The Irish standard., 1915-02-06
GREAT MANS DEATH
Country He Served So Well Re-
members lincoln's Work
With Gratitude.

At TWENTY minutes past ten
- O'Clock Friday evening, April IA.
1866, Abraham Lincoln was shot by
John Wilkes Booth in the back of the
head behind the left ear and mortally
injured. At % minutes past seven
o'clock the next morning, Saturday,
April is. 1865, he died.
changes since that fateful day, and the
prayer which Lincoln prayed that the
country might be one again has been
answered in a way that would have re-
joiced his great heart. Not an ami
versary Of his birth and death has,
passed since his cruel taking off on
which some tribute has not been paid
to his memory, and so it will be to the
end of time among generous Amerf-
cans. wherever their residence or in
herited sentiments: for, however he
may have been misjudged in the con-
fusion and stress of antagonistic opin-
ion, there is none now who does not
praise him for his courage and his
faithfulness to his honest convictions.
He was born in Kentucky February
IL. 1909, and died in Washington April
Is, 1865, in his fifty-seventh year at
the very zenith of his powers. The
books are full OF the story of his life
and work, but there are still many in
terestng facts connected with him
that have not yet been noted, notwith-
standing the industry of those who
have collected great masses of every
thing they could find in any way con-
nected with his life and death.
Mr.. Lincoln. as everyone knows,
was shot by Booth while he was at
tending theatrical performance at
FOrds theater in Washington. Our
American Cousin" held the boards that
night and Laura Keene was playing
the part of Florence Trenchard for
the last time. She had already per-
formed the same part for thousand
nights Five years before she had
played the role at McVicker's theatey
In Chicago the night of the day on
which Mr.. Lincoln was nominated for
president by the Republican conven.
ton, in May, 1860, and all unconscious
Of the terrible tragedy, she splayed with
uncommon cleverness, and while yet
the theater was ringing with laughter
and applause, came the crack of the
pistol shot from the presidents box
that plunged the country into mourn
ing.
After Mr.. Lincoln had been shot he
was removed across the street from
the theater to the residence of Will
liam Petersen, a highly respected mer.
chant tailor, who lived directly oppo.
site the playhouse, at SIG Tenth street.
This house is still standing, as is also
the old Ford theater, and both are now
owned by the government. There have
been few changes in the Petersen
house.
For 40 years Osborn H. Oldroyd
has been devoting himself to the as.
sembling together of an invaluable
collection, in which are included more
than three thousand relics, which con.
stitute, as Elizabeth Porter Gould has
said, zone of the most interesting and
valuable ever collected in behalf Of
a human being" The collection con.
tains $50 funeral sermons, about sew.
enty pieces of music, a thousand VOL
umes relating to Lincoln, 300 portraits.
busts and medals, photographs Of
Booth, pictures of the assassin, the
family cradle in which the Lincoln
children we're rocked, an original black
locust rail split by the young man.
then never dreaming Of the place he
was to fill in the history of the world;
the family Bible from which Lincoln's
mother read to him when he was q
boy, and literally thousands of other
things in some sort associated with
the murdered president.