The Washington herald., 1913-09-28
Holm WILKES BooTH.

The great number of True Stories Of
| Booths death and burial, together with
the hundreds OF theories concerning the
| final disposition of the body has occupied
the attention Of the public. periodically.
since that fateful night and the days fol-
| lowing the assassination Of President
Lincoln. Little did think, while visiting
| the White House a short time previous,
when President Lincoln patted me on the
head in his fatheTly style. asking What
| can do for you. my little man." Later,
on sending me over to see Gideon Wells,
then Secretary Of the Navy. requesting
him to appoint me to Annapolis, which
| he promised, if when I was old enough
and he still Secretary" that il would
| fall to my lot 10 be writing OF this in
| terview, in connection with an event that
played such an important part in chang
| ing history. Ever and anon another
| true" makes an appearance, and right
here is the latest. with data heretofore
| obscure, but with the same sad shadow
| in the background which caused such
deep sorrow in the hearts of the nation,
placing his revered name among the noble
army Of martyrs. The alleged romantic
episode Of Booth marrying young
widow Mrs. Louisa J. Payne, on Febru-
airy "a 1872, while hiding in the mountains
of Tennessee, deserting her several
months after marriage before a daugh-
ter was born. This daughter later be-
came Mrs L. A. Howard who comes
forward making claims to the above, even
so far as presenting a copy of the mar
riage license between the two. attested
by the clerk OF a County Court under
seal.
Subsequently he committed suicide in
Enid. Okla. in 1895, leaving a written
confession that his real name was John
Wilkes Booth. The mother Of Mrs. How
ard upon her death bed related secrets,
heretofore carefully guarded, that her
father was the man accused OF the as
sassination of the President" She also
narrated events as told by John Wilkes
Booth Of his escape from the soldiers
after that horrible night in Washington,
and why he chose the hills Of Tennessee,
ond later on, the life of a hermit. So
much for her story; now comes history.
Booths body had been Identified and pre-
pared for burial by John Fl. Weaver, an
undertaken, who had an establishment
opposite the stage entrance of the old
Holiday Street Theater. The body was
Inferred in Greenmount Cemetery. Balti-
more. Md, shortly after midnight, in the
presence of Mrs. Junius Brutus Booth.
mother; Mrs. Asia Booth Clarke sister.
and wife of John Sleeper Clarke, the IA
nous comedian; DR.. Joseph 4. Booth.
Holiday Street Theater: John Ellinger.
Sam Kingsley. DR.. Frank Germon,
Blanche Chapman. and others were pres
ent at the identification.
Edwin Booth suggested the name of
''Ford's Athenum'' to John T. Ford
when he remodeled Parson Browns
Baptist Church. originally built in 1888. |
which later was destroyed by fire while |
Caroline Richings and company were |
playing The Enchantress." A number |
of gentlemen. friends of John T. Ford. |
held a meeting December 5. 1861, and |
decided Ito build a modern and elegant |
temple to the drama" the proposed |
building to be in size, elegance, and |
style similar to Laura Keene's Theater |
in New York, and 10 seat as many aud /
itors 1t will be completed and opened
early in the spring" 1t reads just a
trifie prophetic to see Laura Keene's
name mentioned in the preliminary
talk of its opening. and to have her
name at the head of the company per-
forming there when it was closed by
the government. In just one hundred
days the theater was built and named
"Fords Theater" with John T. as pro-
prietor and Henry Clay Ford. his
brother, as manager. The theater en-
joyed a prosperous career, being filled
nightly to its capacity, until the even
ing Of the tragedy, after which it was