The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1923-02-15

ther detail. Forty-eigl$ minutes
elapsed between the presidents death
and the "extra" cry of the news boy.
The metropolitan newspaper of today
can "replate" in six minutes. And
some, with a new device for record
ing last minute news, can get the
new story on the street in three min
utes.
But 48 minutes-in 1865-was
justly newspaper triumph.
Paper Owned by McWiIliams
In a perfect state of preservation
and with no word of its fine type
obliterated, copy of the New York
Herald of April Is, 1865 was brought
to the Tribune office Monday. 1t is
he property of F. C. McWilliams, who
has been in possession of the paper
the past 35 years. For % years pre-
vious it was the property of the Nc
Williams family.
Despite the handling of the story,
which appears strange to present-day
journalism, no word in the entire ac-
count is without an intense import
ance.
All of the dispatches contained in
the Herald's account of the assassi-
nation were addressed to Major Gen
eral Dix of New York, and were all
signed by Edwin NJ Stanton, seer
tary of war The following para
graphs describe the scene about the
martyrs bed as the great men of the
nation gathered to sob or to weep
openly at the passing of their chief.
"The scene at the house where the
president lies in extremis' is very
affecting. Even Secretary Stanton
is moved to tears. When the news
spread through the city that the pres
ident had been shot, the people, with
pale faces and compressed lips,
crowded every place where there was
the slightest chance of obtaining in
formation in regard to the affair.
''The presidents bed was surround
! tu Nv IllS CdDiilCb iillliobClos clll VI
whom were bathed in tears, not even
excepting Stanton, who when inform
ed by Surgeon General Barnes that
the president could not live until
morning, exclaimed, 'Oh, no, General
no-nol and with an impulse as ma
tural as it was unaffected, immedi-
ately sat down on a chair near his
bedside and wept like a child.
Senator Summer was seated on
the right of the presidents couch,
near the head, holding the right hand
of the president in his own. He was
sobbing like woman, with his head
bowed down almost on the pillow of
the bed on which the president was
lying"
Another message describes the as
sassination
"The theatre was densely crowded
and all seemed delighted with the
scene before them. During the third
act, and while there was temporary
pause for one of the actors to enter,
sharp report of a pistol was heard,
which merely attracted attention,
but suggested nothing serious, until
man rushed to the front of the
presidents box, waving long dag
ger in his right hand, exclaiming
Sic semper tyrannisp and imme-
diately leaped from the box, which
was in the second tier, to the stage
beneath and ran across to the oppo-
sit side, making his escape, amid the
bewilderment of the audience, from
the rear of the theatre, and, mounting
a horse, fled.
Scream Told of Tragedy
"The screams of Mrs. Lincoln first
disclosed the fact to the audience
that the president was shot, when all
present rose to their feet, rushing
toward the stage, many exclaiming:
Hang him Hang himW
"The excitement was the widest
possible and there was an abrupt
termination of the theatrical per-
formance. There was rush towards
the presidents box, when cries were
heard -'stand back and give him
air! Has anyone stimulants?"
"On a hasty examination it was
found that the president had been
shot through the head, above the
back of the temporal bone, and that
some of the brain was oozing out.
"The parting of his family with
the dying president is too sad for de-
scription.