Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-02-13

sible and will come if they are deter
mined upon it.
whatever premonition of his
tragic fate he NAV have had. there is
nothing to prove that he felt the near
ness of the awful hour. Doomed men
rise and go about their daily duties as
unoppressed often, as those whose
paths know no shadows. On that
never-to- be-forgotten fourteenth of
April President Lincoln passed the day
in the usual manner. In the morning
his son, Captain Robert Lincoln,
breakfasted with him. The young man
had just returned from the capitulation
of Lee, and described in detail all the
circumstances of that momentous ep-
isoda of the close of the war, to which
the president listened with the closest
interest. After breakfast the president
spent an hour with Speaker Colfax,
talking about his future policies about
to be submitted to his cabinet. At II
O'Clock he met the cabinet. General
Grant was present II spent the after
noon with Governor Oglesby, Senator
Yates and other friends from Illinois.
He was invited by the manager of
Ford's theatre in WASHINGTON. to at
tend in the evening a performance of
the play, Our American Cousins with
Laura Keene as the leading lady. This
play. now so well known to all play
goers, in which the late Sothern after
wards made fortune and fame, was
then comparatively unheralded. Lin
coin was fond CT the drama Brought
UP in p roviencial way of the days
| when theatres were unknown outside
Of the larger cities the beautiful art
of the actor was fresh and delightful
to him. He loved Shakespeare and
never lost an opportunity of seeing his
characters rendered by the masters of
dramatic art But on that evening. 1t
is said he was not eager to go. The
play was new. consequently not allur-
| ing to him; but he yielded to" the
wishes of Mrs. Lincoln and went They
took with them Miss Harris and Major
Rathbone. daughter and stepson OF
Senator Harris of New York.
THE theatre was crowded At 500
the president and his party entered
| The audience rose and cheered en-
Enthusiastically as they passed to : the
state box reserved for them. Little
did any one present dream that within
the hour their enthusiasm would give
way to shrieks of horror. 1t was liz
o'clock when Booth came upon the
i scene to enact the last and greatest
tragedy OF the war. He had planned
i carefully but not correctly. goot
s horse awaited him at the rear Of tht
theatre, on which he intended to rice
! into friendly shelter among the hills
Ol MdISlulC.,. re til30e HIS way 70 tiit
presidents box-a double one in the
Sc cond tier at the left of the stage
4 The separating partition had been re-
moved. and both boxes were thrown
into one
Booth entered the theatre nonchal-
eLtly. glanced at the stage with annar-
ent interest then slowly worked hi:
way around into the outer ,passas'
leading to the box occupied by tn
president. At the end of the inner pas
!, age leading to the box door one OF thu
presidents messengers was stationc:
to prevent unwelcome ntrusions
t Booth presented q card to him. Stain,
; that Mr.. Lincoln had sent for him
{ and was permitted to pass. Afte
) gaining an entrance and CLOSING tn
: hall door, he took a piece of boar
5 prepared for the occasion and place.
5 one end of it in an indentation in TIL
5 wall, about four feet from the foo,
and the other against the moulding o
the door panel a few inches highe,
making it impossible for anyone t
, enter from without. The box had tw
+ doors. He bored a gimIet hole in tn
panel Of one, roaming it out with hi
! knife. 50 as to leave it little large
, than buck shot on the inside, Will
on the other side 1t was big enoug
9 to give his eye wide range Bot
doors had spring locks. To secur
against their being locked he ha
loosened the screws with which til
: bolts We're fastened
h 80 deliberately had he planned tha
n the very seats in the box had been ar
: ranged to suit his purpose by an &C
f complete one Spangler, an attache {
n the theatre. The president sat in tn
e left hand corner of the box neareS
a the audience, ir an easy chair. Ne1
r him, on the right, sat Mrs. Lincoln
/: little distance to the right OF both. Mis-
e Harris was seated with Major Ratt
q bone at her left and a little in the req
d of Mrs. Lincoln, who, intent on II
y play. was leaning forward with or