Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1951-02-12
to mass at Bryantown the next

to mass at Bryantown the next
day"
Msgr. McAdams pointed to a
line of woods along low ground
that ran behind the Mudd farm
II want you to take note of
the terrain here because it's very
important" said our guide. THAT
lis Zekiah swamp which runs into
the Wicomico.
Booth and Herold left here at
IA o'clock Saturday afternoon, the
18th. They kept off the roads
but skirted that swamp, crossing
it a couple Of times Booth made
inquiries as to the location OF
Parson Wilmer, a Yankee who was
pastor Of st. Paul's Episcopal
Church near Beantown. That
was a ruse. They passed the
church, and got lost. Hercld rode
back and got a Negro. Oswald
Swami, to guide them"
| We drove south following the
line of the Baltimore & Potomac
now the Pennsylvania Railroad.
Turn in here" said Msgr. Nc
Adams at pasture gate. There
were five mules in the pasture
Behind it was a large frame house
That was the home of Col
Samuel Cox" he said. It also
looked just like the pictures in
the books.
Booth and Herold arrived here
at 2 am. Sunday the 10th. Cox
was a known Southern sympa.
thizer and Booth appealed to hin
for help. Cox had his man takt
them to spot cleared for tobacco
in a dense pine thicket. I'll shov
YOU the exact spot in a minute.
Then Cox. who was well-to-dt
man. sent for his foster brother
Thomas A. Jones, a man whit
never had any money, to get thu
fugitives across the Potomac"
= A4OCl4 uPICO.r
''Monsignor," 7 said. "just the
other day a man named T. Walter
Jones, a grandson of this Jones
called on me. He once was limo
type operator on The Star. II
seems his grandfather tried to
make money. He wrote a little
book on his adventure and tried to
sell it on the Midway of the
Chicago Worlds Fair in 1898
People were so indignant that a
man who helped Booth was trying
to capitalize on it that they almost
mobbed him. He was lucky to
escape with his life. So he dug q
trench and buried his books. The
grandson loaned me one of the
surviving copies. It's very rare
book"
We drove down the road to-
ward Popes Greek about a mile
and again Msgr. McAdams ordered
stop. He pointed to level place
under a large tree only few yards
away from the road (Which was
not there in 1869.
That" he said, twas a little
clearing for tobacco in a dense
pine thicket. Booth and Herold
hid there from early Sunday morn
ing, the 18th until Friday night
the 21st. That was a dark night
and Jones has reason to believe
that the soldiers, who were scour-
ing the neighborhood, had gone
into st. Mary County following
rumor that the fugitives hao
been seen there.
He took them to his Shad boat
about three miles away and
showed them out into the Pc.
tomac. I will show you the exact
place. You know the story. Booth
and Herold rowed all night and
found themselves back on the
Maryland shore several miles
north of where they started. A
diary was found on Booths body
He said he was chased by gun
boats. A United States Army
colonel who had not heard of the
assassination gave them soma
food that day"
BY this time we had come to
Pope's Creek which is above the
narrow part of the river spanned
4 by the Morgantown bridge.
"On Saturday night they made
it," MSgr. McAdams said, landing
on the Virginia shore early Sum
day just below the bridge. They
had names of Southern sympa-
thizers, some of whom helped
them, and some who did not. Boott
was placed on a wagon under
some cover and driven by William
Lucas, a Negro, to Port Conway
on the Rappahannock River. He
crossed on a. ferry but the jig was
almost up. A Confederate soldier
who had crossed with him, when
questioned by Union officers, re-
vealed that the fugitives might be
found at the Garrett farm near
Port Royal. Herold surrendered
and was hanged. The barn was
fired to force Booth out. Sergt.
Boston Corbett, a former hat
blocker from New York, always
claimed he shot Booth. But
am of the opinion that Booth
acted out the role he had chosen
by committing suicide.
mo, there's nothing to the
story that Booth escaped and dice
years later at Enid, Okla"