The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1915-06-17
MAN HERE WHO
SAW LINCOLN SHOT

One of the few surviving citizens Of
the country. who witnessed the assina-
tion of President Linleon. W. H. Her
shey, of Dayton, Ind. father of A. o.
Hershey, of Clatskanie and formerly OF
this city, accompanied by his sister.
Mrs. Anna Whistler, of Heath, Ind, is
here visiting the families of his old
friends, Mr.. and Mrs. $. f. Bartmess
and Mr.. and Mrs. X. II. Waugh.
The ineidenst of that terrible night
are still vivid in my mind, says Mr..
Hershey. ''ln my Imagination | can
still see Abraham Lincoln, with his
long strides, as he passed into the the
atre to the box. | remember how tall
he locked, and how funny il looked to
4, see Mrs. Lincoln, tiny as she was, hur-
rying along behind him.
'The play stopped as the party was
visible at the back of the theatre. The
orchestra played Hail TO the Chief,
and then Yankee Doodle. tWhen the
members of the party were seated the
| play went on.
"0ur American Cousin, was the play
we had gone to see, two comrades and
|. | have forgotten the -nameso those
boys who were with me. Three of US
on sudden impulse had decided TO see
the show that, night. Harry Hawk was
playing the leading part, being the
American. Miss Laura kean was the
English cousin. She was accompanied
by an old aunt, and ! remember how
we laughed at the stage scenes, when
Hawk, with the exuberanee of Ameri-
can youth, grapsed his cousin and
kissed her. TIE old lady was astonished
at such action.
al remember how the presidential
| party was sitting. Mrs. Lincoln went
| in first. She was followed by young
woman relative. Then came Major
Rathborn and the president. the loca-
! tion of whom was favorable to Booth.
"a little while before the shot was
! fired, ! remember looking over toward
| the presidents box and seeing someone
standing against the door. He looked
as though he might have been peering
through, and it is said that Booth. who
had access to the theatre. had cut a
hole in the box with his pen knife. |
believe he was getting the exact loca-
tion of the president; for after he en-
tered the box he knew he would have
to act quickly.
Hawk and the old aunt had been hav-
ing a war of words on the stage and
had backed off into the wings, one on
each side, when the shot was fired. For
some time we all thought it was part
of the play. Then we saw Booth as he
started to jump over the railing to the
stage. AS he was springing down with
a dirk in his left hand Major Rathborn
reached for him. He was below the
level Of the box,railing. Booth slashed
the hand of the officer, and his body
with kind of swing, fell to the floor.
And it was then, | think, that he in
iured his limb. The derringer with
which the president had been shot, had
dropped in the box.
"Booth's leg, | think, was not brOk'
en-, as has been said. He ran across
the stage, and when in about the center
shreked out, Sic semper tyrannis.
shall never forget how that made me
feel. Miss Kean then appeared on the
sage and with her hands to her heaC
cried out: oh, the president has beer
assassinated.
'In few moments everybody was
: trying to get out of the theatre. AS
reached the stars six men, bearing thu
president on a stretcher, came by
/ They were escorted by six guards, whit
were forced to push the people out o
the way with the butts Of their guns
! had to put up my hands several time
to keep from being struck in the fac
| with the guns. | was willing enOugl
! to stop, but the people behind wer'
| showing so that | was pressed right VI
| against the guards.
The president was carried acros
the street from the theatre to littl
frame building, and it was there tha
he died the next morning about eigh
o'clock.
my two comrades and fastened t,
our place of encampment on ArlingtO
Heights. We had no more than crossed
the wooden bridge than an orderl
dashed up and told the guards to nc
allow anybody to pass out of the city
Several other members of our compan
who had seen the assassination wer
prevented from coming back to cam
/ until the next day -