The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-04-14
One keokuk Man Was Guard Over the
Body Of the Martyred President
as It Was Brought to
Illinois.
TWO ATTENDED, FUNERAL
Tragedy Which Occurred Fifty Years
Ago Tonight is Recoilected
by Local Peo-
Pile.

| Fffty-five years ago tonight, few
| minutes after ten O'Clock, President
Abraham Lincoln was shot and fatal
| ly wounded while he was attending a
play at Ford's theatre, Washington,
! ID. c., by Wilkes Booth, and there
are many people in keokuk who re-
member the event distinctly and a
few others who week later attended
the funeral of the great man.
And today Keokuk people who are
thinking back fifty-dve years are re-
minding each other of now each one
received the news" which came to
them over the telegraph wires early
the next morning. One woman tells
of her husband coming, home on the
morning of April Is, shortly after he
had gone down town to his business
to inform her of the sad news.
Il was sweeping when he came
into the room, and / can remember
now of standing there shedding tears
when he told me that Lincoln had
been shot, and how l continued to
clinch that broom handle. l didn't
notice my little daughter in the
room until she came to me and saht,
Mamma, what relation was Mr.. Lin
coin to us?'"
Two Attended Funeral.
Two persons now living in keokuk
attended the funeral Of Abraham Lin.
coin at Springfield, and another one.
veteran of the civil war, was guard
when the body was taken to CoIlnl-
bus, Ohio, on it's way from Washing
ton to Springfield.
Mr.. and Mrs. w. S. WINS and
Do fol
for the ceremonies there, and Dr.. s..
NJ. CASTOR was one of the guards at
Columbus, Ohio.
Guard over Body
DR.. CASTOR was with Company z,
Sixty-eighth Ohio infantry, and sta
toned at Camp Chase, three u,iies
out of Columbus, at the time of the
assassina ton, and his company with
many others were taken INFO Column
bus as guards around .ne capitol
building where the body of the pIesi
dent was placed for a day n The
rotunda of the capitol when the
funeral procession moved from Wash
ington to Springfield Dr.. Castor
says he remembers distinctly the
long line of people who came 70 the
capitol to see Lincoln for the last
time.
Mr.. Paradice was young boy at
the time of the funeral. He was liv-
ing at Jackson ILL.,, at that time, and
he and his mother went to Spring
field to attend the funeral. They had
relatives living there and they stayed
with them while they were in Spring
field, Mr.. Paradice said yesterday.
The Funeral.
Mrs. Virginia Wilcox WINS recalled
other days, too, when she told of the
trip she and her husband took 10
Springfield for Lincoln's funeral. They
registered at hotel while in that
city, and Mrs. WINS said that in spite
Of the large number of visitors who
were there at that time, hotel accom- /
modations were easily procured. Mrs. !
wins spoke of the long line of mourn |
srs which moved slowly to the capt. ;
ol to see the president the day the /
body was buried, and then the inter !
nent later. She doesn't remember |
having seen Mrs. Lincoln or any OF /
he family at Springfield.
The burial at Springfield occurred !
Nay 4, fifteen days after the funeral !
It Washington, in Oakland cemetery,
wo miles from Springfield, late in
he afternoon where the president |
vas laid to rest in vault there
which had been prepared for him.