Reminiscences about Abraham Lincoln (1885) (14781298902)

Identifier: reminiscencesabomclinc (find matches)
Title: Reminiscences about Abraham Lincoln
Year: 1885 (1880s)
Authors: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Subjects: Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 Presidents Presidents
Publisher:
Contributing Library: Lincoln Financial Foundation Collection
Digitizing Sponsor: The Institute of Museum and Library Services through an Indiana State Library LSTA Grant



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s Theater in Washington.Stealthily opening the door of thecompartment. Booth shot thePresident and then leaped to thestage below, the spur of his boot,catching in the flag that drapedthe box, mute avenger, and theassassin fell, fracturing his leg. In the confusion, he escaped,and, mounting a horse which Jiehad tied In the vicinity, fled toMaryland, going first to the homeof Dr. Mudd, a Southern sympa-thizer, who reduced the fracture. David Harold, a friend of Booth,joined him and assisted him to; escape. Th« pair finally reachedthe home of J. E. Garrett, nearPort Royal, Md., and they wereallowed to sleep in the tobaccowarehouse. The cavalrymen of McDonaldscommand were in close pursuit,and finally, located the fugitives onApril 24. about 9 oclock at night.The warehouse was surroundedand the two men ordered to sur-render. Harold was agreeable andcame out of the retreat and was handcuffed, later being hanged forhis complicity. Booth refused to surrender andargued with the commanding of-
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ficer. It was finally deoided toset the building on Are, and theflames disclosed Booth. A mem-ber of McDonalds troop, Sergt.Boston Corbett, thrust his gunthrough a crevice in the boards,and shot Booth, despite the order*to take the fugitive alive. Cor-bett was court-martialed. Booth was carried from thewarehouse to the porch of theGarrett homestead, where he diedan hour and a half later. Mo-Donald witnessed the end of theassassin, and is the only survivorof that group. The body was placed in a wagonand hauled to the Potomac River,a short distance away, and thenconveyed by steamer to Washing-ton. McDonald asserts that theremains of Booth were first in-terred under a slab in the Federalarsenal at Washington, but laterwere removed to the Booth familylot in Baltimore. In the coat orthe dead man was found a letter,written by Booth to Garrett, andenclosing a $5 bill to pay himfor his hospitality, Booth, evident-ly, planning to depart that nightfor the South in the hope of mak-ing his escape