Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-04-25
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

| IN THE STAR
| Following the assassination of Presf-
1 dent Lincoln the columns Of The Star
| were chiefly occupied for
Arrest Of several days with reports
po;,. of the pursuit of Booth and
the arrests made of per-
sons suspected Of participation in the
murder conspiracy. In The Star Of
April IS. 1865, Is an item describing
! the capture of Paine. who attacked
Secretary Seward. as follows:
Suspicion having been directed to-
| ward house occupied by members of
| the Surratt family on H street near 9Th
| Maj Smith Of Gen. Augur's staff. &C
| companied by a captain and a gentle
man connected with the War Depart
| ment, named Morgan, last night visited
| the premises and, placing the lady in
| mates in arrest, proceeded to the ex-
| animation of the house and papers
| found in 1t. While doing SO
ia rap was heard at the door
| which was opened by Mr.. Morgan, re-
vealing medium-sized man dressed in
gray coat and vest, black cloth pan
falcons and fine boots. Upon discover
| ing the officers he manifested consider
| aple surprise and remarked that he
| mad got in the wrong house. In reply
| to the questions of Maj. Smith he gave
| contradictory answers, some of which
| were quite absurd. The reason he as
| signed for calling on Mrs Surratt was
that he had been engaged to dig gut
ter for her today and called that night
I n vno rvo -In~ .
ne should commence work in the morn
| ing before Mrs. S. would have arisen
The man had a pick with him and
claimed to earn living by it's use, but
the delicate appearance of his hands
and his inconsistent statements con-
WINGED the officers that he had some
connection with the attempt to assassi-
nate Mr.. Seward, and he was at once
| taken to Gen. Augur's headquarters.
upon reaching headquarters he was
placed In the midst of a group Of per-
sons. while an officer was dispatched to
the residence of Secretary Seward for
the servants and attendants who saw
the assailant of the Secretary Upon
the return OF the officers the gas was
turned down and as the servants en-
tered the room the gas was suddenly
let on in full blaze. A boy instantly
pointed out the man in the group as
the one who entered the Secretary's
house. The servant at the same time
betrayed visible excitement, showing
the deep impression made upon him by
the sight of the criminal The de-
meanor of the prisoner at once changed.
his defiant manner giving place to man
ffestatfons of fear, and his countenance
assuming deadly pallor. After some
other Investigations there remained lit
tie doubt as to the identity of the
man, and he was placed in safe keep
ing within iron walls. The prisoner is
variously known as Paine, alias Thorn
as, al1aS several other Names"
In The Star Of April 20, 1865, is print
ed the proclamation of Secretary STAN
ton offering a reward
Proclamation of $4,000 for the cap
of pa,1ord. ture of Booth, $4,000
VI A'e"o1uS' for the capture of At
zerot and $4,000 for the capture of
Herold. This proclamation gave the
following warning:
All persons harboring or secreting
the said persons, or either OF them, or
aiding or assisting their concealment
or escape, will be treated as accom-
plices in the murder of the President
and the attempted assassination of the
Secretary of State, and shall be subject
to trial before a military commission
under punishment OF death! Let the
stain of innocent blood be removed
ishmerit of the murderers! All good
citizens are expected to aid public JUS
tice on this occasion. Every man should
consider his own conscience charged
with the solemn duty, and rest neither
day nor night until it be accomplished"
4 +
With reference to the proclamation
Of reward, The Star, In the same issue.
says:
Herold'S David Herold is we'll
r,-.o, known in the sixth ward, he
being son of the late A. G.
Herold. who was for many years the
principal clerk in the naval store, We
believe that he was educated here and
at Charlotte Hall, St. Mary's county,
Nd. and until recently was a clerk in
drug store in the sixth ward. He
mas been known as a SympathiZer with
the south. but no one suspected that he
would go to any desperate lengths in
her behalf. He had been out of en-
ployment for some time past, but man.
aged to keep horse-a very fast pac-
ing animal-at Pope's stables on K
street south, which he took out of the
stable about shutdown Friday night last
(the night of the assassination). As
he mounted and rode out he sang out
to those in charge of the stable, If any
one asks for me, tell them 1 have gone
to New York On the same afternoon
he told some OF his acquaintance that
he was going to st. Mary's county.
Within a month or two he spent much
of his time with Booth. and it seemed
to his friends that he had suddenly be-
come infatuated with Booth. and no
longer than Tuesday last one of his
acquaintances asked him how he had
become SO thick with Booth, to which
he replied, oh, Booth is a good fellow!
1t will be recollected that man giving
his name as Harold, doubtless Herold
hired a roam horse at Majors stables
the afternoon of the murder, and that
afterward a man named Atzerard, Or
Atzerot, left a horse at the stable, tell
ing the hostler to have it ready at 10I
O'clock"
The next Issue of The Star, April 81,
1865, contained an account of the cap
ture of Atzerot. the
Capture of third of the conspira-
aAA tors to be taken into
sAeAo'' custody, as follows:
George A. Atzerot. sometimes known
as Port Tobacco and one of Booths
accomplices, who was arrested yester-
day at Germantown, Montgomery
county, Md. by Capt. Townsend's COM
pany Of the LIST Delaware Cavalry, ar
rived here last night in special car
attached to the regular 10 O'Clock
train The authorities here having been
Atzerot, Col. Ingraham, Col. Ludding-
ton and Marshal Murray of New York, |
with a strong military force were in at
tendance at the railroad station and i'm