The Colorado statesman., 1916-02-12
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box, and placed in the doorway bar,
which had evidently been prepared
for the occasion by someone in the
conspiracy.
One Of the actors, Harry Hawke,
was speaking, when, at 20 minutes
past 10, Booth fired shot into Lin
coins brain. At the sound Of the
pistol, Rathbone leaped to his feet and
grasped Booth, but the latter thrust
him aside, after stabbing him several
times in the arm.
Flees With Fractured Leg.
Booth then laid his right hand on
the box railing and made leap down
ward to the stage, but as he did so,
his spur caught in the fold of the
treasury flag, and he fell in crouch
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, jerked 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
madman-as he 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 at GIG 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-
| Z on the morning of April IS, 1865,
he ceased to breathe
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 Twelfth street.
The funeral service of the martyred
president was held in the east room
of the White House, Wednesday, April
IS, at noon, the coffin being then taken
to the capitol, where it lay in state
in the rotunda till April 81, when the
funeral train started for Springfield,
Ill.
Booth Escapes to Virginia.
To return to Booth and the rest OF
the conspirators. The assassin had
fled from Washington, 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 2 a. M, April
rs. A young son informed Baker that
those he sought were at that moment
sleeping in a 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
bine leveled at the door,
Baker Sets Barn on Fire.
Colonel Baker, wishing to expedite
matters, lighted wisp of straw and
stuck it through a crack into pile of
hay in corner inside. In a 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
floor dying, with bullet In the back
of his neck. The shot had been fired
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
18th yraat afforf wera "TIse1ncn mo-