Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-02-13

Only by luck and bit of patriotic
trickery" does the United States still
own the Ford's Theater Building, on
Tenth near f street, where Abraham
Lincoln was assassinated.
The story Is revealed in the CORE
spondence of j. A. j. CresWell ofMary
land. who was Postmaster General In
the Grant administration and mem
Der of Congress during the Civil War
which has recently been received from
members of the family by the division
of manuscripts of the Library of Con
gress 1t was discovered by DIR
Charles Moore, head of the manuscript
division in "a letter to Creswell from
H. Winter Davis of Baltimore. for
mer member of the House and attor
ney for John II. Ford, owner OF the
building.
Edwin NJ. Stanton, Lincoln's Score
tary of War, realized at once that the
building was invaluable as a histori-
cal relic, but could not purchase it
without an appropriation from Con
gress. He could however, lease it
for the purposes Of the War Depart
ment and did so Immediately. The
lease gave the Government an option
to purchase at the end Of the year for
100000, the rent paid to go toward
the purchase price.
stanton, however, had little faith in
Congress. AS soon as the building was
in his hands he proceeded to SO disar.
range and wreck the interior that 1t
would cost the Nation more than
$1O0, 600 to pass it back to Ford in its
original condition. as was stipulated
in the lease, and Congress actually
would save money by buying 1t.
Theater Would Have Been Lost.
Had il not been for this, DR.. Moore
believes, Ford's Theater long since
would have disappeared. instead of re-
naming as an appropriate home for a
museum Of American history to house
the Lincoln collection, az proposed in
the Rathbone bill now before Con.
gress The letter from Davis, written
in Baltimore December 10, 1855, just
II days before the writer died, is as
follows:
Il have a matter 10 take up with
you In which l have some personal in.
terest, I was Ford's counsel to settle
affairs about the theater with Stanton.
MIR, stanton was to purchase 1t for
500 900, as authorized by Congress,
and in the meantime to pay rent to
be deducted from the purchase price.
He has torn 1t almost to pieces and
the cost to restore 1t would equal the
price asked. He has fitted 1t up for
q deposit for the rebel archives.
Ford was reluctant to sell and
would have preferred to continue his
business in the theater, but found the
Government would not give its assent.
Tt was at my earnest representation
that he offered to sell under duress.
Now, please see If Stanton has called
the attention of Congress to the mat
ter and see II the appropriation is
made. I ought to say that / have part
of my fee unpaid"
Has Tragic History.
The building has remained in the
possession of the War Department
ever since. due to Stanton's foresight.
It has had a tragic jlistory, even since
the assassination of Lincoln.
For years after it's purchase it was
used for files of the Medical Depart
ment of the Union Army. Records
were kept there of the men who had
been cared for in Washington hos
pitfalls, and to the small force of clerks
on duty there inquiries were sent from
the Pension ONCE. The records were
in bad shape Names were listed ac-
cording to the hospital where they
had been treated. During the war al.
most every church In Washington had
been used as hospital, and often the
veteran applying for a pension had
no idea of the exact place to which he
had been taken. Inquiries would come
In over and over again until the hos
pital finally was located.
The records finally were put In or
der by Harrison Ainsworth. later IL
brarian of Congress. who got the ex'
ira work done by making the clerks
attend to it in their spare moments.