Evening star., 1928-02-08
MAN WHO SAW LINCOLN SLAYERS
EXECUTED VISITS WASHINGTON
Last Survivor of Official
Group Served as Prison
Clerk.
Alfred c. Gibson Recalls Trial
and Deaths of Four
PI0tterS.

The sole survivor of the group off,
cially connected with the trial and exc
cution of the slayers of President Abra-
ham Lincoln was In Washington yeSter-
day to urge erection of monument to
! Revolutionary soldier and son Of a
signer OF the Declaration of Independ-
! ence. This lone survivor. Alfred c. Glib
son OF 10 West Phil-Ellena street.
J Mount Airy. Philadelphia. now 79 years
old. glanceS back across the years and
/ declares that nothing has come to light
! III the interim to change his firm opin-
! ion that the plottels were guilty and got
what they justly deserved.
| Mr. Gibson saw the Quartcrmaster
general of the Army yesterday con-
cerning erection of a monument to
Maj. James Witherspoon. who was
killed at the battle of Germantown. Pa
October 4. 1777. by the same cannon
ball that struck his immediate superior
officer. Gen Nash of North Carolina
Maj. WitherSpoon's father was preSi-
dent OF Princeton and q Signer of the
Declaration of independence Mr. Glib
son visited the Capitol In an effort 10
further this project and left last night
for New Orleans for conference with
Louisiana Historical Society officials as
this man. who himself has been SO IN
terWover with matters Of historical mo-
ment, makes speciality Of historical
matters.
Was Clerk in Army.
With the approach of the anniver-
Sary OF Lincoln'S birth. Mr.. Gibsons
mind paradoXically turns to his death
and those momentous days that follow
ed fast thereon
More than 60 years ago. Mr. Gibson
was a 16-year-old clerk In the Union
Army. standing in front of a scaffold in
the prison yard of the old Washington
Penitentiary. at the foot of Four-and-
a-Half street. as four of the plotters
against the martyred President were
executed. He had played Quoits with
the prisoners and had "bawled out"
Gen. Grant for smoking In close prox-
unity to the arsenal
In those days. Mr.. Gibson was the
clerk of Maj Gen John F. Hartranft.
in command Of tn" Bird division. 9Th
Army corps. who was ordered to WASH
ington TO take command of the prison.
Just after Lincoln's death They were
al Fairfax Court House. Va. when
orders came. In an Army wagon. Gen
Hartranft. who was afterwards Cover
nor OF pennsylvania. and Mr.. Gibson
rode to Alexandria. coming TO Wash
ington from there by boat.
Participants Become Noted.
With his blue eyes reminiscent. Mr..
Gibson glanced back at the famous trial
and recalled that fame was In the max
ing not only as far as the proceedings
themselves were concerned. but for
some OF the men participating in IL.
Inere was Ben Pitman. who was the
shorthand reporter OF the trial, later
to become the exponent of the systems
that bears his name Then. too. there
was Maj Gen. Lew Wallace. not yet
the finished author OF Ben Hur" that
was to carry his name high in the VAL
halla OF literature. Maj Gen David
Hunter was head OF the military COM
mission that conducted the trial and
Gen. Wallace was one Of its members
Mr.. Gibson pointed out that the
Surratt house at 604 H street. re-
Gently raided by prohibition agents,
was "the hotbed of the conspiracy"
for there Mrs. Mary Surratt, kept a
boarding house
Still hale and hearty despite his 10
years. Mr.. Gibson well remembers the
events Of the trial of the conspirators
He enlisted as a fifer in the 2i5th
Pennsylvania Infantry at the age OF
l6 years later serving as q clerk at
the headquarters OF the Sd Division.
9th Army Corps When Gen, Han
cock at Washington ordered Gen.
Hartranft TO the Capital Mr. 0ibsons
interesting experience OF three months
began.
-Four sergeants. acting as turnkeys.
gave daily accounts Of what transpired
with the prisoners. of which kept
record and wrote a report every morn
ing for Gen. Hartranft TO sign and
forward to Gen Hancock" Mr. Gibson
asserted "A clerk was necessary. but
there was 50 little TO do that ! had
TO devise stunts for amusement. Some
times I would pitch ouoits with the
prisoners. when they were allowed to
exercise in the prison yard After the