Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-02-09

cordfng to this story, the former even hav-
ing scar on his neck similar to that on
| Booths. He had on Booths clothes. and
| looked every inch like him. The large re-
| ward offered by the government FASTENED
| the conspiracy trial. The remains of Fox
were inferred, and Booth was dead TO the
| world.
Escaped to South America.
The real Booth, this man is alleged TO
| have confessed swore to secrecy the man
who brought the message, and this man
left the cottage or hut Immediately. Booth
and Ritter rested there for several days I'M
til Booths leg was again healed. On May
they sailed out of the port of Philadelphia.
bound for South America. Off Trinidad the
| boat took fire and was run ashore. From
| here they went overland to the Amazon.
| thence UP the Amazon, and then by rail
| and overland to Para, where they were met
| by the Enoch sisters Two days later Rit.
| ter was married to one of these women, and
Booth, recovering from his injury late in
| the fall, was also married to the sister
| John Wilkes Booth became "Enos" the
great South American actor his pseudonym
| having been suggested by Enoch. his wife's
name. Ritter claimed that his own wife
was killed in a runaway and that early in
the nineties he had returned to the United
States.
This alleged confession also included the
story of illegitimate child of Booths
| born five weeks after the assassination OF
! to the mother. who remarked after Stin-
tons death. Ritter was quoted as claim
ing that Booth paid Stinton $500 per year
for this child. and that after the latters
death the money was paid through him
Ritter). The child was said to have been
a girl who married well and lived in
Brooklyn, but that her husband left her
after learning of her origin.
This story was discredited at the time
and Ritter was believed to be insane. Prof
Otis L. Mason of the National Museum--to
whose department such matters are refer
red by the Smthsoniar-says that the re-
cent offer of the Tennessee attorney to
prove that the real Booth died in 1903 will
probably not receive serious consideration
when brought to his attention.
What History Says.
According to the accepted story after
Booth was shot In the barn at Bowling
Green-where he and Herold were captured
together-and after he had expired upon
the porch of the Garrett House there, his
body was brought to the Washington navy
yard aboard the steamer Belle Plain. Pre-
viously to being landed It was carried for
safe keeping to a gunboat anchored in the
Potomac. DR.. May. who had previously
! cut a tumor from Booths neck, identified
his body by the scar and thirty other men
to whom he had been familiar in life cor
roborated the Identification. After the iden-
tification DR.. j. ]. Woodward Of the Army
and saved the bones of the wounded neck,
also the penetrated spincl cord, as speci-
mems FOR the museum, wherein they are
still exhibited. Booth was thercupon
buried in secret place In the Washing
ton arsenal and when placed in his grave
wore the clothes in which he died. Two
years later. at the request of the Booth
family. the remains were exhumed from
their secret grave, placed In a blanket and
stored for a time in the old stable where
he had kept his horse the night before the
crime. Here they were properly incased
in coffin and carried to Baltimore. to the
cemetery wherein the Booth family were
inferred. Officials of the ourying ground
were said to have been sworn to secrecy
as to the location of the mysterious grave.
although the burial permit OF Booth is
said to prove that he was buried near the
resting place of his kinsmen
The Illustrations accompanying this arti-
Gle are photographs of relics preserved In
the well-known Oldroyd collection of Lin
colniana. now exhibited in the house where
in President Lincoln died. This house was
few years ago purchased by the govern
ment., JOHN ELFRETH WATKINS.