The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-02-19
MURDER OF LINCOLN
ACTOR In The old TREATBE
TELL OF TRAGEDY
TALKS Of FATAL Night

E. A. Emerson, Who Played Part Of
Lord Dundreary in the American
Cousin the Night tho President
Was Shot, Recalls Vividly All In
cidents Of the Awful Tragedy
Behind his desk in the oMee OF his
art glass establishment at $50 @ St.
northwest, In Washington, ~ much
engrossed in the business Of to-day as
any youthful apprentice, sits the last
human link between the present and
the greatest tragedy Of American his
tory, says q Washington dispatch to
the Chicago Daily News. He is &. A.
Emerson, last OF the leading actors In
the troupe that played 1.-THE Ameri-
can Cousin" at the old Ford Theatre.
in Washington, on that fatal night In
\ April, 1865, when the bullet OF
Wilkes Booth took away the life Of
President Lincoln and tumbled the
country into chaos. Mr.. Emerson
appeared on that occasion In the role
of Lord Dundreary, the dandi6ed and
bemonocled English swell. prob
ably the best known and certainly
the most popular role in the play.
t'I was not on the stage at the time
of the tragedy" said MP. Emerson
recently. "It is nearly half een-
tury ago, but the events were i'm
printed too deeply on my mind for
me ever to forget them. 1t was Just
after the beginning Of the third and
last act and was leaning up against
a piece Of scenery in the wings, wait
Ing for my cue to 90 on. when ]
heard a shot.
Truth compels me to say that this
caused not the slightest ripple OF ex-
citement among any Of US back OF the
stage. There were, we knew, score
CT causes in all the various parapher-
MALTA Of the stage mechanism that
might cause sound like that We
were little bewildered for a moment
by the apparition on the stage Of q
man who didn't belong there, crying
out something We could not clearly
understand. But. you must remem-
Der, the war, had just come to an
end, the President was In the house
and most Of the actors, am sure,
thought, for few minutes, that It
was just some prearrarsed patriotic
demonstration. Even the sight OF q
man dashing through the wings did
not bring US to any realization Of the
truth.
"Then suddenly there sped through
the troupe gathered on the stage and
in the wings the cry. The Presidents
shot!'
''Then, indeed. there was confusion
worse than confounded-a veritaole
whirlpool Of actors, supers, police
men hurrying on the track Of Booth,
even some Of the audience, all mixed
in one inextricable chaos OF mad hu-.
manity on the stage. Even then, IN
the hysteria Of the moment, the cur
tain was not run down and It was
some minutes after the President was
taken from his box before 1t fell.
Meantime from the stage We eoulc
see them tearing the martyred mans
clothing from him in mad search
for the wound even as they bore him
away
"a little while later I went to the
box the President had occupied. Just
to the side Of the chair In which he
had sat found crumpled program
am confident-though have no abb
solute proof-that it was the pro-
gram be had in his hand when the
fatal bullet struck him, and in tue
agony Of the shock he crumbled ans
dropped it. Here 1t is"
Mr.. Emerson held up framed p-o-
gram Of the play. It was yellow with
age. On It was a dark sinister spot
about the size Of dime.
when I picked It up" continued
Mr.. Emerson. "that spot was on IT.
wet. OF course I cannot say eertain-
ly, but am convinced that 1t was a
drcp. Of the life blood Of President
Lincoln"
81 was we'll acquainted with young
Booth" Mr Emerson continued
when asked about his knowledge Of
the man responsible for the tragedy.
"I had played with him in theatres
all over the country. One incident !
recall very vividly, occurring the
morning before the fatal night; ?
certain case I have at my house
snapped into four pieces, will eve-
make me mindful Of it. That morn
ing as stood before the stage doo'
of the treatre Wilkes Booth came ur
TO me: He was in highly nervous
state. AS he stopped and spoSe ne
snatched my cane from my nand
and. with anasitated gesture. swung
Il over behind his shoulders.
".Do you know what that man hiss
done?" he cried. almost historically.
"I knew to whom he referred, for
Lincoln had been an obsession With
him ever since Lee had evacuated
Richmond fortnight before.
"'He went down to Richmond yes
terdav.' Booth continued. sat IN Pres
ident Davis chair and put his feet on
President Davis desk. Somebody
ought to xii! himt'
"With that he brought his two
hands, holding the ends Of the cane.
down with such force that It snap
ped IN four pieces. gathered them
up, intending to have then repaired.
but kent them as they were after the
events that followed.
.I tried to quiet him. telling him