The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-03-25

tleman In position to know the par.
ticulars and which letter ought 10
settle for all time to come the facts
in connection with Booths body.
Writing to the Army and. Navy
Journal, over his own signature, Col
Frank II. Phipps. of the United
States army, tells the particulars of
the disposal Of Booths body, OF its
identification, ETC., and there can be
no doubt but he writes the truth.
His article first relates the circum-
stances in the story of the burial Of
the body In the Potomac river, and
hen continues
"How such story could have or
iginated, i, fail, to understand and
that It may not be accepted without
dispute, let me state the following:
After the assassination of President
Lincoln u and tho arrest Of the con
spirators, the latter were tried in
the old Washington PenItentiary
building; and after their execution,
they were buried just outside of the
walls of the building When these
buildings--with the exception of
the warden's and deputy warden's
lquarters as well as the surround
ling walls, were torn down, these
bodies were taken up and buried in
lone of the old storehouses at the
washington Arsenal, in locked
room and underneath stone flag
ging, and by their sides were placed
the bodies of Wirtz, the Confederate
taller, and also the body Of Booth
the latter having been delivered al
the arsenal In gunny sack at the
little boathouse off the washington
Arsenal grounds. The place ol
burial was marked so as to identify
where the bodies were placed.
Just before Andrew Johnson's
term as President expired, Edwin
Booth applied to him for permission
to have Wilkes Booths body ex
humed and turned over to him fol
burial at Baltimore. The president
gave instructions, through the Secre
tary of War to General George D.
Ramsay, the commanding officer o.
Washington Arsenal, to exhume this
body and satisfy himself-there hav
ing been several stories about thai
Booth had never been killed and hat
been seen here, there and elsewhere
that the remaining turned ovel
were not those Of Wilkes Booth. The
Ir.Nr rv,a a nd
directed me to personally superin
tend the transfer of these remains
With a party Of enlisted men, the
remains were taken up in my pres
lence, the lid of the box removed
and the remains OF Booth positively
identified beyond any question. Th,
black hair, the shape of the skull
the color and condition of tn,
clothes, the riding boots, and tn,
remains OF the boot cut off at tn,
ankle, all indicate without duub
that the body was that OF Booth
In addition to this identification, (;
dentist In Baltimore had previousl.
stated that he could identify Boot
anywhere by a tooth, the cavity 0
which he had filed and built up, 4
J being so unusual that he could iden
J tify Booth anywhere by this tooth
| This Identification, understand
was subsequently made.
Later on, the friends of the othe
: conspirators-Mrs. Surratt, Paine
Harold, Atzerott, and also OF Wirt2
the Confederate jailer. applied 70
, and received similar permission, tn
! bodies being removed under my per
sonal supervision, the lids Of tn
, boxes being removed in each case.
promises to be redeemed for pas
, ones have not been. The fact I
| the republican party leaders hav
q been and are opportunists. ready a
~ .