The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-08-17
MAGAZINE REVIEW.
Lincoln's Assassination Due to His
Guards Absence.


Guards Absence.
Now that ] have told the story Of my
three months association with Abraham
Lincoln, there are two things Of which
! feel that ! must speak. The first
question relates to the circumstances of
the Assassination Of President Lincoln.
1t has never been made public before.
have often wondered why the negl
gence of the guard who accompanied the
president to the theatres on the night Of
the l4th has never been divulged So
far as | know, it was never even inyes-
tigated by the police department Yet,
had he done his duty, believe President
Lincoln might not have been murdered
by Booth. The man was John Parker
He was native Of the District. and had
volunteered, as | believe each Of the
other guards had done, in response to
the presidents first call for troops from
the District. He is dead now, and ais far
as ! have been able to discover, all Of
his family. SO ii is no unkindness to
speak Of tile costly mistake he made
IL was the custom for the guard who
accompanied the president to the theatre
TO remain in the little passageway out,
side the boX--the passageway through
which Booth entered. Mr.. Buckingham
who was the doorkeeper at Ford's thea.
tire, remembers that d chair was placed
there for the guard on the evening of the
l4th, Whether Parker occupied 1t at all
! do not know-Mr. Buckingham il of
the Impression that he did. II he did,
he lett il almost Immediately; for he
confessed to me the next day that he
went to a seat at the front Of the presi.
dents box where he could see the play.
The door Of the presidents box was
shut probably Mr. Lincoln never knew
that the guard had left his post.
Mr., Buckingham tells that Booth was
in and out of the house five times before
he finally shot the president. Each time
he looked about the theatre in restless,
excited manner. / think there can be
no doubt that he was studying the scene
of his intended crime. and that liz OBJ
served that Parker whom he must have
been watching, was not at his post. To
me it is very probable that the fact
! that there was no one on guard may
have determined the time of his attack.
Booth had found il necessary TO stimu-
| late himself with whiskey in order to
| reach tie proper pitch Of fanaticism.
! Had he found a man az the door of the
1 presidents box armed with Colts re-
yolyer, his alcohol courage might have
evaporated
However that may be, Parker's alb.
sence had much to do with the success
Of Booths purpose. The assassin was
armed with q dagger and 4 pistol. The
story used to be that the dagger WAS in
| tended for General Grant when the pres
ident had been despatched That Is abb
surd. While it had been announced that
( General and Mrs Grant would be in the
box, Booth, during one OF bis five visits
Of inspection, had certainly had an or.
portunitg to observe that the general
was absent. The dagger. which was
noiseess was intended for anyone who
might intercept him before he could fire
| The pistol. which was noisy and would
arouse pursuit. was for the president
/ AS il happened, since the attack was a
complete surprise, Major Rathbone. who
| the president having been shot, attempts
ed to prevent Booths escape, received
the dagger in his arm.
Had Parker been at his post at the
back of the box Booth still being deter.
mined to make the attempt that night
he would have been stabbed, probably
killed The noise OF the struggle Park
er could surely have managed TO make
some outcry--would have given thu
alarm. Major Rathbone was brave
man, and the president was brave man
aud OF enormous muscular strength. II
| would have been an easy thing for the
two men to have disarmed Booth. who
was not a man of great physical
strength. Il was the suddenness Of his
attack on the president that made il 50
devilishly successful, II makes me feel
rather bitter when / remember that
the president had said, Just few hours
before, that he knew he could trust all
his guards. Aud then to think that in
that one moment Of test one Of us
should have utterly failed him! Parker
knew that he had failed in duty H,
looked like a convicted criminal the next
day He was never the same man after
ward. William II. Crook, in Harperi
| for September.