Star
reporter about the part his uncle, Lieut..
Doherty, took in the capture of Booth ana
Herold, and the death OF the FORMER Is es-
pecially interesting with respect to It's quo
tation of what Mr.. John Hay, now Secre-
tarv of state. is alleged to have said with
great clearness and unquestionabie GER
tainty who the commanding officer was.
~ ,s not stated when or where Mr.. Hay
gives his version of the affair; but assum-
ing that he is correctly quoted. it is but an
easy task to show how lily he has been IN
formed touching the facts of which ne
writes. The quotation gives Lieut.. Doherty
the credit of having arrested In his oed
ar Bowling Green William Jett. confed-
crate soldier. and forced him to guide them
to CARROTS farm" of having ordered
young Garrett into the barn 70 get bootn
arms and of having told Booth tnat ne
read The Star of April &c. 1S65-the day fol-
lowing the capture, the testimony of Lieut.
Col, Conger at the trial OF the conspirators
and the account of an interview by cor
respondent of the Philadelphia Press with
"young" Garrett and his sister. published
in The Star of December 10. 1881, ne Wouio
discover that Lieut. Doherty Is not given
the credit Of having at any time spoken so
much as q word to Jett, young Garrett
or Booth. And inasmuch as The stars
two extended accounts of the tragic event
are in exact accord with the testimony OF
Lieut.. Col. Conger on the points IN ques-
ton. it is cited here effectualiy disprov-
ing the alleged version of MIR. Hay In so far
as II relates to them.
~ AS to Lieut.. Doherty having arrested
lett and forced him to guide them to Gar
retts farm" Lieut.. Col. Conger. tesufying
with reference to himself, says: Il found
him (Jett) in a room in hotel In BoWiing
Green. in bed / said. is that you. Jett?
He said Yes said, Get up; want you
He got up put on his clothes ana
was. There were two persons in the
room with me. Jett said to me, Can see
YOU alone?' said, Yes and Lieuts. Baker
and Doherty left the room. He reached
out his hand to me and said: know who
YOU want, and / will tell you where they
csn he found They are at the
house of Mr.. Garrett, and can show You
where they are now, and you can get
them Jett got out his horse and
we started. Just before We reached the
house Jett, who was riding with me, said
we are near where we go through gate
&C." 1t may be said in conclusion OF this
point that Lieut. Doherty Is mentioned only
once in the testimony of Lieut. Col. Conger,
only once in The Stars account of April
26 1865, and not at all in the narration of
the CARROTS to the Press correspondent.
(2l As to Lieut.. Doherty having ordered
young Garrett into the barn to get Booths
arms" Lieut.. Col Conger testifles: II sta
toned men round the. barn, and Lieut.
You must go into the barn and get the
arms from this man. think he made
some objection to going In. Baker said:
They know you. and you must go In.
Of the men with whom they had been stop
ping was coming in to get their arms. ana
they must deliver them up Garrett went
in. but came out very soon ana SAID; TINS