The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-04-16
AT LINCOLN'S DEATHBED.
SECRETARY JOHN HAY NOT TIE
- ONLY SURVIVOR.


WASHINGTON, April lS.-A paragraph
now goir & the rounds Of several newspapers
srronoously states that Of all those who
Wero gathered at the deathbed Of Abraham
lincoln, forty years ago this morning. the
only survivor Is John Hay, Corporal
TanneT also was present, and he gives
this description Of the death scene;
Il have read with interest," he said. sthe
statements made regarding the assassina-
ton Of President Lincoln, the annive rsary
Of which has just REQUIRED. / notice the
particular state ment TO which you call my
attsnton. namely, that Of all tbose who
were assembled In the death chamber
whom the great spirit Of the martyred
President passed away Secretary Hay Is
tho only survivor. This know TO DO a
mistake, for the reason that was there
myself. was living In Washin gton at the
time. had taken a clerkship In the Ord
nsnoo Bureau Of the War Department on
the first Of the pre- vious Deer mber That
was my one year as a Government clerk.
held the position one year and resigned.
i was boarding on Tenth street, opposite
Ford's Theatre, in a house Immediately
north Of the Peterson house, in which the
President died. had some nowledge OF
the Capitol taking dictation from the re-
porters of the Senate and transchbing my
notes. I mention this because it was this
knowledge Of shorthand which resulted in
my being a spectator at the death Of Abra-
ham Lincoln.
ON the night Of the assassination l was
in Growers Theatre. where now stands the
New National | quote from a letter writ
ten 10 my mother the day after the Pres
dents death, which litter came back TO
me at her death:
SHORTY a fter 10 o'clock, while in the midst
Of scene, the entrance door Of Growers was
thrown open and man shouted: 'Presi-
box at FoTdsi Turn out! Instantly all was
confusion | cried out: 1t j. ruse OF
the pickpocketsi Sit DOWN. Most Of the
audience agreed 70 this and took thieT seats,
Very son one OF the actors, who had recited
Behind the scenes and announced that the
terrible news was too true, and the audience
dispersed. My friend and myself went UP
70 WIZARDS 20 learn what we could. VS.
we're zull more horror tricken on comiTR
out OF the theatre 20 hear 1t said that Secretary
Seward had had his throat cut Ia his bed at
home. We could learn nothing at Millard's
90 We got on the cars and went down 20 Tenth
Gtreet and came up TO my boarding house.
The President had been removed from he
which adioins this. The crowd was very.
quiet. and yet what excitement there was
he deed in the least degree would have been
tom 10 pieces in moment.
sOn my statement to the officer in COM
rnand Of the guard that lived in the house
next door ! was passed through the lines
and went up TO my rooms. The parlor
and bedroom l occupied comprised the
second story front, There was a balcony
there, and found my rooms and the balcony
crowded with the other residents Of the
house. Albert Daggett, the late postal
card contractor, was at the time a clerk
In the State Department and boarded in
the same house. Daggett was out on the
balcony when Gen. c. G. Augur came out
Of the Peterson house and asked II there
Was apy one present who could write short
band. Daggett told him there was young
man inside (meaning myself who GOULD
do Il, and Gen. Augur told him to ask me
70 come down, az they wanted me | came
down at once and entered the Peterson
Gen. Augur conducted me into the
rear parlor, where / found Secretary
Stanton sitting on one side, Of the ,
Carter Of the Supreme Court OF the
District at the end. They had started |
in 20 take what testimony they could re-
garding the assassination, having some one |
write il out In longhand. This had proved |
unsatisfactory. took q seat opposite |
the Secretary and commenced to take |
down the testimony. Somewhere, slowed |
away in my boxes, ! have the original |
shorthand notes which / made on that |
wrote out before leaving the PeterNon !
house. We had Harry Hawk, who had !
been on the stage Laura Keene and variol 5
others before US. No one said positively
but all thought it was he. It was evident
that the horror Of the crime held them
back. They seemed TO hate to think that
one they had known at all could be guilty
Of such an awful crime.
Many distinguished people came in
during the night. Our work was often
interrupted by reports coming in to Score
tary Stanton and more often interrupted
by him when he halted the testimony 70
give orders. Through all that awful night
Stanton was the one man OF steel.
Mrs. lincoln was in the front parlor
adjoining the room in which We sat. The
folding doors we're closed, but her means
and cries were plainly audible and piuiul
70 the last degree. II had been about mid
night when vas / called in. The President
and Mrs. Lincoln had been accompanied
10 the theatre by a niece Of Senator Ira
Harris Of New York and 10y Major Rath-
bono Of the army. My impression is that
the young lady's name was Rathbone and
that she was distant relative Of the Major.
He had been s'ashed in the arm by Booth,
but in the great excitement did not notice
Il nor did any one else until be tainted from
loss Of blood, He and the young lady
Hfterward married.
THE door leading from our room into
the hallway was open much OF the time,
ana twice during the night Mrs, Lincoln
was escorted down the hallway TO the room
In the l. where her husband lay dying.
Once as they supported her back to the
front parlor heard her e1c!aim: oh, my
God, and have given my husband TO die|
! finished transcribing my notes at 6:45
A. NJ and then passed back 20 the room
In the / where the President was dying.
Many Of the chief men Of the nation were
there, such az Secretaries Stanton, Welles
and Usher, Gems. Speed and DennisOn,
Assistant Secret6 ries Field and Otto, Gov.
Oglesby Of Illinois. Senator Sumner and
Secretary Mccullough Gems. MeigB and
Augur. Private Secretary John Hay, the
Surgeon General Of the army, and mBny
other men Of eninence. Al the bead Of the
bed stood Capt Robert lincoln, supported
by Senator Sumner. Both were very much
affected. ] approached quite near the
bed and stood little to the left Of Robert
lincoln. Gen. HRlleck was Just behind
me and close to my right. ] stood behind
Gems HRlleck and Meigs and had a fair
view Of the dying Presidents features,
looking from behind and over him. He
was entirely unconscious from the time
he was shot until the end. He breathed
very hard until a short time before he died,
when he drew his breath easier, and at