Evening star., 1914-04-12

to surrender. Herold came out and was
placed under guard. Booth refused to
surrender and finally wisps of hay were
pulled from the barn through large
cracks between the boards. twisted. set
on fire and thrust back into the ba arn
| This ignited the hay and lighted mp the
interior. Previous to this Corbctt had
gone to Lieut. Dcughrrty and Baker and
| offered to go in siugle-ltanded and cap
turc Booth. saving that II" and his nacn
barn by Booth but that they could not
see Booth. Under these circumstances,
Corhett said, he and mis- men were in as
much or more danger on the outside of
tempt to capture Booth by a direct
assault.
, As soon as the barn was lighted by
the fire Booth was seen walking up and
down, his broken leg supported by
crutch. Suddenly the crack of a pistol
shot was heard and Booth collapsed on
the floor At first it was thought that
he had committed suicide. Corbett i'm
mediately reported that seeing Booth
raise his carbine and take aim at one
Of the soldiers exposed to view through
one of the wide cracks in the barn, and
Knowing that delay meant death for the
1
his big cavalry revolver and shot Booth.
the bullet striking him under the ear,
going through the back of his head and
coming out little higher under the op-
posite ear. Corbett said he could have
shot Booth much easier few moments
before he fired the fatal shot. for Booth
was coming directly toward him and
was very near to him, but he did not
wish to shoot him. as he was not then
attempting to kill some one else.
q ken in on
| from the barn and placed on a straw tick
on the veranda of the Garret house,
where he died some three hours later,
about . o'clock. Almost his last words
were: Tell my mother that | died for
my country.
Then followed the trial by the military
commission appointed by President John
son of eight persons charged with con-
spring with Booth to assassnate Presi-
dent Lincoln and other heads Of the gov
ernment.
The execution was 10 take place in a
small prison courtyard of perhaps go
fee; square This courtyard was in
closed on two sides by brick wall about
thirty feet high and two and half feet
vide. There were two entrances to this
prison courtyard. one through the prison
| itself and the other through 3 large gate
way in the brick wall. july 4. the day
of the execution. was the day when it
was feared the volcano would burst
forth. and rebel conspirators and sym
pathlzers with Booth, OF whom. without
doubt. there were thousands in Wash
ington. would do the worst deed of all
the years of the war. If ever the gov
ernment of the United States was on the
alert and had left nothing undone in the
way of military prepa ration and would
4 show no mercy it was on this day. There
| were soldiers everywhere. and they We're
short and fierce in their dealings with
/ strangers.
/! About fifteen feet in front of tie high
fence. through which the approach was
| city, there was a double line of soldiers
| for the entire length. standing by tNos,
| with bayonets touching one another
/ If one succeeded IN going past these
! guards he would find that the only en-
| frances through the fence were car
soldiers guarded the gates through
which carriages entered. and other
| soldiers guarded the small DOORWAY for
| people on loot with passes. On the in
side of the high fence patrols of three
, to five soldiers with loaded guns and
| fixed bayonets marched al quickstep.
| so that it seemed to be almost a cor
tnuous line of troops marching ra pidly
around the inside of the fence. The
| entrances to the prison courtyard were
| equally well guarded.
/ ] have never quite known exactly
| how ] did it. but | actually went through
I ali these lines of troops without pass
and in less than twenty minutes from
/ the first attempt ! was stationed not
thirty feet away from the scaffold and
| in fun view of everything said or done