Evening star., 1915-02-07

who should have been on duty at the
door was down in the seats in order
to see more perfectly. Had he been at
his post, it is believed, Lincoln's life
Booth gained easy access to the box
and placed in the doorway bar which
had evidently been prepared for the
occasion by some one in the con-
spiracy.
One of the actors, Harry Hawke, was
just repeating his lines when. at TWEEN
ty minutes past 10. Booth fred a shot
into Lincoln's brain. AT the sound or
and grasped Booth. but the latter
thrust him aside after stabbing him
several times in the arm. Booth then
laid his right hand on the box railing
stage. but as he did SO his spur caught
in the folds of the Treasury flag and he
fell in a crouching attitude, which re-
suited in a broken leg.
*
Though suffering untold agony. the
assassin sprang to his feet. raced out
of the rear door of the stage into the
alley, jerked the reins from the hands
of Peanuts" leaped into the saddle and
in another second was Gathering out
of the alley, into + street then away
toward Anacostia like a madman.
In the meantime things had begun to
happen in the theater The suddenness
of the attack was bewildering. 1t was
not until the screams of Mrs. Lincoln
rang out shrilly that the audience real
lied what had happened. The widest
confusion resulted. but quiet was finai-
" restored and the audience filed out
of the building rapidly to spread the
news of the disaster.
About the first to reach the wounded
man were two paymasters. who at once
called for the White House coach But
this order was countermanded by DIR.
Charles Taft. an army surgeon who
rushed into the box, for he saw at once
that u carriage drive would be fatal
With DR.. Taft holding the head and sew
borne out of the door OF the theater
and into the house of a William Petersen
at SIG 10th street, just opposite Ford's.
1t seems that a lodger in this house
and opened the door to ascertain the
cause. The open door and bright light at
once caught the Doctors attention. so the
dying President was taken gently up the
steps and laid on a small bed in a rear
room on the first floor
This apartment was occupied by Will
liam T. Clark. soldier of the 18th
Ma ssa chusetts Infantry. The bed was a
walnut four-poster and on the walls
were several famous engravings.
The fatal shot had entered the left
side of the head behind the left eye,
traversine the brain and lodging be-
hind the right eye. The surgeons at
once recognized the fact that the
wound was mortal. On this humble
bed the President, surrounded by his
friends and several high government
officials, as we'll as his family. re-
manned peacefully all during the right,
unconscious to the last At twenty
two minutes past seven on the morn
ing of April Is. 1855. Abraham Lincoln
ceased to breathe.
AS his pulse stopped Secretary STAN
ton stepped to the bed and, looking
down into the countenance on which
an eternal peace rested, said in a low
voice, Now he belongs 70 the ages"
The Rev. Dr., Gurley. the Presidents
pastor dropped on his knees in prayer.
Then out on the wires of the world
flashed the news of the death.
Lincoln breathed his last Saturday
morning At IL o'clock that same day
Chief Justice Chase administered the
oath of office to the new President,
Andrew Johnson, in the old Kirkwood
House, which stood at Pennsylvania
avenue and 18th street.
The funeral of the martyred Presi-
dent was held in the east room of the
White House Wednesday, the 18th, at
noon, the coffin being then taken to
the Capitol, where it lay in state in
the rotunda till the 21st, when ,ne
funeral train started for Springfield.
IT reached that town on the morning of