The McDowell times. [volume] (Keystone, W. Va.) 1904-1941, 1914-12-11

contains nothing OF interest I found
Il very insrresting. For though the place
hes been completely remodeled since
that dreadful night OF April IA. when
John Wilkes Booth s.ssssinsted the great
Lincoln, Jet found the location of the
stage, the Lincoln box, and pas-ed
through the same door by which Booth
made his escape And employed I'm the
building i met Edwin III. spang who
went with his girl TO Ford's Theatre.
and he told me how he made use of his
season pass that very night, and arrived
in the theatre ten minutes before the
tragedy occurred spsng is now a gray
haired old man, but he i- only one OF a
great many veterans OF the civil war who
work within the gray brick walls keep
ing straight the war recor Is Of the men
who fought for and against. the United
States
Originally the structure was Baptist
church, which explains the peaked roof
80 unusual in ms-iern building opera
tons As q threstre il must have been
. very fine one for its day. since the all
ditorium was large. and il is still pos
sible 70 figure out what Was the location
OF the orchestra floor. the balcony and
the peanut gallery " Thee three floor
now do service for Office purposes. And
though the alley at the rear has been
changed a. q result Of the congestion Of
business, yet standing at the door through
which the murderer escaped it's possible
to trace the direction taken by the fleet
footed white horse thar carried J. Wilkes
Booth eighty miles away in his flight
from the righteous wrath Of people |
struck almost dumb by the horror Of his
deed.
Perhaps the Guide Book is right when |
Il says thai Ford's Theatre nothing of
interest But standing there i'm the
centre of the great building on the fifty
INST anniversary OF Lincoln's Gettysburg
Address my attention fell upon the la
teis oil the long rows Of cards files which
occupy almost the entire space of three
toors, and i learned that here the rec
Or'is OF all the soldiers Of the war of 1917.
the civil war. the Spanish American
var, and the Philippine insurrection, are
carefully preserved. Some OF these sec-
tons are devoted to the Confederacy.
and II may he q little surprising tn most
people To learn that the United State-
has an almost complete rec
ord OF the men who wore the gray.
Tiers were devoted TO Confederate batal-
hons, sharp shooters, infantry, artillery
and state guards, and the roster of the-.
troops from Alabama To Virginia is A.
carefully kept ~ those Of union troops.
In respon e 70 the question was inform
ed that one OF the reasons was To aid the
tate-pensioning plans OF a number of
southern states, and my informant ad.
Del that during the civil war northern
soldiers captured a great many records
Of the Confederates, 80 that il had been
found best for Uncle Sam to maintain
the roster Of southern troops. At the
present time q representative Of the STATE
Of MississiPpi 10 engaged in copying the
records for that state
There are miles Of rows Of these cards.
and was struck by the fact that the-e
gray headed old men who work in this
place evidenced a tender sentiment for
ihese little white cards. each of which
vas the story Of a man gone to war. The
'pirit OF the words OF Lincoln stood pre-
erved before me: cit 10 for ms, the
ivine. rather TO be dedicated here To the
unfinished work that they have thus far
o nobly CARRIED on Ii is rather for N
o he here dedicated 20 the great task ~
naming for us; that from these honors,I
lead we take increased devotion To the
ause for which they here gave the last
nil measure OF devotion; that We here
ishly resolve that the deal shall not
ave lived in vain" And yet il is writ &
IN that this is an uninteresting place.