The bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1916-02-11
%7YEHS :52NS37U

ing attitude, which resulted in &
broken leg.
| Though suffering untold agony, the
assassin sprang to his feet, ran out
| OF the rear door Of the theater into
| the alley. ierked the reins from the
| hands of Peanuts" leaped into the
| saddle, and in another second was clat
tering out of the alley into F street
then away toward Anacostia like a
nadman-as be probably WAS.
With DR.. Charles Taft holding the
head and several other men the body,
Mr.. Lincoln was borne out of the door
Of the theater and into the house OF
William Petersen al SIG Tenth street.
just opposite Ford's.
Death Of the President
The fatal shot had entered the left
side of the head behind the left eye,
traversing the brain and lodging be-
hind the right eye. At % minutes past
on the morning of April Is, 1865,
he ceased to breathe.
At II 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 Twelfth street.
The funeral service of the martyred
president was held in the east room
OF the White House. Wednesday, April
IL. at noon, the coffin being then taken
TO the capitol. where il lay in state
In the rotunda TIL April q, when the
funeral train started for Springfield.
Ill.
Booth Escapes TO Virginia.
To return to Booth and the rest of
the conEpirators. The assassin had
fed from Washingto and safely pass
ing the guard On the bridge at Ana
costa. galloped down into MARYLAND.
Pursuit was at once begun by the
government, Col L. c. Baker having
charge Of the force Sent to capture the
murderer.
After some work in tracing the as
sassin, Baker at last stopped at the
home Of farmer, Richard H. Garrett
near Port Royal, Va. at a. m, April
rs. A young son informed Baker that
those he sought were at that moment
sleeping in wagon house Or barn.
Throwing guard about the build
ing. Baker sent young Garrett into the
place to demand that the inmates sur-
render. Both men at first refused, but
Herold at last weakened and came
out to be manacled. Booth declared
that he would never be taken alive,
and stood his ground far back in the
shed. leaning on a crutch. with car
bine leveled at the door.
Baker Sets Barn on Fire.
Colonel Baker, wishing to expedite
meters. lighted a wisp of straw and
stuck it through a crack into a pile of
hay in a corner inside. In moment
the interior was ablaze and everything
within in a full light. The flames
showed Booth standing with his gun
in his hand, but retreating before the
leaping fire. A shot rang out and
John Wilkes Booth. the murderer Of
Abraham Lincoln, sank to the barn
foor dying, with a bullet in the back
OF his neck The shot had been fred
by a Union soldier named Boston Cor
bett.
Booths body was dragged out of
the burning shed and placed on Gar.
retts porch. His last words, uttered
with great effort. were, Useless. use
less" referring to his inability to lift
his hands. But before this he had
told a soldier, Tell my mother died
for my country; that did, what l
thought was best" Booth received
his fatal wound a little after three
o'clock in the morning. but fingered
In agony till sunrise. when he ceased
to breathe. -,
Body Buried in Baltimore.
His body was sewed up in an army
blanket, carried in an old wagon to
Belle Plain. and put on board boat
to Washington. Reaching the capital,
It was taken down the Eastern Branch
TO the old penitentiary. There. in one
of the large cells. the stones were
taken up. grave dug. and the re-,
t.