Omaha daily bee., 1906-11-19
AVENCER OFLBCOLNSDEATH
Boston Corbstt and Bis Tragic Career
Recalled By a. Id AOq uR ntapos.
PENSION EXAMINER GOODWIN KNEW HIM
Kansas Man Relates InterestinR Facts
In the Life of the Wan who
killed the Assassin, ..
Booth.

Kansas, now temporarily assisting EXaIo-
liner Morrow at the federal building In
Omaha, is familiar with the detailed his
tory of the famous Boston Corbett, the
slayer OF Booth, the slayer of President
Lincoln, and the other. day recalled
great portion Of the incidents of this
mans tragic and pathetic career, which
led an Omaha newspaper man TO observe
that Lincoln saved the life Of Corbett be-
fore Corbett killed the man who took the
life Of Lincoln. Corbett had been sem
fenced to die for an alleged infraction OF
the military law and was pardoned by the
president.
One of the strangest anomalies Of
American history is the peculiar treat
ment accorded by the government to Ser
geant Boston Corbett, the slayer of john
Wilkes Booth. the assassin of President
Lincoln. Nor is the government alone
in this estimate and treatment of Boston
Corbett, for withal his killing OF Booth
for committing the most atrocious and
dramatic assassination of all American
tragedies, there has been a disposition on
the part of the American people and par
ticularly those of the north, TO regard
Corbett with something almost akin to
plying contempt.
Sentiment for Fair Play.
The only reason that can be assigned for
this feeling is the inherent American SEN
tln1ent for fair play and a fair show ana
aversion toward the killing of man at
bay, as was Booth in the burning barn
on the Garrett farm forty-one years ago.
No cognizance is taken of the fact that
had not Corbett killed Booth, Booth would
have killed Colonel Baker, who was in
command of the pursuing party and of
which Corbett, as a member of the Six
tenth New York was also a member.
After the barn had been fired and one or
two of the fugitives had come out and
surrendered, Booth still refused to sur
render. Colonel Baker was standing just
before the barn door, then partly open,
and Booth had risen and leveled his gun
at the door. Corbett saw the movement
of Booth through a crack between tho
boards Corbett, standing at the other
side of the barn from Baker and knowing
that Baker would be killed in, another
second drew up his own gun, and being
an expert marksmah, shot and fatally
wounded Booth. The bullet, strange to
say, followed almost fdentically the same
course that Booths bullet followed when
Booth shot President Lincoln in Ford's
theater
It will be remembered that Colonel
Bakers orders were TO take Booth alive
at any hazard. The enemies of Corbett
still insist that Booth could have Oeen
taken alive and that his murder by
Corbett was causeless and cowardly. Cor
belts friends insist that It was the stimu-
Ius Of the 500, 900 reward that Colonel
Baker expected to get that was respon-
sible for the odium that has ever since
been heaped upon Corbett.
Corbett's real name was John Corbett
He was a man of a very religious tenn
Ierament, religious TO the verge of abso-
lutte bigotry and he took the name "Bos-
ton" in memory of his conversion at n
revival meeting in Boston some time
previous to the war. He served through
out the war in the Sixteenth New York
infantry, having risen to the rank of SER
geant.
Lincoln saves His Life.
A remarkable and hitherto unpublished
incident in his career lies in the fact that
during his term Of enlistment as a soldier
he is alleged to have committed some seri-
Gus infraction Of military discipline and
was sentenced TO death. His friends got
| President Lincoln interested in his behalf
and President Lincoln pardoned him.
! Within a year afterward Boston Corbett
avenged the death Of Lincoln by killing his
! assassin.
Several years after the war Boston Cor
| bett disappeared from New York and was
/ next heard of in Kansas. His notoriety
/ had became so obnoxious to him that he
sought to bury himself from sight and
\ finally In Kansas at Concordia. He always
/ felt he was being bounded by avengers OF
Booth and found it hard to make living
In the meanwhile he managed to secure
| a pension Of IS per month and was by
! the influence of Kansas friends, elected
doorkeeper during one term of the Kansas
legislature.
He afterwards bought eighty acres OF
land in a hilly, and obscure section, of the
state some seven miles from COncordia
and sought TO hide himself there on his
farm with his Wife, whom he had married
some time after leaving the army. Some
Of his Concordia neighbors conceived tn,
idea that ne was crazy and succeeded II
having him sent to the insane asylum al
Topeka He remained there some time, hi,
wife dying in the meanwhile. One day
Corbett disappeared from the asylum, tax
ing with him pony belonging 10 a young
son OF the asylum superintendent. Tit
superintendent knowing that II Corbet
had taken the pony It was with no intention
Of keeping or stealing it. -Four or nv
days after, word was received from Neode
sha, Kan, that the pony was there subjee
TO the order OF the superintendent and tina
It had been left there by Boston Corbett
with a small sum OF money to pay for IL
use This incident occurred In 1857 or 8
and from that moment Boston Corbet
dropped out OF sight and memory OF tn
world.
And This Strange story.
And now comes a strange and interesting
story that appears for the FIRST time Il
public print though it Is OF record In tn
Pension department at Washington and /
told by Special Pension Examiner Goodwin
formerly OF the Kansas district, but nov
temporarily on duty assisting Pension Elk
aminer Morrow at the federal building Il
Omaha.
Yes, knew Boston Corbett quite well.
said Examiner Goodwin to reporter 10
The Bee. Il was detailed upon Corbett
case in about 1900. The case came up 1
this way; Along some time In 1900 a lette
was received by the county Judge Of Clou
county, Kansas, from a party from som
point in Texas ASKING him 70 furnish him
record Of Boston Corbett's commitment [
the insane asylum. The writer gave II
name OF John Corbett and stated that b
was then engaged in peddling patent med
cineS In Texas and that under the law h
could not peddle medicines in that stat