Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1917-02-15

horses head and saw young fellow
called Peanut John" holding it by
the bride.
The next thing | knew a Deceive
named Stewart jumped over me and
disappeared out the ctcge door only
few seconds after Booth had closed
| it.
Harry Hawks and scveral members
of the company went stumbling over
me in a rush to get to thor dressing
rooms. Finally, a detective picked me
up. ] asked him what had happened.
He didn't answer, but led me tC the
stage, which by now was crowded with
people, and pointed to the presidents
box said:
LOOK there! Look the"C!"
| | looked and saw Lincoln, with his
| head resting on the back of his chair,
apparently dead His wife was bath
ing his face with her handkerchief, and
Miss Laura Keene stood near with a
picture in her hand.
| The detective Kissed in my ear:
! THE president is dying-shot by
an as. aSsin!"
Until then my brain had been in 9.
chaotic state. The happenings OF the
last five minutes had taken no definite
shape in my mind but as l stood there
in the detectives grasp the horror
and pity of it all rushed upon me
like a great black cloud-and / wept.
recovered myself and told the de-
tective to take me to police headquar-
tiers as l had important information.
The most sorrowful sight ever be-
held was when the president was car
ried up the aisle that only few hours
before he had walked down smilihg
and bowling. The audience that had
cheered was now crying. The handker-
chiefs that had been waved enthus-
iastically were now wet with tears.
The president was taken to Mr..
Peterson's house opposite the theatre,
and put to bed in room occupied by
John Matthews a member of Miss
Keene's company where he died at
1880 the next morning.
| When / re3ched the street with the
detective, there was great mob in
front of the theatre, and, as they
causht sight of US, .herc were cries
Of
xiii him! Lynch him. Hang him.
And the threats were nearly carried
out too, before il was made known
that / was not the man who had killed
the president. When we arrived at
police headquarters, | was taken be-
fore Mayor Wallock of Washington,
who questioned me closely and to
whome told my story
My wound was examined and at
tended to, and, after / had given all
the information | could Mayor Wal
lock told me that | would be detained
over night but to go home in the
morning and stay there because, il
Booth had friends in Washington
they would endeavor to put me out OF
the way if they thought / had any
valuable information.
When / had finished my story de-
tectives began to rush out and it was
not long afterward that it was an
nounced that Booths dagger had been
found a short distance from the stage
door. There was great number OF
conspirators arrested and / was sum-
moned to appear at the trial which
was held in the arsenal in the navy
Spangler, the scene shifter, was
sentenced to serve term at Dry Tor.
tugas. After serving his time he re-
turned to his home in Brooklyn, N Y.
"hCiC hC was ldhtu Ill anu
died was interviewed by a reporter
on the staff of the Brooklyn Eagle
He stated then that l probably saved
the lives of many people in the audi.
ence by appearing when l did and
asking him to move away from the
governor, as his first part in the plot
was to turn off all the lights in front
of the stage when he heard the pistol
shot.
When | pulled the cover over the
governor Spangler did not have time
to get back and turn the lights off be-
fore Booths pistol went off. Booth
in his wild dash escape, seeing that
the lights were still in the audi
forum must have tried to turn the
gas off himself, and, in his excite
ment, wrenched the lever from its
place and struck the wall in fall
ing to the floor.
| still carry a scar on my neck
about three inches long as a reminder
of my encounter with John Wilkes
Booth.