Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-12
By George Kennedy

Msgr. Mead
By George Kennedy
One of the most surprising dis
coveries that can be made in the
Washington area is to come upon
a section close to the city that
has not been covered with hous-
ing projects and which remains
much the same along the back
roads as it did in Lincoln'S day.
Such an area lies directly south
of the District in Maryland, the
country through which John
Wilkes Booth rode after the as
sassination. The history fan who
follows the flight of Booth through
Maryland will be delighted to
find all the houses mentioned in
the account still standing and
looking much the same as they
did in the spring of 1865.
Change is probably imminent
for the area because the new
South Capitol street bridge makes
lit only a few minutes drive from
the heart of Washington. But
until change occurs the motor
list will have no difficulty in let
ting his imagination go back Sc
years in leisurely drive to Pope's
Creek, where Booth crossed the
Potomac into Virginia.
OF all the history that has oc-
CURED in this Capital. no story
has caused such continued inter-
est as the Staying of Lincoln.
If Americans believed in ghosts,
which they most certainly do not,
there would be traditions of see
ing the crippled rider and his
companion along the roads Of
Prince Georges and Charles Coun-
ties. Not a galloping or canter-
ing equestrian, but a slurnped fig
ure sometimes permitting his
horse to a trot but more often
walking the animal because every
step was a painful jolt to Booths
broken leg.
OF late, following the Booth
flight has become a popular pill
grimage on or about the ami
versary of the assassination,
which occurred on Good Friday,
April IA, 1865.
A police lieutenant, Bert Shell
don, annually guides parties ap-
preaching 100 in number over
the route. He has made himself
an expert on the subject. An
older student of the Booth flight
is Msgr. Edward P. McAdams,
pastor of st. Joseph's Church,
Second and C streets NE. He
has one of the largest private
libraries on Booth in existence.
In order to have an appropriate
piece for Lincoln's birthday (to-
day. in this space the writer
asked Msgr. McAdams to guide
him over the route. We started
about $50 Friday morning at the
back door of Ford's Theater, now
the Lincoln Museum, on the east
side of Tenth. street NV, be-
tween E and F streets.
Here's where Peanuts held the
livery stable horse for Booth" the
|monsignor said.
Perhaps you will remember a
story in The Star only a few years
ago about the death of a poor
italian in home for the aged
here whose last years had been
made miserable by a rumor that
he was Peanuts, the man who
held Booths horse. The old Ital-
ian was a bearded eccentric who
used to walk along Pennsylvania
avenue and furtively take news
papers out of trash cans as if he
were doing something OF great i'm
portance. One day a corner loiter-
er answered a question about the
old mans identity by saying he
was Peanuts. The canard vas re-
peated. Soon a lot of people up
and down the Avenue, newsdealers
and cab drivers were under the
impression it was true. When ii
came to the attention of the old
man, it made him furious so they
used to tease him with it. He was
born several years after the assas-
sination and, I think. in Italy
The real Peanuts name was Joseph
Burroughs.
Booth limped out into the alley
lame from the jump from the
Presidents box when his spur
caught on the flag draping it. ]
don't think it correct to describe
his condition as a broken leg. The
break was in a small bone neal
the ankle and his cavalry boot
probably kept it in position. He
mounted and rode to F street and
then turned east. We don't know
what street he used to get to
Pennsylvania avenue"
BY this time we were on that
thoroughfare and approaching the
Peace Monument below the Capt.
toll.
You have to remember" said
the monsignor, that this area
was a railroad yard of the B. &