LINCOLN ROOM
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY
MEMORIAL
the Class of 1901
founded by
HARLAN HOYT HORNER
and HENRIETTA CALHOUN HORNER
Cop
F. L. BATES, Author.
THE ESCAPE AND SUICIDE
OF
JOHN WILKES BOOTH
OR THE FIRST TRUE ACCOUNT OF
LINCOLN'S ASSASSINATION
CONTAINING
A COMPLETE CONFESSION BY BOOTH
MANY YEARS AFTER THE CRIME
GIVING IN FULL DETAIL THE PLANS, PLOT AND INTRIGUE OF THE CONSPIRATORS, AND THE TREACHERY "OF ANDREW JOHNSON, THEN VICE-PRESI- DENT OF THE UNITED STATES
WRITTEN FOR THE CORRECTION OF HISTORY
BY
FINIS L. BATES
J. L. NICHOLS & COMPANY
MANUFACTURING PUBLISHERS
NAPERVILLE, ILL. ATLANTA, GA. MEMPHIS, TENN.
COPYRIGHTED AND ALL RIGHTS RESERVED BY
FINIS L. BATES, MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.
' '
DEDICATION
To the Armies and Navies of the late Civil War, fought between the States of North America, from 1861 to 1865, this book is dedicated.
THE AUTHOR.
PREFACE
In the preparation of this book I have neither spared time or money, since I became satisfied that John Wilkes Booth was not killed, as has been sup- posed, at the Garrett home in Virginia, on the 26th day of April, 1865, and present this volume of col- lated facts, which I submit for the correction of his- tory, respecting the assassination of President Abra- ham Lincoln, and the death or escape of John Wilkes Booth.
Personally, I know nothing of President Lincoln, and knew nothing of John Wilkes Booth until my meeting with John St. Helen, at my home in Texas, in the year 1872.
The picture which John St. Helen left with me for the future identification of himself in his true name and personality, was first identified by Gen. D. D. Dana, of Lubec, Maine, as John Wilkes Booth, January 17, 1898.
The second time by Junius Brutus Booth, the third, of Boston, Mass., (he being the oldest living nephew of John Wilkes Booth), on the 21st day of February, 1903, at Memphis, Tenn.
The third time by the late Joe Jefferson (the world's famous Rip Van Winkle), at Memphis,
PREFACE.
Tennessee, on the 14th day of April, 1903, just thir- ty-eight years to a day from the date of the assassina- tion of President Lincoln. I here make mention of this identification because of its importance. Among the personal acquaintances of John Wilkes Booth none would know him better than Mr. Jefferson, who was most closely associated with him for several years, both playing together on the same stage. I know of no man whose knowledge of Booth is more to be trusted, or whose words of identification will carry more weight to the world at large. While there are many other important personages equally to be relied upon that have identified his pictures there is none other so well known to the general public, having identified the picture taken of John St. Helen, in 1877, as being that of John Wilkes Booth — thus establishing the fa«t of actual physical proof that John Wilkes Booth was living in 1872, when I met him under the name of John St. Helen, as also when he had his picture taken and left with me in the late winter er early spring of 1878, twelve years after the assassination of President Lincoln.
It is well in this connection to call attention to other physical proofs of the identification of John Wilkes Booth by referring to the deformed right thumb, just where it joined the hand, and the mis- matched brows, his right brow being arched and unlike the left. The deformity of the right
PREFACE.
thumb was caused by its having been crushed in the cogs of the machinery used for the hoisting of a stage curtain. The arched brow was caused by Booth being accidentally cut by McCullum with a saBre while they were at practice as the characters of Richard and Richmond, the point of McCullum 's sword cutting a gash through the right brow, which had to be stitched up, and in healing became arched. And especially attention is called to the identity of these marks in his pictures, more particularly the one at the age of 64, taken of him while he was dead and lying in the morgue. During life Booth carried a small cane between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand to conceal that defect; observe this cane in his hand, in the picture of him at the age of 27. These physical marks on Booth's body settle without argument his identity. However, in all instances of investigation I have sought the highest sources of information and give the conclusive facts supported by physical monument and authentic record.
Wherefore, it is by this authority I state the veri- fied truth with impartiality for the betterment of history, to the enlightment of the present and future generations of mankind, respecting the assassination of one of America's most universally beloved Presi- dents and the fate of his assassin.
FINIS L. BATES.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PACK
Chapter I. Lincoln-Booth 1
Chapter II. John St. Helen 5
Chapter III. John St. Helen Lectures Roland Read 18
Chapter IV. St. Helen's Illness 27
Chapter V. St. Helen's Identity Revealed 33
Chapter VI. The Assassination 40
Chapter VII. The Man Killed at the Garrett Home 60
Chapter VIII. The Separation 83
Chapter IX. The Pursuit of Booth 92
Chapter X. The East Potomac Bridge 121
Chapter XL The Hand of Secretary Stanton 132
Chapter XII. Gen. Dana Identifies Booth 168
Chapter XIII. A Baltimorean Still 191
Chapter XIV. Informing the War Department that Booth
Lives 205
Chapter XV. Gen. Albert Pike Identified Booth 222
Chapter XVI. Press Comments on the Suicide of David E.
George 243
Chapter XVII. These are Pictures of John Wilkes Booth. .274 Chapter XVIII. Reading the Palm of John Wilkes Booth.. 292 Chapter XIX. Joseph Jefferson Identifies John Wilkes
Booth 299
Chapter XX. Junius Brutus Booth Identifies His Uncle,
John Wilkes Booth . ..304
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
PAGE
F. L. Bates Frontispiece
John Wilkes Booth (age 27) 0-1
Abraham Lincoln 0-1
Booth's Bed Confession 32-33
Complete Confession to Mr. Bates 32-33
Andrew Johnson 42-43
Jefferson Davis 42-43
Ford's Theater 46-47
Fleeing on Horseback 46-47
Dr. Stewart's Summer Home 56-57
The Home of Mr. Jones 56-57
Booth Disguised as Teamster 56-57
Booth and his Horse Tired Out 56-57
Gen. D. D. Dana 92-93
The Surratt Tavern 92-93
Gen. C. C. Augur 120-121
Mrs. Surratt 120-121
David E. Herold 162-163
Bryantown 162-163
Gen. Lew Wallace 172-173
Edwin Booth. 172-173
Home of Dr. Mudd 188-189
Riding Boot of Booth 188-189
Clara Morris, Actress 196-197
Joseph Jefferson, the Actor 196-197
John Wilkes Booth (age 38) 202-203
Junius Brutus Booth, the First 202-203
Gen. Albert Pike 222-223
Booth as a House-painter 222-223
John Wilkes Booth (age 64) 276-277
The Mummified Hand of John Wilkes Booth 276-277
JOHN WILKES BOOTH.
Aged 27, Taken Just Before the Assassination of Lincoln, and Cane Which Was Carried to Conceal Deformed Thumb.
PRESIDENT ABRAHAM LINCOLN.
Holding the Proclamation of Emancipation, and the Log Cabin Near Salem, Kentucky, Where HP Was Born.
AND
JOHN WILKES BOOTH, THE ACTOR.
THE ASSASSINATION' OF PRESIDENT LINCOLN BY JOHN WILKES BOOTH.
CHAPTER I.
LINCOLN— BOOTH
President Abraham Lincoln was born near Salem, Kentucky, United States of America, in a log cabin, on the 12th day of February, 1809, of humble par- entage, and was president of the Northern Federal States of America, after the secession of the South- ern States, beginning March 4th, 1861, whereby was brought about a temporary dissolution of the Union of the United States of America, when the political issues of the rights of States to withdraw and secede from the Union of States and the constitutional right
LINCOLN— BOOTH.
slavery of the black race, as had been promulgated since, before and beginning with the independence of, and federation of the American Colonies ; after- ward transformed into sovereign State governments.
"When, for the settlement of these issues appeal was had to the bloody arbitrament of battle, in the Civil War fought between the Federal States on the one side, with Abraham Lincoln as President and commander-in-chief of the Federal Army and Navy, with his site of government at Washington, D. C., and Jefferson Davis, President of the Southern seceded States, called the Confederate States of America, and commander-in-ehief of the Army and Navy of the Southern Confederate States, with his site of government at the city of Richmond, and capital of the State of Virginia, situated approxi- mately one hundred miles to the south from Wash- ington City.
Mr. Lincoln was inaugurated President of the Federal States, at Washington, D. C., March 4th, 1861, and remained President until he received his mortal wound at the hands of his assassin, John Wilkes Booth, while seated with a party of friends in a private box attending Ford's Theater, in Wash- ington, D. C., on the evening of the 14th day of April, 1865, and died from his wound on the early morning of April the 15th, 1865.
LINCOLN— BOOTH.
Mr. Lincoln was a lawyer pre-eminent in his pro- fession, and had never associated himself with any church organization, and, in fact, was a deist, as also a firm believer in dreams, and to him they were presentiments forecasting coming events.
John Wilkes Booth was born near the city of Bal- timore, on a farm, in the State of Maryland, in the year 1838, and was at the time of the assassination of President Lincoln about 27 years of age, and famous as an actor. He came from a family distin- guished as actors and politicians in England as early as the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, being descended from Burton Booth, the most popular actor with the English royalty known to history, and pronounced of all actors the greatest Macbeth the world has ever produced.
Henry Booth, Earl of Warrington, was his great- great-uncle, and John Wilkes, the Democratic re- former, in that he caused the extension of the fran- chise or right of ballot, to the common people of England, and who was at one time Lord Mayor of London, was his great-great-grandfather on his great- grandmother's side. While John Wilkes of England was distinguished for his great mental ability, he was equally distinguished for being the ugliest man in all England, while his wife was the most beau- tiful woman England had produced to her day.
LINCOLN— BOOTH.
John Wilkes Booth gets his name of John Wilkes from his great-great-grandfather, and his strikingly handsome personality from his great-great-grand- mother. Thus it is said that John Wilkes Booth is given to the world from an ancestry known to England in their day as the Beauty and Beast.
John Wilkes Booth was a partisan in his sympa- thies for the success of the Southern Confederate States in the Civil War, bold and outspoken in his friendship for the South and his well wishes for the triumph of the Southern cause. In politics a Demo- crat, and by religion a Catholic, and a son of Junius Brutus Booth, the first, who was known to all men of his day as the master of the art of dramatic act- ing, being himself descended from the Booth fam- ily of actors in England, pre-eminently great as tragedians since the beginning of the sixteenth cen- tury.
CHAPTER II.
JOHN ST. HELEN
I have long hesitated to give to the world the true story of the plot first to kidnap and finally assassi- nate President Lincoln by John Wilkes Booth and others, as related to me in 1872, and at other times thereafter, by one then known to me as John St. Helen, but in truth and in fact, as afterward devel- oped, John Wilkes Booth himself, in person telling this story more than seven years after the assassina- tion of President Lincoln, and the supposed killing of Booth at the Garret home, in Virginia. Far re- moved from the scene of his crime, he told me the tale of his dastardly deed at Grandberry, Hood county, Texas, a then comparative frontier town of the great Western empire of these American States.
This story I could not accept as a fact without investigation, believing, as the world believed, that John Wilkes Booth had been killed at the Garret home in Virginia on or about the 26th day of April, 1865, by one Boston Corbett, connected with the Federal troops in pursuit of him, after he (Booth) had been passed through the Federal military lines
JOHN ST. HELEN.
which formed a complete cordon surrounding the City of Washington, D. C., on the night of and after the assassination of President Lincoln. But after many years of painstaking and exhaustive investiga- tion, I am now unwillingly, and yet unanswerably, convinced that it is a fact that Booth was not killed, but made good his escape by the assistance of some of the officers of the Federal Army and government of the United States, located at Washington — trait- ors to President Lincoln, in whose keeping was his life — co-operating with Capt. Jett and Lieuts. Rug- gles and Bainbridge, of the Confederate troops, be- longing to the command of Col. J. S. Mosby, en- camped at Bowling Green, Virginia. And the correct- ness of these statements, as well as to my convictions, the readers of this story must witness for or against the conclusion reached, for it is to the American people that I appeal that they shall hear the unal- terable facts to the end that they may bear testimony with me to the civilized world that the death of America's martyred President, Lincoln, was not avenged, as we have been persuaded to believe, and that it remained the pleasure of the assassin to take his own life as how and when it best pleased him, conscious of his great individual crime and the nation's loss by the death of President Lincoln, the commission of which crime takes rank among the
JOHN ST. HELEN.
epochs of time equaled only by- the crucifixion of Christ and the assassination of Caesar; in the con- templation of which the physical man chills with in- dignant emotions and the cold blood coursing his viens makes numb the fingers recording the crime that laid President Lincoln in the silent halls of death and made Tad fatherless. But the truth will be told, if needs be, with tremors and palsied hands, in the triumph of right and the exposure of the guilty ones whose crimes blacken history's page and to associate their names through all coming cen- turies with Brutus, Marc Antony and Judas Iscariot, if they are to be condemned in the story that is to be told.
In the spring of 1872 I was entering the threshold of manhood, a lawyer yet in my teens, in the active practice of my profession, having settled at Grand- berry, the county site of Hood county, in the State of Texas, near the foothills of the Bosque moun- tains. Among my first elients in this locality was a man who had been indicted by the grand jury of the Federal Court, sitting at Tyler, Smith county, Texas, for selling tobacco and whiskey at Glenrose Mills, situated in Hood county, twenty miles to the south- west of Grandberry, who had failed first to obtain a license, as required by the Federal statutes, as a privilege for carrying on such business. The penalty
JOHN ST. HELEN.
for the violation of this law being punishable as a misdemeanor by a fine and imprisonment, or either fine or imprisonment, at the discretion of the court. Hood county at this time was well out on the fron- tier of the State, and the country to within a few miles of Grandberry was frequently raided by the savage Comanche Indians.
Glenrose Mills was located immediately on the Bosque river, which flows at the base of the Bosque mountains, while at this point on the river was lo- cated a mill run by water power from the falls of the river, and on the bank of the river were located two or three small log houses, together with the old mill house constituting the buildings of the place called Glenrose Mills. One of these log houses was used as a storehouse by the man known to me as John St. Helen, which place, or house, however, for a year or so prior to St. Helen's occupancy had been occupied as a store by a merchant doing a gen- eral mercantile business, in a small way, carrying with his line of goods tobacco and whiskey for the retail trade, as did St. Helen in this place, as his successor in business at Glenrose Mills. The former merchant having removed from Glenrose Mills to Grandberry, opened up his business in the latter place before and continued his business in Grand- berry after St. Helen had begun business at Glen-
JOHN ST. HELEN.
rose. St. Helen occupied this log house not only as a store, but the back part of the same as living apart- ments for himself and a negro man servant, or por- ter, he having no family or known relatives or inti- mate friends within the time he was doing business at this house in Glenrose. For some reason unknown to me and my client, the merchant at Grandberry and former merchant at Glenrose had been indicted for having done business at Glenrose — selling tobac- co and whiskey in the house occupied by St. Helen, in violation of the laws of the United States, as mentioned. This client had been arrested by the United States marshal and had given bond for his appearance at Tyler, Texas, to answer the United States government on a charge in two cases of sell- ing tobacco and whiskey without first obtaining a privilege license, as required by law.
On ascertaining this state of facts, I sought St. Helen, with whom I had at this time only a casual acquaintance, and learned from him that he (St. Helen) was as a matter of fact doing business at Glenrose Mills, in the house formerly occupied by my client, the then merchant of Grandberry, who had been doing business at this stand, selling, among other articles of merchandise, tobacco and whiskey, and that he had done so without a license, as re- quired by the government of the United States, and
JOHN ST. HELEN.
was so doing this business at the time, as alleged in the indictment against the Grandberry merchant, so that I insisted, as a means of protection to my client, that St. Helen should attend the Federal Court as a witness for the defendant, to testify to this state of facts, showing that the defendant merchant had been wrongfully indicted, confessedly so by St. Helen, who was at this time doing the very business ol which my client was charged, without first having a license (for which my client had been indicted), and for which he was to stand trial in a short time before the Federal Court at Tyler. While St. Helen admitted his guilt and the innocence of my client, he declined to attend the court in any capacity on behalf of my client, without at this time giving to me any satisfactory reason as to why he would not do so, and when he was informed with more earn- estness than was reasonably polite that any and all the known processes of the law of the Federal Court would be called into requisition to compel hia it- tendance on the court, as he had been requested to do, and if need be witnesses would go before the Federal grand jury to have him indicted for the offense with which my client was wrongfully charged. St. Helen asked time to consider the mat- ter, promising to act honorably in the affair, to the complete protection of the wronged man, conditioned
10
JOHN ST. HELEN.
that he (St. Helen) should be protected from indict- ment and from any other process which would carry him before the Federal Court. With this agree- ment we separated for the few intervening days requested by him.
At thu interview it was plainly to be seen that St. Helen was sorely troubled and seemed to think his final determination in the matter would be fraught with the greatest consequences to himself, much more, I thought, than was due to the appre- hension of a possible conviction for the charges al- leged against my client. But upon consideration of the matter I was led to the conclusion that his restless and uneasy manner was due to his long outdoor life on the plains, and that by force of habit he had acquired that restless and hunted, worried expression constantly on his face, while the flashes which came from his keen, penetrating black eyes spoke of desperation and capacity for crime. All this time his breath came hard, almost to a wheeze, superinduced by excitement, or what seemed to be a disease, possibly produced by exposure and bor- dering upon a bronchial or an asthmatic affliction of the throat and chest. Thus looking and breath- ing, with his body poised in easy, graceful attitude, as if so by nature born, in his leave-taking to me he raised his hand in slow and graceful manner, say- ing:
11
JOHN ST. HELEN.
"As I agree, I shall see you, and of my purpose and destiny speak — until then "
The words "until then," spoken with a soft voice and gentle tone, was a pleasant adieu, in fact, the entire sentence having been said, and I should say, dramatically acted in eloquence by word, motion of the body, jesticulation of the hand and utterance of the voice, not before or since equalled by any other person in my presence or experience. These ex- pressions by word, voice and mannerism to me were food for thought, suggesting the inquiry whence came such a man? Who can this handsome man, this violent man, this soft-mannered man, this eloquent man, be? Unsuited to his vocation — the would-be merchant, in his log cabin store, and his life of seclusion in the wilds of the West. As in all things, came the day of final reckoning, and St. Helen walked into my office calling me to the pri- vate consultation room, turning and shutting the door, he said:
"I come redeeming my pledge, and have to say, first, that I desire to retain you as my attorney ; that you may represent me in all matters of legal business concerning my affairs, and ask that you fix your reasonable retainer fee."
This I did, and when satisfactorily arranged St. Helen resumed his statement by saying:
12
JOHN ST. HELEN.
"Now, that I have employed . you and paid your retainer fee, you, as my lawyer, will and must keep secret such matters as I shall confide in you touch- ing my legal interest and personal safety, and the prevention of my prosecution by the courts for the matters we are now considering or that might here- after arise in consequence of your present employ- ment, conditioned, of course, upon my making good to you the promises I have made."
To which I replied: "Yes. I understand." "Well, then," continued St. Helen. "I say to you, as my attorney, that my true name is not John St. Helen, as you know me and suppose me to be, and for this reason I cannot afford to go to Tyler before the Federal Court, in fear that my true identity be discovered, as the Federal courts are more or less presided over in the South and officered by persons heretofore, as well as now, connected with the Fed- eral Army and government, and the risk would be too great for me to take, and you will now under- stand why I have retained you as my counsel, and as such I ask that you take your client, indicted in the Federal Court at Tyler, and get him clear of this charge, of which he is certainly not guilty, using your best judgment in his behalf and for my protec- tion. For this service I will pay your fee and all costs incident to the trial and trip."
13
JOHN ST. HELEN.
Assenting to this, and accepting his suggestion as well as the employment by St. Helen, I set about fully planning the management of my client's case in the Federal Court with the purpose in view of a mutual protection of my client and John St. Helen. When after a few days of consultation and prepara- tion my client and I were ready for the three or four days' drive by private conveyance from Grandbeny to Tyler, St. Helen was notified and came promptly to my office the morning fixed for our leaving, and without further ceremony or discussion, handed me a large, long, red morocco pocketbook well filled with currency bills, saying that the amount it con- tained would be sufficient money for the trip, etc. The amount contained in this purse I never knew. Then, in complete readiness, my client and I, taking leave of our friends and thanking St. Helen, climbed into our buggy and were off for Tyler. After an uneventful trip we reached the hotel at Tyler on the afternoon of the third day out, to find the Fed- eral Court in session, and after a night's rest I sought an interview with Col. Jack Evans, the then United States district attorney for the Eastern dis- trict of Texas, including Tyler, in Smith county. At this pleasant, courteous consultation an agreement was reached by which the government was to waive the presence of the defendant in court, who was yet
14
JOHN ST. HELEN.
at the hotel, ignorant of what was transpiring, and on the following morning after the convening of court I entered pleas of guilty, as prearranged with Col. Evans, when the court, Judge Roberts presiding, fined the defendant the usual fine in such cases and taxed him with the costs, amounting, as I now re- member, to about sixty-five dollars in each case. The fine and costs were promptly paid by me from the funds provided by St. Helen, for which receipts were taken as vouchers.
After the close and settling of these cases I re- turned to the hotel and informed my grateful and surprised client of the happy culmination of his long-dreaded trial in the Federal Court for a crime of which he was not guilty. The processes of this court struck terror into the heart of the average frontiersman when their charges constituted a crime against the laws of the United States government.
I accepted the many marks of appreciation by word and act manifested by my client, which for the .sake of personal allusion must be omitted. Suffice it to say, our purpose having been accomplished, our team was ordered, bills paid, as the beginning of the end of our stay in Tyler, and at the moment of our readiness re-entering our buggy, we were soon home- ward bound full of hope for the future, made buoy- ant by success. "While my thoughts and plans for
15
JOHN ST. HELEN.
all time were lined with rose-tinted clouds, the phantoms of vision, the treacherous shadows which light the pathway of all youth, but how too soon to be transformed to the black storm cloud of real life, flashing with the lightnings of despair, with low- muttering thunders, the signals of evils yet to come. But on we pushed, unmindful and careless of what the future should disclose, reaching Grandberry on the afternoon of the third day out from Tyler, when, with mutual good wishes and congratulations, my client and I separated to go to our homes, seeking the needed mental and physical rest from a trip the memory of which lives to mark an interesting event in my life and the foundation of a story in fact, the relation of which beggars fiction.
Then, just as twilight was being clasped into the folds of night by the stars of a cloudless sky, I sought seclusion while the world paused, lapped in the universal laws of rest, and entered dreamland on that bark of sleep, the sister ship of death, pil- lowed within the rainbow of hope, a fancy fed by the air castles of youth. Thus sleeping and thus waking the morning came, when I must needs take up the routine business of life again, and to learn much more of John St. Helen, who came into town. When he called at my office and I recounted to him the successful termination of the cases in the Federal
16
JOHN ST. BSLEN.
Court at Tyler, St. Helen became profuse in his com- pliments and congratulations, when his pocketbook, which had previously contained approximately three or four hundred dollars, with its contents, less ex- penses and costs of said suits, was handed him. He took from it the necessary amount to pay the re- mainder of my fee. This having been done, St. Helen and I separated with at least seeming friend- ship welded by the bonds of mutual triumph; so that thus ended, for the present, the beginning of my acquaintance with John St. Helen, of whom I but little for the several months following.
IT
CHAPTER III.
JOHN ST. HELEN LECTURES ROLAND REED
In the latter part of the June following my trip to Tyler, St. Helen came into my office and extended to me an invitation to attend, as the orator of the day, a barbecue to be given on the 4th of July at Glen- rose Mills. Having accepted this invitation, in com- pany with Gen. J. M. Taylor, made famous by his achievements in the Seminole Indian war in the State of Florida, and for many years an honored and useful citizen of the State of Texas, I attended this patriotic celebration. And I here make mention of Gen. J. M. Taylor as a tribute to his memory for the public services he has performed as well as his loyal friendship to me. And I in benedictions be- speak the repose of his soul in peace, long since left its tenement of clay.
Arriving at Glenrose on the forenoon of the day appointed, we were met by St. Helen, the master of ceremonies on this occasion, and taken to his private apartments in the log storehouse, which had been put in readiness for the royal reception accorded us.
18
JOHN ST. HELEN LECTURES ROLAND REED.
With his servants in waiting all were attentive, while St. Helen entertained us with a lavish hand in princely welcome in that manner peculiarly his own. When I turned to view the platform and plot of ground made ready for the day, and the people as they were gathering from beyond the Bosque river, I saw the ideal location for the barbecue, within the shade of the wide-spreading water oaks in the nar- row Bosque valley. And while thus taking in the situation, at the suggestion of Gen. Taylor, the Gen- eral, St. Helen and myself left for the grounds. Aa we stepped upon the platform I was greatly sur- prised at the stage presence and consummate ease of manner and reassuring appearance of St. Helen, who was easily the center of attraction, and the com- manding personality present. Gen. Taylor and I seated ourselves, while St. Helen remained standing. The people hurriedly gathered, giving us a hearty reception. Order being restored, St. Helen, posing gracefully, caused a hush of silence, and by a look of invitation called me to his side. Standing thus beside him to the front of the platform he, in hi* inimical manner, in his full, clear voice, with choice and eloquent language, introduced me as the first speaker, as he did subsequently introduce Gen. Taylor as the second speaker. On the close of the speeches made by Gen. Taylor and myself, St.
19
JOHN ST. HELEN LECTURES ROLAND REED.
Helen, in a short, eloquent and timely speech, com- pletely captivated the crowd, as well as ourselves, by his pre-eminent superiority over those with whom he came in contact during the day.
St. Helen's complete knowledge of elocution, ease and grace of person, together with his chaste and eloquent diction, seemed to be nature's gift rather than studied effort. It was but natural then that on the lips and in the minds of all present the inquiry should be, Who can this man St. Helen be? He be- ing, in fact, a stranger to those present, who only casually knew him in this gathering, and without kith or kin so far as any one present knew, made the people more anxious to learn the identity of the man; an orator of the highest class, while the men and women lingered at Glenrose in the presence of St. Helen until the dying day cast its shadows upon Bosque's lofty tops and darkness was weaving the mantle of night over valleys below. Then congratu- lations, thank yous, glad to have met you and good byes were said.
At this parting Gen. Taylor and I left for our homes after a delightful day fraught with interest and events long to be pleasantly remembered by all in attendance, and to me it marked the beginning of a better knowledge of the character of and a closer personal relation with John St. Helen, whose phy-
20
JOHN ST. HELEN LECTURES ROLAND REED.
sical beauty, so to speak, and mental attainments no man could fail to appreciate and no woman fail to admire.
St. Ifelen, the man who entertained you to mirth or to tears, as his own mood might inspire, while he himself stood unmoved by the emotions displayed around him — the man kind of disposition, careless of self, thoughtful of others, but living his own life in soliloquy, revelling in the thoughts of the master minds of the past. His selections and recitations were grandly and elegantly delivered, and despite your efforts your soul would be shaken and from the eyes tracing tears would steal like dew drops cast from a shaken reed. Painful? No. Un- pleasant ? No. But rather resembling a sorrow as a "mist resembles rain" — a sigh of hope, a tear of sympathy, or rather an exalted thought given ex- pression to by a tear, the index to the feeling of the soul. St. Helen himself said he could not weep, though grief he knew to its bitterest depth, and lived a life bent with the burden of crime. These and kindred utterances made to me in private, in hours spent alone with him, aroused in me an anxious desire to know in very fact who he was. He told me his true name was not St. Helen, and the ascertaining of more definite information as to his true name was made unusually difficult by reason
21
JOHN ST. HELEN LECTURES ROLAND REED.
of his sensitiveness to the mention of all subjects pertaining to himself, in the various conversations had between St. Helen and myself before he removed with his business from Glenrose Mills to Grandberry, sometime in October following the 4th of July barbe- cue mentioned.
St. Helen's business did not seem to be a matter of necessity with him, as he at all times appeared to have more money than was warranted by his stock in trade, and he apparently took little interest in it and trusted at all times the waiting on of cus- tomers to his negro or Mexican porter, while he was in fact a man of leisure, spending most of his time after his removal to Grandberry in my office, read- ing and entertaining me after business hours, and in our idle moments in many other ways, but his favorite occupation was reading Shakespeare's plays, or rather reciting them as he alone could do. And his special preference seemed to be that of Rich- ard III. and he began his recitations, as I now re- member him, by somewhat transposing the intro- ductory of Richard III., saying:
"I would I could laugh with those who laugh and weep with those who weep, wet my eyes with arti- ficial tears and frame my face to all occasions "
following with much of the recitation of Richard III., as well as others of Shakespeare's plays.
22
, JOHN ST. HELEN LECTURES ROLAND REED.
While these recitations from Shakespeare charmed the ear and pleased all listeners, his rendition of Tennyson's Locksley Hall, once heard at an even- ing's entertainment, left an impress that years could never efface.
On other occasions I came in for lessons in elocu- tion with full instructions and practical illustrations in minute details of when and how to enter upon the stage or public platform; St. Helen giving comical illustrations himself as to how the average statesmen come blundering on the platform, looking for a seat they could not find, finally falling into a chair ap- parently not of their choice but by accident, when they would cross their legs, stick the toes of their shoes inward while trying to hide their hands close down in their laps or behind their seats, or by clasp- ing them in front of themselves and resting them on their crossed and agitated limbs, nervously rolling one thumb over the other, finally collapsing and wiping the perspiration from their faces with undue, vigor and haste. All of which was impersonated by St. Helen in such a realistic manner that it was en- joyable to the extreme, as well as most profitable to me in after life. And as a result of this careful training I am now quick to observe the want of stage presence and lack of ease of manner in statesmen on the public platform or persons before the footlights.
23
JOHN ST. HELEN LECTURES ROLAND REED.
St. Helen was not a man of classical education, but rather a born rhetorician and elocutionist, a learning apparently confined to and obtained from theatrical plays as well as a literature pertaining to the stage, evidenced by the many theatrical periodi- cals or papers to be found in his room. This inti- macy with every detail of theatrical work was shown on the occasion of his criticism of Roland Reed, when St. Helen, Reed and I were alone together. Roland Reed in his boyhood was touring the country in his father's company, composed practically of Mr. and Mrs. Reed and their son, Roland, who was starring in light comedies by the impersonation of simple and frivolous characters, and they played two or three nights at Grandberry, which perform- ances St. Helen and I attended together, and on the morning after the third night's play St. Helen re- quested Reed and myself to take a walk with him to view the Brazos river, which was then flowing with torrents of water. During this stroll St. Helen began with great earnestness to discuss theatrical subjects with Roland Reed, which discussion went into all essential details of the highest class of act- ing. St. Helen's criticism became personal to Reed, pointing out to him that in the impersonation of certain of the characters rendered by him, especially the character of an old maid, in which, as I remem-
24
JOHN ST. HELEN LECTURES ROLAND REED.
her St. Helen's criticism of Reed, was of the greatest personal severity, and among other things he said that in the character of the old maid Reed's acting reminded him of a simpleton attempting to imper- sonate the character and eccentricities of an idiot, more appropriate to the playgrounds of the innocent and half-witted than to the intelligent public before the footlights, and suggested that the artist should create the impression on his audience that the actor by his superior intelligence was creating and por- traying the character of the foolish maiden, stamping the play with his individuality of character, and that acting the character in question without this was simply nonsense, which disgusted rather than pleased the intelligence of the ordinary attendant at the theater, etc.
Though this criticism was at times personal and severe, it was done with an earnestness that indi- cated that it was kindly given and was seemingly appreciated by Reed, for I am sure Reed profited by it in his after life, as witnessed by me in his im- provement in his subsequent presentation of this character, which brought to my mind afresh the lecture given him by St. Helen. Could Reed have known, as I afterward knew, that this lecture given him was by John Wilkes Booth, what a surprise it would have been, and what an impression it would
25
JOHN ST. HELEN LECTURES ROLAND REED.
have made upon his young mind, and I am sure Reed would have esteemed tho lecture a privilege. In fact, this lecture is LI consideration which but. few received at the hands of St. Helen — John Wilkec Booth.
After hearing this lecture and remembering what St. Helen had said to me, that his name was not in fact St. Helen, the former purpose of inquiry reas- serted itself to know who this man was. Not only was he an orator, as I had found him at Glenrose, but again was he assaying the role of critic of high class acting, showing a knowledge, to my mind, of a born genius of high cultivation, demonstrating St. Helen to be a master of the art of which he was speaking.
CHAPTER IV.
ST. HELEN'S ILLNESS
Idle hours in the life of a resident of a small country town hang heavily and we are wont to find entertainment. Under these conditions St. Helen was at all leisure times as welcome as he was con- genial, so that when he was not at my office I would spend my leisure time at his place of business. And now I recall to mind one occasion when I, in com- pany with a mutual friend, stepped into St. Helen's place of business. Just as we entered I noticed sev- eral cowboys, as they are called in Texas parlance, because they herd cattle, standing at the counter eating and drinking, being waited on by the colored porter. St. Helen meeting us, stopped, as we walk- ed in, standing at the entrance from the front and resting his right arm on the counter, when one of the boys turned, addressing him in a very familiar man- ner, saying:
"John, when you die the cowboys will build a monument to your memory.'*
St. Helen cast a look of indignation to the party addressing him, his flashing black eyes giving full
27
ST. HELEN'S ILLNESS.
expression to his contempt for the proffered distinc- tion of a monument by the cowboys. Then resting his thin, shapely right hand on the corner of the counter, standing in graceful poise, his head well poised, his beautiful black, curly hair flowing back from his high white forehead, holding his left hand well extended in gesticulation, said:
"Come not when I am dead To shed thy tears around my head. Let the winds weep and the plover cry, But thou, oh, fool man, go by."
It was not so much what St. Helen said, but the manner of saying and acting it, and the voice by which it was said, that moved man to emotion, as would his recitation of almost any sentence that had in it a trace of sentiment.
The simple lines quoted will find but little lodg- ment in the soul of the casual reader, but when repeated by St. Helen, who could so beautifully por- tray each sentence in all of its meaning, it left its impress upon the memory of all who heard.
Five years after our acquaintance the hand of Time, with points of pain, began writing in deep lines on St. Helen's face the shadows of disease, the sign board on the pathway from the cradle to the
28
ST. HELEN'S ILLNESS.
grave. Emaciated, sick and weak, he took to his bed, confined in the back room of his store, where I and others, with the aid of a physician, gave him such attentions as his condition required. But de- spite our best efforts he continued to grow worse from day to day and both friends and physicians lost hope of his recovery. When I, tired and worn by my watch and continued attention at his bedsido, sleeping and nursing in turn with others, was aroused about 10 o'clock one night and informed that I was wanted at the bedside of St. Helen, who was supposed to be in the last throes of death. On entering the room I found the physician holding St. Helen's wrist and counting his faint, infrequent pulse, which it seemed was beating his funeral dirge to the tomb. The doctor turned to me and said:
"St. Helen is dying and wishes to speak to you alone," and turning, withdrew from our presence.
I touched St. Helen, and after some effort aroused a faint response ; he opened his eyes, which gave ex- pression to that anxious and pleading look for help so often seen upon the face of a dying man when we are least powerful to assist. I requested to know of what service I could be to him. St. Helen, yet conscious, but so weak he could speak only in broken, whispered words, audible only by placing the ear close to his mouth, said:
29
ST. HELEN'S ILLNESS.
"I am dying. My name is John Wilkes Booth, and I am the assassin of President Lincoln. Get the picture of myself from under the pillow. I leave it with you for my future identification. Notify my brother Edwin Booth, of New York City."
He then closed his eyes in seeming rest. I reached forward and took from under the pillow a small pic- ture taken of St. Helen a short while before his sick- ness, while on a visit to Glenrose Mills, by a pho- tographer then tented at that place, as I was after- wards informed.
After getting the picture my attention was turned to giving St. Helen relief, if possible, not at the time thinking of his startling and important confession. I called the porter, and we began rubbing his entire body with strong brandy to give him vitality. He passed into a gentle sleep, and for a time we could not tell whether it would be the final sleep of death or a restful one, promising future consciousness and possible recovery. He lived through the night, much to our surprise and that of the doctor, who, after a careful examination of St. Helen's condition, was of the opinion that he was somewhat improved, but his condition continued extremely critical for sev- eral days, but the doctor finally announced that St. Helen's recovery was likely and in the course of a few days he was convalescent and by careful watch-
30
ST. HELEN'S ILLNESS.
ing he was brought to final recovery. But it was many weeks before his health was recovered. After which our relations became more intimate and con- fidential, for St. Helen was a man who cherished gratitude.
"We were alone one day in my office. I remarked to St. Helen that he had passed through a very severe spell of sickness and, in fact, we all thought he could not recover. To which he assented with a look of serious concern, and fixing his eyes on my face, asked:
"Do you remember anything I said to you when I was sick?" and waited with an anxious look for reply.
I said to him that I remembered many things which he had said to me.
When St. Helen said:
"Then you have my life in your keeping, but, thank God, as my attorney."
I replied: "Do you refer to what you said of your sweetheart and last love?"
St. Helen in reply said: "I have had a sweetheart, but no last love, and could not, in my wildest deliri- um have mentioned a subject so barren of concern
ST. HELEN'S ILLNESS.
to me. But your suggestion is a kind evasion of what I did say to you, which is of the greatest mo- ment to me, and when I get well and feel like talk- ing, and you like listening, I will tell you the story of my life and the history of the secrecy of my name."
"St. Helen, it will be interesting to me, at your convenience,*' I replied.
38
St. Helen Confessing the First Time to F. L. Bates That He Is John Wilkes Booth.
Booth, Making a Full Confession of the Killing of Lincoln — Accusing His Accomplices and Describing His Escape to the Author.
CHAPTED V.
ST. HELEN'S IDENTITY REVEALED
After I had returned from an absence of several weeks, on professional business, 'St. Helen came to my office and invited me to walk with him to the open prairie. We went out about half a mile from town and seated ourselves on some rocks which had been placed in this open space under a large live oak tree as a physical monument of a land line or corner, a common custom at that time of marking located land lines. Seated upon this mounment we- had an elevation comfortable and commanding the surrounding view. And St. Helen began his story by saying:
"I have told you that my name is not St. Helen, and, in fact, my name is John Wilkes Booth, a son of the late Junius Brutus Booth, Sr., the actor, and a brother of Junius Brutus Booth the second and Edwin Booth the actor."
At that time I think he mentioned a Dr. Booth as his brother, and two sisters whose names I cannot now recall from his statements at that time. That he was born on a farm in the State of Maryland, not far from Baltimore. That there was a young mar-
33
ST. HELEN'S IDENTITY REVEALED.
ried woman taken into the Booth family, or the the- atrical troupe of the elder Booth and known as Agnes Booth, an actress, but in fact she was not a Booth nor related to them, but was a Mrs. Agnes Perry, a Scandinavian lady, who was divorced from her husband and married some time in the sixties to Junius Brutus Booth the second. And St. Helen continued to relate many other family affairs, the publication of which would be to speak of the pri- vate concerns of the Booth family, which I deem un- necessary to make public. And while their relation in public would be no disparagement to the ances- try and relations of John Wilkes Booth, yet it-might be considered an abuse of confidence for me to do so.
St. Helen continuing, by reference to himself as Booth, said:
' ' I went on the stage at about the age of seventeen years, had succeeded and up to the beginning of the Civil War had accumulated about twenty thousand dollars in gold, which I had deposited in a bank (or banks) in Canada, owing to the uncertainty of monetary conditions in the United States at that time. I carried my money principally in checks of varying amounts to suit my convenience, issued by the banks carrying my accounts, which checks were readily cashable in the United States or for- eign countries."
34
ST. HELEN'S IDENTITY REVEALED.
He said that his sympathies during the war were with the Southern cause, that he had become so en- thusiastic in his loyalty to the South that he had to a great extent lost interest in matters of the stage and had given but little time and attention to his professional life or the study of the art of acting. That after the third year of the war, for many months prior to the 14th of April*, 1865, he had de- termined that he could best serve the South 's cause by kidnaping President Lincoln and delivering him over to the Confederate government at Richmond, Virginia, to be held as a hostage of war; that in preparation for the accomplishment of this purpose he had spent much of his time and money up to the death, as he called it, of President Lincoln.
At this point St. Helen grew passionate and full of sentiment, and after some hesitation, with much force of expression, said:
"I owe it to myself, most of all to my mother, possibly no less to my other relations and the good name of my family, as well as to the memory of Mrs. Surratt, who was hanged as a consequence of my crime, to make and leave behind me for history a full statement of this horrible affair. And I do desire, in fact, if it were possible, to make known to the world the purpose, as well as the motive, which actuated me in the commission of the crime against
35
ST. HELEN'S IDENTITY REVEALED.
the life of President Lincoln. First of all I want to say I had no personal feeling against President Lin- coln. I am not at heart an assassin. I am not a physical coward, or a mean man at heart, which the word assassin implies, but what I did was done on my part with purely patriotic motives, believing, as I did, and as I was persuaded at hat time, that the death of President Lincoln and the succession of Vice-President Johnson, a Southern man, to the presidency, was the then only hope for the protec- tion of the South from misrule and the confiscation of the landed estates of the individual citizens of the Southern Confederate States, who were loyal to the South by President Lincoln as the chief executive of the United States and commander-in-chief of the Army; the success of the Federal forces and the downfall of the Confederacy having been assured by the surrender of Gen. Lee at Appomattox, on the 9th day of April, 1865, only five days before the final decision to take the life of President Lincoln. And I pause here to pay a tribute to the memory of Mrs. Surratt, for while she was hanged for her supposed connection with the conspiracy against the life of President Lincoln, she was innocent, and knew noth- ing whatever of the plot against the person to kid- nap, or the final purpose to kill the President.
36
ST. HELEN'S IDENTITY REVEALED.
"It is true that I visited the home of Mrs. Surratt in Washington; it is true I stopped at the Surratt tavern, in Surrattville, not, however, because it was the property of Mrs. Surratt, or that Mrs. Surratt had anything to do with my being at the tavern, but because it was the best, and I believe, the only place for the traveling public to stop, in the village of Surrattville. It is true that I was at the Surratt home in Washington, but my mission there was to see for the first time, by letter of introduction, given me by a mutual friend, John H. Surratt, a son of Mrs. Surratt, who was at the time in the secret service of the Southern Confederacy as a spy, plying in his service between Richmond, Virginia, Washing, ton, D. C., New York City and Montreal, Canada, as well as other points, as I was then informed. And it was from John H. Surratt I desired to get informa- tion respecting what was then called the under- ground route, because of its hidden and isolated way, over which Surratt traveled through the Fed- eral lines en route from Richmond, Virginia, to Washington, D. C., with the purpose of perfecting my plans for the kidnaping of President Lincoln. This occurred covering a time I should say from the spring to the late summer of 1864. Prior to this time I did not personally know, in fact, not even by sight, John H. Surratt, and was informed that my
ST. HELEN'S IDENTITY REVEALED.
only chance to see him was to meet with him when he passed through Washington, D. C., when he would stop at his mother's home, at which place Mrs. Surratt was then keeping a boarding and lodging house. And this is the only purpose I had in going to Mrs. Surratt 's home. Mrs. Surratt was at this time old enough to have been my mother, and I had only that casual acquaintance which my mission to the Surratt home had given me, and had only met her at intervals, and then for but a few moments at a time, covering the period and coupled with the ercumstances which I have mentioned as happening in 1864. And as a matter of fact at the final meet- ing with John H. Surratt our interview was of such a nature that he had no further knowledge of or connection with any conspiracy to kidnap, or later in the spring of 1865, to take the life of the Presi- dent. This I say in justice to John H. Surratt, to the end also that Mrs. Surratt may live in the mem- ory of the civilized people of the world as an inno- cent woman and without knowledge, guilty or oth- erwise, of the crime for which she was executed and whose blood stains the ermine of the judges of the military court condemning her to die. And could I do or say more in vindication of her name it would be gratifying, and would I had possession of Ga- briel's horn and his mythical powers I would blow
ST. HELEN'S IDENTITY REVEALED.
one blast to wake the sleeping dead that this inno- cent woman might walk from the portals of the house of death."
To say that my breath was taken away almost by this narrative is but a faint expression of my feel- ings, while St. Helen was perfectly calm with that restful look which gives expression to a feeling of relief.
CHAPTER VI. THE ASSASSINATION
After a period of silence St. Helen began, with re- newed interest and energy, telling me of the plot to kill President Lincoln, saying:
"On the morning of the day I killed the Presi- dent the taking of the life of Mr. Lincoln had never entered my mind. My purpose had been, as I have stated, to kidnap President Lincoln for the purpose I have mentioned, and, in fact, one or more efforts to do so had fallen through, and we intended that the last effort should not fail. Preparatory to this end David E. Herold and I left Washington, D. C., by the way of Surrattville and along the under- ground route I have before described, for the pur- pose of perfecting plans for the kidnaping of the President. And after having passed over this line on horseback from Washington to near Richmond, Vir- ginia, we returned, after making the necessary prep- arations for crossing the Potomac and Rappahan- rock rivers, over the same route, stopping the night of the 13th day of April, 1865, at the old Surratt tavern, at Surrattville, located about twelve miles to the southeast of Washington City. On the morn- ing of the 14th day of April, 1865, we came into Washington and were stopped at the block house
40
THE ASSASSINATION.
of the Federal troops, at the bridge crossing the East Potomac river, by the Federal troops, on guard at this point. It appeared that some recent reports had been circulated that the life or safety of Presi- dent Lincoln was impending, and that an attempt had or would be made from some source to assas- sinate the President, while at this time any such pur- pose was unknown to me, and because of these re- ports we were informed by the guard that no one could pass in or out of Washington City without giving a full account of himself, because of the threats against the life of the President. Herold and I hesitated to give our names for awhile, and were arrested and detained at this block house from about 11 o'clock in the morning until in the after- noon about 2 o'clock, when for the first time we heard definitely of Lee's surrender at Appomattox. We then realized that this was a death blow to the Southern Confederate States, when we made satis- factory explanation and were permitted to enter the city and went straight to the Kirkwood Hotel, the place of rendezvous of the conspirators against Mr. Lincoln, and where Andrew Johnson boarded. All the conspirators against President Lincoln met here with Andrew Johnson conversant of the pur- pose to kidnap the President. On arriving at the hotel, about 3 o'clock, I called on Vice-President
41
THE ASSASSINATION.
Johnson, when we talked over the situation and the changed conditions because of the surrender of Gen. Lee, and the Confederate forces at Appomat- tox, which had made the purpose of the kidnaping of President Lincoln and his delivery to the Con- federate government at Richmond, to be held as a hostage of war, impossible, as the Confederate gov- ernment had abandoned Richmond and the war be- tween the States was considered practically over, which left, to my mind, nothing that we could do but accept defeat and leave the South, whom we had made our best efforts to serve, to her own fate, bit- ter and disappointing as it was. When Vice-Presi- dent Johnson turned to me and said, in an excited voice and apparent anger:
" 'Will you falter at this supreme moment?'
"I could not understand his meaning, and stood silent, when with pale face, fixed eyes and quivering lips, Mr. Johnson asked of me : . " 'Are you too faint-hearted to kill him?'
"As God is my judge, this was the first suggestion of the dastardly deed of the taking of the life of President Lincoln, and came as a shock to me. While for the moment I waited and then said:
" 'To kill the President is certain death to me,' and I explained to Vice-President Johnson that I had just been arrested by the guard as I was com-
42
ANDREW JOHNSON.
Vice-President of the United States, and the Home Where He Was Born, Near Raleigh, N. C.
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
President of the Confederate States of America During the Late Civil War.
THE ASSASSINATION.
ing into the city over the East Potomac bridge that morning, and that it would be absolutely impos- sible for me to escape through the military line, should I do as he suggested, as this line of protec- tion completely surrounded the city. Replying to this Mr. Johnson said:
" 'Gen. and Mrs. U. S. Grant are in the city, the guests of President Lincoln and family, and from the evening papers I have learned that President Lincoln and wife will entertain Gen. and Mrs. Grant at a box party to be given in their honor by the President and Mrs. Lincoln at Ford's Theater this evening. '
"At my suggestion Vice-President Johnson as- sured me that he would so arrange and see to it himself, that Gen. and Mrs. Grant would not attend the theater that evening with the President and his family, and would also arrange for my certain es- cape. I replied:
" 'Under these conditions and assurances I will dare strike the blow for the helpless, vanquished Southland, whose people I love.'
"Mr. Johnson left the room and after a little more than an hour returned, saying that it had been arranged as he had promised, and that Gen. Grant had been, or would be suddenly called from the city, and that, therefore, he and his wife could not attend
43
THE ASSASSINATION.
the theater that evening with the President and Mrs. Lincoln, as had been prearranged, and that such persons as would attend and occupy the box at the theater with the President and wife would not interfere with me in my purpose and effort to kill the President, and this he thought an opportune time, and that I would be permitted to escape by the route over which I had entered the city during the forenoon of that day. That is, that I was to go out over the East Potomac river bridge, that the guards would be called in from this point by order of Gen. C. C. Augur that afternoon or evening, but if there should be guards on the bridge, I was to use the password *T. B.' or 'T. B. Road,' by explanation, if need be, which would be understood by the guards, and I would be permitted to pass and protected by himself (Mr. Johnson) absolutely in my escape, and that on the death of President Lincoln, he (Vice-President Johnson) would become president of the United States, and that in this offi- cial capacity I could depend on him for protection and absolute pardon, if need be, for the crime of killing President Lincoln, which he had suggested to me and I had agreed to perform.
"Fired by the thoughts of patriotism, and hoping to serve the Southern cause, hopeless as it then was, as no other man could then do, I regarded it as an
44
THE ASSASSINATION.
opportunity for an heroic act for my country and not the exercise of a grudge or any feeling of malice toward the President, for I had none against him as an individual, but rather to slay the President that Andrew Johnson, a Southern man, a resident of the State of Tennessee, should be made President of the United States, to serve the interests of the South. And upon the further promise made me by Mr. John- son that he as President of the United States, would protect the people of the South from personal op- pression and the confiscation of their remaining landed estates, relying upon these promises, and be- lieving that by the killing of President Lincoln I could practically bring victory to the Southern peo- ple out of defeat for the South. Moved by this pur- pose and actuated by no other motives, assured by Mr. Johnson of my personal safety, I began the preparation for the bloody deed by going to Ford's Theater, and among other things, arranging the door leading into the box to be occupied by Mr. Lincoln, which had already been decorated for the occasion, so that I could raise the fastenings, enter the box and close the door behind me so that it could not be opened from the outside and returned to the Kirk- wood hotel. I then loaded afresh my derringer pis- tol so that she would not fail me of fire, and met Vice-President Johnson for the last time and in-
45
THE ASSASSINATION.
formed him of my readiness to carry out the prom- ise I had made him. About 8:30 that evening we left his room, walked to the bar in the hotel and drank strong brandy in a silent toast to the success of the bloody deed. We walked from the bar-room to the street together, when I offered my hand as the last token of good-bye and loyalty to our pur- pose, and I shall not forget to my dying day the clasp of his cold, clammy hand when he said :
" 'Make as sure of your aim as I have done in arranging for your escape. For in your complete success lies our only hope.'
"I replied, 'I will shoot him in the brain.'
" 'Then practically, from this time I am President of the United States,' replied Vice-President John- son, and he addeti, 'good-bye.'
"I returned to the theater. I saw the President and party later take their seats in the box. I moved my position to a convenient space, and at the time when the way was clear and the play was well before the footlights I entered the President's box, closed the door behind me and instantly placed my pistol so near it almost touched his head and fired the shot which killed President Lincoln and made Andrew Johnson President of the United States and myself an outcast, a wanderer, and gave me the name of an assassin. As I fired the same instant I leaped from
46
Booth Fleeing from Ford's Theatre After the Assassinatior
THE ASSASSINATION.
the box to the stage, my right spur entangled in something in the drapery on the box, which caused me to miss my aim or location on the stage and threw my shin bone against the edge of the stage, which fractured my right shin bone about six or eight inches above the ankle. (At this point St. Helen, exposing his shin, called attention to what seemed to be a niched or uneven surface on the shin bone. This I did not notice closely, but casually it appeared to have been a wound or fracture.)
"From the stage I reached my horse in safety, which by arrangement was being held by David E. Herold, back of the theater and close to the door of the back entrance. "With Herold 's assistance I mounted my horse and rode away with full speed without hindrance, and reached the bridge at the East Potomac river, crossing the same with my horse at full pace. When I came to the gate across the east end of the bridge there stood a Federal guard, who asked me a question easy to answer:
" 'Where are you going?'
"I replied, using the simple letters "T. B.' as I had been instructed, and the guard then asked :
" 'Where?'
"I then replied, 'T. B. Road,' as I had been in- structed by Mr. Johnson, and without further ques- tion the guard called for assistance to help raise
47
THE ASSASSINATION.
the gate quickly, when I at once again urged my horse to full speed and went on to Surrattville, where I waited for Herold to overtake me, as prearranged, whom I expected to follow closely behind. After waiting a few minutes Herold came up and we rode the remainder of the night until about 4 o'clock on the morning of the 15th of April, 1865, when we reached the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd, where Dr. Mudd, by cutting a slit in it, removed my riding boot from the injured right foot and leg and proceeded to dress it by bandaging it with strips of cloth and pieces of cigar boxes, and the riding boot was left at the home of Dr. Mudd, where we remained during the rest of the day, and at nightfall proceeded on our journey, my bootless right foot being covered only by the sock and the leg as bandaged and splinted by Dr. Mudd.
"From the home of Dr. Mudd I went to the home of a Southern sympathizer by the name of Cox, which we reached between 4 and 5 o'clock on the morning of the 16th day of April, 1865. Mr. Cox refused to admit us into his house, the news of the death of President Lincoln having preceded us, and he feared for this reason to take Herold and me in. But he called his overseer, or manager about the place, and instructed him to hide us in a pine thicket on or near the banks of the Potomac river, just back
48
THE ASSASSINATION.
of and near his plantation. This man, the overseer, was of medium size, approximately my weight, but not quite so tall, I should say, swarthy complexioned, black hair and eyes, with a short growth of whiskers over his face. I called him by that familiar cogno- men known to the Confederate soldiers, 'Johnny.' I have the impression, whether correct or not I can- not say, from having heard his name called by a Mr. Jones, a relative of Mr. Cox,' that it was Ruddy or Roby, but heard this only a few times. Of course, this may have been a given name, nickname or sir- name, I don't know how this was; I was not spe- cially interested in knowing his name and was with him but a short while, having negotiated with him to put us across the country and into the care and protection of the Confederate soldiers.
"Ruddy told me (if this be his name) that some of Col. Mosby's command of Confederate troops was then encamped not far south of the Rappahannock river at or near Bowling Green, Virginia, and agreed to convey and deliver us to these Confederate troops for a price, as I now best remember, about three hun- dred dollars. Ruddy, as we will call him, left us in our hiding place until he could go to Bowling Green, some thirty-five miles or more distant, with a view of arranging with some of these sol- diers to meet us at a fixed time and place — pro-
49
THE ASSASSINATION.
posedly on the Rappahannock river, which was then about the dividing line between the contending Fed- eral and Confederate armies.
"Ruddy left and did not return for several day,, from say the 16th or 17th to the 21st of April, 1865. Herold and I were cared for during his absence by Mr. Jones, the relative, I think, half brother of Mr. Cox. On Ruddy's return he reported that the desired arrangements had been made with Capt. Jett and others of Mosby's command, then stationed at Bowling Green, Virginia, south of the Rappahannock river, to meet us at the ferry on the Rappahannock river at Ports Conway and Royal, as early as 2 o'clock P. M. of April 22, 1865. So we immediately started for this point on the night of the 21st of April, crossed the Potomac river, reaching the south side of the Potomac river we then had about eigh- teen miles to go from the Potomac to the Rappahan- nock river to the point agreed upon. This distance was through an open country, and we were liable to be come upon at any moment by the Federal troops ; so to guard against this I arranged the plan of my flight, covering this distance from the Potomac to the Rappahannock to be the scene of an old negro moving. An old negro near the summer home of Dr. Stewart possessed of two impoverished horses and a dilapidated wagon was hired for the trip.
50
THE ASSASSINATION.
Straw was first placed in the bottom of the wagon bed. I got in on this straw and stretched out full length; then slats were placed over the first com- partment of the bed, giving me a space of about eighteen inches deep, which required me to remain lying on the straw during the entire trip. On the first compartment of the wagon bed was placed the second portion of the wagon body, commonly called sideboards, then was piled on this old chairs, beds, mattresses, quilts and such other paraphernalia as is ordinarily kept in a negro's home. A number of chickens were caught and put in a split basket, which was then made fast to the hind gate of the wagon, with old quilts, blankets, etc., thrown over the back end of the wagon, exposing the basket of chickens, and the wagon or team was driven by the old negro, the owner of the same, and contents, ex- cept myself. And now having this arrangement per- fect in all details, we at once, about 6 o'clock A.M., left on our perilous trip from the Potomac to the Rappahannock river with Ports Conway and Royal as our destination, covering the distance of about eighteen or twenty miles without incident or acci- dent on our march; Herold and Ruddy following along in the wake of the wagon, some distance be- hind, they told me, so as not to detract from the scene of the plot which was to be taken as one of an old negro moving.
61
THE ASSASSINATION.
"In my concealment, of course, I had to be very quiet. I could not talk to old Lewis, the old negro driver, and made myself as comfortable as I could be in my cramped position. In my side coat pocket I had a number of letters, together with my diary, and I think there was a picture of my sister, Mrs. Clark, all of which must have worked out of my pocket en route or came out as I was hurriedly taken from the wagon. Just as we drew up at the ferry old Lewis called out :
" 'Dar's dem soldiers now.'
"And at the same moment some one began tear- ing away the things from the back gate of the wagon, who proved to be Herold and Euddy, much to my relief, as they had begun unceremoniously to remove the back gate of the wagon, which necessari- ly excited me very much, as the driver did not say Confederate soldiers, and the 'soldiers' referred to flashed through my brain as being Federal soldiers. But before I can tell you the back of the wagon was taken away, I was pulled out by the heels by Har- old and Euddy, and at once hustled into the ferry boat and over the river, where our Confederate friends were waiting for us. They, in fact, being the 'soldiers' referred to by Lewis, the driver.
"In the hurry, as well as the method of taking me from the wagon, I think the letters, diary and
S2
THE ASSASSINATION,
picture of my sister, were lost from my pocket, as I was dragged out. About this I can't say, but I do know that after I had crossed the river and was feel- ing in my pocket to get the check, which I had on a Canadian bank, and with which I paid this man Rud- dy for his services he had rendered us, for an amount, as I now remember it, of about sixty pounds, I discovered I had lost these papers. I asked Ruddy to go back over the river and get them out of the wagon, if they were there, and bring them to me at the Garrett home, where the soldiers had arranged to take me until Herold and Ruddy should go to Bowling Green, Virginia, that afternoon, it being then about 2 o'clock.
"This man Ruddy stepped into an old batteau boat to go over to the wagon and get these papers after I handed him his check. We being too exposed to wait for his return, I hurriedly rode away with the two gentlemen to whom I had been introduced as Lieuts. Ruggles and Bainbridge, to the Garrott home, mounted on a horse belonging to the man to whom I had been introduced as Capt. Jett. These gentlemen, as I understood it, were connected with Mosby's command of Confederate soldiers. But be- fore separating at this ferry it had been understood between Herold, Ruddy and myself that they would go to Bowling Green, Virginia, that afternoon, in
S3
THE ASSASSINATION.
company with Capt. Jett, on foot, by a near way, for the purpose of getting me a shoe for my lame foot and such other things as Herold and I needed and that could not be obtained at Ports Conway and Royal, and they were to return and meet me the next day at the Garrett home, where Ruddy would deliver to me the papers mentioned, if recovered.
"The Garrett home, I should say, is about three miles north of the public road crossing the Rappa- hannock river at Ports Conway and Royal and lead- ing in a southerly direction to Bowling Green, Vir- ginia. From the ferry we went out the Bowling Green road a short distance westerly ; we then turned and rode north on a country or bridle road for a distance of about three miles and a half, when we reached the Garrett home, where Lieuts. Bainbridge and Ruggles left me, but were to keep watch in the distance over me until Ruddy and Herold returned, Xhich they were expected to do the following day, it being some twelve or fifteen miles walk for them. They were to remain there (at Bowling Green) over night of the day they left me and return the follow- ing day.
"About one or two o'clock in the afternoon of April the 23d, 1865, the second day of my stay at the Garrett home, I was out in the front yard, loung- ing on the meadow, when Lieuts. Bainbridge and
54
THE ASSASSINATION.
Ruggles came up hurriedly and notified me that a squad of Yankee troops had crossed the Rappahan- nock river in hot pursuit of me, and advised me to leave at once and go back into the woods north of the Garrett house, in a wooded ravine, which they pointed out, giving me a signal whistle by which I would know them, and hurriedly rode off, saying that they would return for me in about an hour at the place designated, and bring with them a horse for my escape.
"I left immediately, without letting anyone know that I had gone or the direction I had taken. I reached the woods at about the place which had been pointed out to me, as nearly as one could trav- eling in a strange wooded section with the impedi- ment of a lame leg. At about the time fixed I was delighted to hear the signal, and answered, to the best of my recollection, about three or four o'clock P. M. My friends came up with an extra horse, which I mounted, and we rode away in a westerly direction, riding the remainder of the afternoon and the following night until about twelve o'clock, when we camped together in the woods, or rather dis- mounted to rest ourselves and horses until daylight. "We talked over the situation, they giving me direc- tions by which I should travel. When we at last sep- arated in a country road, they said about twenty or
55
THE ASSASSINATION.
twenty-five miles to the west of the Garrett home or Ports Royal and Conway; I, of course, thanked them and offered them pay for the services they had rendered me and the price of the horse they had turned over to me, all of which they refused to ac- cept, and bade me goodbye, with the warning that I should keep my course well to the westward for that day's ride, and then, after this day's ride, con- tinue my journey to the southwest.
"As advised by them, I rode on westerly through all the country roads as I came to them leading in that direction until about ten o'clock A.M. of the second day out from the Garrett home, when, ow- ing to the fatigue of myself and horse, and suffering from my wounded leg, I found it necessary to rest and stopped at a small farm house on the country road, where there seemed to live only three elderly ladies, who, at my request, took me in as a wounded Confederate soldier, fed my horse and gave me breakfast, and as I now best remember, I compen- sated them, paying them one dollar in small silver coin.
"After a few hours' rest for myself and horse, I pushed on toward the west the remainder of the day and the forepart of the night, as best I could, but early in the night I rode into the thick brush located in a small creek bottom some distance from
56
Booth, Disguised as a Confederate Soldier in His Plight, Applies for Shelter anrl Hospitality for His Tired Horse and Himsolf.
THE ASSASSINATION.
the road and remained there all night. The next morning I obtained breakfast for myself and feed for my horse from an elderly gentleman and lady at a little country home at an early hour without fur- ther incident and interest, save and except the enjoy- ment of the meal, when I turned my course to the southwest, as I had been directed, and followed this direction day after day, impersonating the character of a Confederate soldier. Continuing on down through West Virginia, I crossed the Big Sandy river at Warfield, in Eastern Kentucky, and after travel- ing from Warfield for about two days, and covering a distance of fifty or sixey miles in a southwesterly direction from Warfield, I, as well as my horse, was about worn out, and I was therefore compelled to rest for about a week, claiming to be a wounded Confederate soldier. The parties with whom I stopped was a widow lady and her young son, whose name I can not now remember. But after receiving their kind attentions and needed rest, I resumed my journey with the purpose of traveling to the south until I could reach the Mississippi river at a safe point for crossing it, and find my way into the Indian Territory as the best possible hiding place, in my opinion.
"I finally reached without incident worthy of mention the Mississippi river and crossed the same
57
THE ASSASSINATION.
at what was called Catfish Point, in the State of Mississippi. This point is a short distance south of where the Arkansas river empties into the Mis- sissippi river. I followed the south and west bank of the Arkansas river until I reached the Indian Ter- ritory, where I remained at different places, hid- ing among the Indians for a&out eighteen months, when I left the Indian Territory and went to Ne- braska and was at Nebraska City employed by a white man to drive a team connected with a wagon train going from Nebraska City, Nebraska, to Salt Lake City, Utah. This man was hauling provisions for the United States government to the Federal troops encamped at Salt Lake City. But I left this wagon train while en route, just before we got to Salt Lake City, and proceeded to San Francisco, California, to meet my mother and my brother, Junius Brutus Booth. After meeting my mother and brother and remaining a while there, I left and went into Mexico. From there I went up through Texas, finally stopping at Glenrose Mills and Grand- berry, Texas, where we are now.
"Of course, I could add many matters of interest to what I have said to you, but I have told you quite sufficient for the present," saying which he gave me a look of inquiry as much as to say, "Well, what
do you thing of me now?"
t.
58
THE ASSASSINATION.
I broke my long, intense and interested silence by saying, as I rose from my seat and looked at my watch :
"It is now about our lunch hour; suppose we re- turn to town," to which St. Helen assented.
CHAPTER VII.
THEIMAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME
As we were returning to town I continued the sub- ject of our conversation by saying to St. Helen that I had little knowledge of the history of the matters about which he had spoken so in detail, but as of gen- eral information knew that John Wilkes Booth had assassinated President Lincoln, though had no accur- ate knowledge of the facts as detailed by him of the President's assassination, such as would enable me to reach the conclusion, as to the correctness or incor- rectness of his statement, for I having been a small boy at the close of the Civil War had not had the opportunity to know much of the history of the war, and less of the facts touching the tragic death of President Lincoln, and therefore was left alone to judge of the truth of what he said by the impressions and convictions that his mere relation of it created on my mind. The truth being that I did not believe his story and sought the first opportunity to close an interview as abhorrent as it was disbelievable by
60
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
me. And out of charity I had begun to regard St. Helen as an insane man, bordering in fact upon vio- lent madness, but I said to him :
"I have learned to know and like you as John St. Helen, but I would not know how to regard you and associate with you as John Wilkes Booth, the assassin, and to be kind and generous to you as my friend, I must say I do not believe your story. First because, I like St. Helen, and in the second place is it not true that John Wilkes Booth was killed soon after the as- sassination of President Lincoln, such as has been the general information heretofore practically unques- tioned? No, St. Helen, not against my will and in face of these facts can I believe you the assassin and criminal you claim to be. And giving you the benefit of the doubt of your sanity I must decline to accept your story as true. It is possible you may have known Booth and the secrets of his crime and escape, and it is possible that from your brooding over this subject your mind has become shaken and you imagine your- self Booth. To me you are my friend John St. Helen — not the wicked and arch-criminal, the assassin, John Wilkes Booth. It would take even more than your sane statement to make me believe that you are any other than John St. Helen. I can't believe that one of your humane instincts, possessed, as I think I know you to be, of all the attributes of gentle breeding and
61
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
culture, with the highest order of intellect and re- finement blended with beautiful sentiment, and possessed of a soul unalloyed with crime, can be John Wilkes Booth. Could a man seeming- ly possessed of such attributes, protected by a strong manhood, without physical or mental fear, without an apparent taint of the composition of cow- ardice, play the part of an assassin ? Booth may have been possessed of all the qualities that it takes to make up the assassin, but St. Helen? In my opinion, no, if I mistake not your character. You would have met the man you sought to slay to the forefront and bid him with equal chance defend the life you would take.
"Then, too, did not the government of the United States announce to the American people, and as for that matter, to the civilized world, that Booth was killed and the death of President Lincoln avenged? Then do you say it is a fact that Booth was not killed at the Garrett barn in Virginia ? It is a physical fact that some man was killed at the Garrett home. If not Booth who was this mant"
St. Helen replied by saying, "As you have heard that a man was killed at the Garrett barn, and without positive or direct proof as to who this man was, yet from the circumstances I would say that it was Ruddy, the man with whom I had negotiated for my personal
62
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
deliverance, together with that of my accomplice, David E. Herold, to the Confederate soldiers. You will remember I paid this man with a check made payable to my order by a Canadian bank, and if he did, as I requested, which he promised to do and left me to do, he got my letters, pictures, etcetera, out of the wagon, as I have explained to you, as he was to bring them to me at the Garrett home on the day or night following the day that I left the Garrett home, as I have also explained to you.* I take it, without personal knowledge of the facts, that Ruddy and Her- old came to the Garrett home, as prearranged and promised when we separated at the ferry on the Rap- pahannock river, so that the Federal troops, by some means, traced me to the Garrett home, where they found Herold and Ruddy, killing Ruddy and captur- ing Herold. They found on the body of Ruddy the cheek for sixty pounds, together with my letters, and I think a picture, and by reason of finding these belongings of mine on the body of Ruddy, I presume they identified it as the body of myself. But this misleading incident, for I take it to be true that these documents unexplained found upon the body of any- one, and surely by those who did not know me, would reasonably and rightfully justify the conclusion that they had the body of John Wilkes Booth, but they were in fact mistaken. And I do not for one moment
63
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
doubt the sincerity of the individual members of the government 01 officers and men who captured Herold and killed, as I suppose, Buddy, in believing that they had killed me, and it was certainly a reasonable and justifiable mistake if they had no other means of identifying me than the check and documents found on the man or body of the man whom we have called Ruddy. But in this connection I desire to say, so that my conscience shall be clear and confession complete, that I have no cause to complain of the treatment that I have received at the hands of the Federal soldiers or officers in pursuit of me before and after the killing of President Lincoln, for they were more than once in plain and broad view of me. It is a little remarkable, don't you think, that it was possible for me to remain within the Federal lines for seven or more entire days and nights, within forty miles of Washington City, in a country entirely open and within the territory completely occupied by the Fed- eral troops, while I waited for Ruddy to go within the Confederate lines and arrange to have Confederate soldiers meet us at the Rappahannock river, as the safest and most certain means of my escape?"
"Then, it is your contention, St. Helen, that the circumstances of finding your letters, etc., on Ruddy's body was all the proof they had?"
64
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
' ' Certainly, they could have only had circumstantial proof — not having killed me. They could only reach the conclusion from the incident mentioned, and I am before you now as a physical monument to .the fact that I was not killed."
"Yes, but I, in my opinion, as well as a large majority of the American people, believe that the gov- ernment has in its possession absolute and positive proof of the killing and death of Booth. However this may be, I shall continue to know and associate with you only as John St. Helen, until I shall have more satisfactory proof of your identity," when so saying St. Helen and I separated and went our dif- ferent ways to a late luncheon. "While I as a fact had little or no confidence in the story told me by St. Helen and did not believe St. Helen to be Booth, still his manner, directness and detail of his statement left its impress on me and gave a justifiable cause for serious reflection.
The former pleasant relation between St. Helen and myself could not be continued with him as Booth, for we forget to recognize merit and friendship in one's character where there is much to be otherwise condemned. In fact we find our friendship paling to contempt and our admiration to scorn. The criminal becomes common place and unattractive, because he is unworthy, regardless of his physical attractiveness
65
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
or mental attainments. We recognize in him the villain. What we may call St. Helen's con- fession tended to clear up the mystery he had thrown around himself when he sought to avoid his appearance before the Federal court at Tyler, by saying his true name was not St. Helen, and I now think of his confession in the light of his hard fight and the payment of money to avoid being taken within the settled and civilized sections of the state of Texas, lest he should be identified to be another than John St. Helen. This was a suspicious circumstance, at least, that in fact St. Helen was Booth, or some other man than St. Helen, for as a fact if he was Booth it was possible and highly probable that he would have been identified by some of the court officials, especially by the United States District Attorney, Col. Jack Evans, who it is more than probable had seen John Wiikea Booth on the stage. Knowing the District Attorney as I did, as also from information of his frequent trips to Washington and Eastern cities during the days of Booth's triumphs before the footlights would show a well founded reason why St. Helen should not have taken the risk incident to a trip to Tyler, if in fact he was Booth. Then I would think he could have been equally as well John St. Helen, John Smith or John Brown, or any other man, who had committed some crime other than that
66
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GAKRETT HOME.
of the assassination of President Lincoln, for the commission of which he would have been equally as anxious to avoid detection under any other name or for any other crime, if such crime had any connection with the violation of the Federal law. In other words, he could as well have been a mail robber as the assas- sin of a President. So, that I could place but little importance in these statements and circumstances as a proof that St. Helen was hi fact John Wilkes Booth, but rather thought of his confession as an evidence of an identity not yet spoken of. So that the true identity of this mysterious St. Helen became more mystifying. Then I would think of what St. Helen had said when he thought he was making his dying declaration that he was John Wilkes Booth. And if this was not true why need he in the presence of impending death, as he thought, make the confession that he was Booth? Then, too, I would think this confession was without significance, as St. Helen seemed prompted by no purpose after he had been saved from the Federal court and from death, except to prove to me the fact of his true identity, for what interest could it have been to me or what could it avail Booth, his purpose having been accomplished? So reasoning from the standpoint of cause or motives the conclusions reached were first, that St. Helen was not Booth, because he disclosed his secret without an
67
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
apparent necessity, or from a business point of view, and not likely from a matter of sentiment Then I would think, is the man demented? And is he living without purpose or reason? Or is he conscience stricken and telling the truth for the relief that its confession brings to him? And thus can reason answer ?
Resting in this state of mind I waited an opportune time when St. Helen and myself were retired, effect- ually hidden from intrusion, and expressed to him my apprehension of his perfect sanity as well as of his true identity, and asked him to more fully explain why he had made this confession to me at a time when he supposed he was in his last illness that he was John Wilkes Booth. And that if as a matter of fact he was John Wilkes Booth, why he wanted me to know it. St. Helen, without hesitation but with slow and deliberate expression in substance said:
"I have spoken to you in good faith and in very truth, having in no way deceived or in any manner misled you, and had thought in the statements I have made you I had clearly shown my purpose. But hav- ing failed in this I realize my fault, possibly produced by my long habit of secretiveness of purpose, that my conversations may more or less partake of the long hidden mystery of my life, and in themselves appear mystifying and contradictory in a measure to the
68
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
legal mind. But you will remember that I gave yov. these reasons some time ago — that it was first a duty I owe myself and family name that the world might know the motives for my crime. Then, too, I reflect, that my crime is possibly without palliation, certainly has no justifying excuse in the eyes of the world. That in fact the greater part of my purpose in the con- fession I first made you was to secure my release from an attendance on the Federal court. Other than this selfish motive you can not easily understand, and now in the light of what I have said to you I must confess that I, in fact, think that I was moved by a desire of finding a confidant to whom at a chance risk of my life I could speak fully of my identity and unbur- dened the story of my crime to you, for God and the criminal himself only know the punishment it is for one not to be able to take his trouble to a friend and unfold his mind to the ear which will listen with pity, if not approval, and at least share with him the knowledge of his crime. To you, free from crime, it will doubtless occur that this could at most be but lit- tle consolation, but don 't forget that any consolation at all is better than none, and that the life of man at best is but a parasite on the life of others; his friends who give hope of the impossible to himself make life worth the living, and friendships kindled into faith become the beacon fires which illumine the
69
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARKETT HOME.
hours of our darkness beyond the sunlights of today, and through the shadowed valley to the great beyond where God rules and Justice obtains throughout the time of all eternity.
"After all, be it so. Having made known to you my true identity and the cause of my crime, although I know that you by your actions condemn me in fact, I would think less of you if you did not, for I myself confess, and would the power I had to condemn that which you condemn, conscious that the Arbiter of our being is pitiless in accusation, ever present in persecu- tion and tireless in punishment. Yes, I walk in the companionship of crime, sleep within the folds of sin and dream the dreams of the damned and awake to go forth by all men accused as well as self -condemned. Ah, aweary, aweary ! Shall I say that I would that I were dead? Yes, that I could on the wings of the wind, by a starless and moonless night, be gone in flight to the land of perpetual silence, where I could forget and be forgotten, and whisper to my weary soul, 'Peace, be still.' But for me, except in death, there is no rest, for God in the dispensation of His justice ordains that the criminal shall suffer the pangs of his own crime. "Why, then, should I hope? But hopeless I may turn when all nature is hushed and hear the voice of the supernatural saying:
70
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GAKRETT HOME.
" 'Look, Repent and Confess.' "When shines with- in the light of the star of Bethlehem I shall see ex- tended to me the outstretched arms of the Sainted Mother Mary, I look, repent and confess, and the fires of hope shall rekindle at the urn of my being, with the fagots of incense burning in holy light giv- ing off the perfume of frankincense and myrrh — a food for and a purification of the soul. And this alone can bring relief to my physical and spiritual being. And in my confession to you I appealed for the pity of man that I might live in common knowledge with some one man, the secret that I, John Wilkes Booth, did make my escape after the killing of President Lincoln, whose life to replace I would gladly give my own."
When I said to St. Helen, drop the curtain on the beautiful sentiments expressed and for awhile listen to me. The statements that you made with reference to Mrs. Surratt and her son John Surratt can readily be accepted as reasonable, but if you mean to say that Vice-President, Andrew Johnson, was the leading con- spirator and had formed a plan to kidnap and finally suggested the assassination of President Lincoln, it is startling to a point of disbelief, an insult to Ameri- can manhood! It traduces the character of a dead man, and is equalled only by the depravity and cowardice characterizing the act of the assassina-
71
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME,
tion of President Lincoln. Nol I can not yet with- out more proof believe the statement that you make to be a fact. What reason, I pray, could Andrew Johnson have in being a party to the assassination of President Lincoln under the circumstances, or even under other circumstances than such as you have stated?" St. Helen, replying in substance, said : ' ' I am not unmindful of what my statements imply and weigh the consequences as well as measure my words, when I say that in the light of after events, it was in fact Vice-President Johnson's only purpose in planning and causing the assassination of President Lincoln, to make himself President of the United States, but he then gave as his reason, among oth- ers, which I have before explained to you, that Pres- ident Lincoln, by the act of the emancipation of the slaves of the South, had violated the constitutional rights of property of the Southern people and rea- soned that if he would override the Constitution of the United States in this respect that Mr. Lincoln was a dangerous man to be President, for that he could with the same propriety and that he would in his (Mr. Johnson's) opinion continue his policy of the confiscation of the remaining properties of the people of the South. That he (Mr. Johnson) was a Southern man and a citizen resident of the South, and it was reasonable to expect, believe, and
72
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
in fact know, that he would do more for the South under the then existing conditions than President Lin- coln, who, Mr. Johnson contended, was the South 's greatest enemy, saying that he (Mr. Johnson) was present at a cabinet meeting prior to September 22nd, 1864, by invitation of President Lincoln, when the question of the emancipation of slavery was to be dis- cussed and that upon this occasion it was developed that five out of seven members of President Lincoln's cabinet, as follows, Wells, Smith, Seward, Blair and Bates, were opposed to the issuance and promulgation of the emancipation proclamation, and the argument made by those men in opposition was that such a proclamation by the chief executive, overriding the decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in the Dred Scott case, was an usurpation of the law and constitution of the United States. To this Presi- dent Lincoln replied: » " 'The legal objections raised in opposition to the promulgation of the Emancipation Proclamation free- ing the negro slaves of the United States is well founded and true, but I believe it would be a vital stroke against our sister states in rebellion, and believ- ing this as I do, as Commander-in-Chief of the Army and as President of the United States, I shall issue this proclamation as a war measure, believing it to be my official duty. Believing, as I do, that the free-
73
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
dom of the negroes is humane and meritorious and a blow to the enemy which it can not long withstand, and from my understanding of my official dual capac- ity as President of the United States as its Civil Officer and Commander-in-Chief of the Army from a military standpoint, I violate no law or official trust in doing what in my opinion is best and just in the suppression of the present rebellion.'
" 'This act of President Lincoln,' continued Mr. Johnson, 'Was earnest of his policy to be carried out toward the subjugated South.'
"This reasoning at the time seemed unselfish and logical, and I agreed with him that the supreme mo- ment for the displacement of President Lincoln had arrived. And if you will think for a moment of the conditions as they obtained at that time, in Washing- ton City, you will agree with me that it was impossible for me, a mere citizen, a civilian without influence, except through Yice-President Johnson, with either the civil or military powers at Washington, I being in no way connected with the Federal or Confederate armies and following my vocation as an actor, at my convenience and pleasure, that it was a physical im- possibility for me to have arranged my escape through the Federal lines, then completely surrounding Wash- ington, through which I had to go and did pass after the accomplishment of the death of President Lincoln,
74
THE MAN KTTJJcn AT THE GARRETT HOME.
for at this time, as it had been practically during the entire Civil War, Washington City was closely guarded by a cordon of soldiers thrown completely around it, making it impossible to pass in or out of the city without passing through this well-guarded line, and this only could be done by officially recog- nized permits, and even with these permits one could not pass into the city without giving a full account of himself.
"Now, do you think that I unaided could have arranged for my escape? Then, think, Gen. U. S. Grant and wife, as you know, were to attend the theatre with President and Mrs. Lincoln on that evening, and I could not have undertaken to go into the closed box so unequally matched as I would have been with both President Lincoln and Gen. Grant there. So, the absence of Gen. Grant was arranged. Could I do this ? History records the fact that Gen. Grant was suddenly called from the City of Washing- ton late in the afternon of the evening of the assas- sination of President Lincoln. You understand that Gen. and Mrs. Grant were the guests of the President and Mrs. Lincoln, receiving the congratulations of Mr. Lincoln as Commander-in-Chief of the Army, only five days after the surrender of Gen. Lee — accepting the hospitality of the President and Mrs. Lincoln, a compliment extended to Gen. Grant on account of his
75
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
great achievement in the defeat of Robert E. Lee and his army before Richmond, at Appomatox, and this entertainment at Ford 's theater was a part of the pro- gram for their entertainment, and was to mark the first public appearance together of President Lincoln and Gen. Grant as the greatest heroes of the Civil War connected with the Federal army. Whether Gen. Grant 's absence was a mere incident I can not say. I only know that Vice-President Johnson informed me only a few hours before the killing of President Lin- coln that Gen. Grant would not be in attendance with President Lincoln at the theatre. How he knew it, I do not know. But I do know that I would not have gone into the box and locked myself inside so unevenly matched as I would have been with Gen. Grant pres- ent, and had he been present President Lincoln would not have been killed by me on that evening. Knowing from the evening papers of the intended presence of Gen. Grant, one of my conditions for attempting the life of the President was that Gen. Grant should not be present, and it is a physical fact that he was not there. Take the further physical fact that I did kill the President, and that I did pass out of the lines, as directed by Mr. Johnson, without molestation at the same point where I had been arrested and detained on the morning of the same day I killed the President ; that I approached the same guarded spot with my
76
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
horse under whip and spur, at or about 10:30 o'clock at night, when upon giving the pass word T. B. or T. B. Road to the Federal soldiers then guarding the gate at the bridge, I was allowed to pass out. The guard at once called for the assistance of another guard standing close by, and the gate was hurriedly raised and without further question I rode through, put spur to my horse and was off again as fast as the animal could go.
"Likewise, Herold, my accomplice, was permitted to cross the bridge by the same guard, by the use of the same pass word, and came up with me at Surratt- ville. These physical facts stand as undeniable proof of my official aid and my escape! Taking these facts into consideration, who can say or doubt for one moment that I was assisted by one, or more, persons high in official circles, as well as in military life?"
"Then, St. Helen, do you mean to say that Gen. Grant was a party to or cognizant of the plot against the life of President Lincoln?"
"No, I do not. All I know is that I was informed by Vice-President Johnson that Gen. Grant was to be in the box with President Lincoln on that evening. I told him I could not undertake to carry out the plan against the life of the President, as I have stated, should Gen. Grant remain in the box, that is, should
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
he attend the theatre and occupy the box with Mr. Lincoln. Mr. Johnson left me late that afternoon to arrange for my escape and on his return, before giving me instructions for my escape, he said that Gen. Grant would not be present. How he knew this I can not say. All I can say is to repeat what I have said. All the world knows that Gen. and Mrs. Grant were not in the box. From these existing physical facts, with no accusation by innuendo, or otherwise, you must draw your own conclusions. My own fixed opinion upon this subject, however, I am free to express to you — and I confess that I do not believe that Gen. Grant knew of any arrangements being made to kill President Lincoln. I believe rather that he had been decoyed off by some means, unsuspected by him, and certainly not known to me, as were also other instances apparently connected with the assassination of the President. For instance, I knew nothing of any plan to take the life of Secretary Seward on the night of the assassination of President Lincoln, or at any other time, showing that it would appear to have been a conspiracy against both the President and certain members of the Cabinet."
"While your story may be true, St. Helen, and is apparently sustained by the facts which you state, considering your statements to be facts, and I have no information for a successful denial, if all you say is
78
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
true, it in no way identifies you as John Wilkes Booth. Your story could be as well told by any one else of your genius for some purpose hidden from me, so I must continue to know you as John St. Helen." St. Helen replied, ' ' Then allow me to say that your long and persistent reasoning that I am not John Wilkes Booth almost persuades me that I am in fact John St. Helen. Indeed, I am quite willing that you shall believe I am not John Wilkes Booth. However, I realize that you have one proof of my identity — my tintype picture. I ask that you will keep that picture, which may be the means of my complete identification to you some day, when you will better understand that my confidence in you has been prompted by selfish motives to a certain degree. While your continued mistrust and disbelief is comforting to me, in that I reflect that you, after all that I have told you, for the reasons that you have given, -are not willing to believe me the criminal that I am; or, if this disbelief arises from your thinking me incapable of the crime to which I plead guilty, it is surely grati- fying. But, if on the other hand, your mistrust arises from your opinion that I am unworthy of belief under any and all circumstances, my purposes are thwarted and my efforts of no avail. But remember always that I am grateful to you for what you have done for me, and the burden you share with me, un-
79
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME,
wittingly, whether it be with St. Helen or with Booth, and in the future as in the past, with your permission, we will be friends. Think of me as you will, my true name and identity you have. My correct personality you know, and whether we long associate together or soon separate, remember you are the one man — the only living man with whom I leave the true story of the tragedy which ended the life of President Lin- coln."
Closing with this statement, St. Helen left me in an uncertain frame of mind. The future standing as a barrier against coming events I was not prepared at that time to admit that St. Helen was Booth. I was unwilling to assume the responsibility of believing that St. Helen was Booth. Aside from my better judgment was my strong faith in the accuracy of the claims of my government that John Wilkes Booth, the assassin, had been killed, and I did not care to ac- quire the unpleasant notoriety and criticism of making the announcement that John Wilkes Booth in fact lived, unless the proof of such a fact was established irrefutably. So, I determined to drop the subject for all time to come — treating it as a myth unfounded in fact — a story that existed only in the mind of St. Helen, a comparatively demented man, a crank, who gloried in deceiving me to the idea. I preferred to accept the story of the event referred to as it is told
80
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT HOME.
by the government — the accepted facts of history rather than those of this man of mystery. And in our after association, lasting about ten months, we made no further reference to the subject, which was avoided by mutual consent.
Aside from this unpleasant side of St. Helen's character he was modest, unobtrusive and congenial, ever pleasant in association with ' me. He was a social favorite with all with whom he came in con- tact, yet, he was rather the social autocrat than the social democrat. Except for a select few he held all men to the strictest social etiquette, repelling all undue familiarity, refusing all overtures of social equality with even those of the better middle classes of men, but it was done in such a gentle and respect- ful way that no affront was taken — if such it could be called, it was more pleasant than otherwise, leav- ing the impression that he, St. Helen, would be de- lighted to be on the most intimate terms with the other, but, as there is nothing in common between us more than a respectful speaking relation, it is an impossibility. And thus he made friends while he drew the social lines and pressed home a con- sciousness of his own superiority as an entertainer.
The hours of our social life were pleasantly spent, not by riotous living but by amusing games of cards, recitations and readings by St. Helen, which were
81
THE MAN KILLED AT THE GARRETT
always a great treat, and which he himself seemed to enjoy, as did his friends.
St. Helen often admitted that in his younger days he sometimes drank to excess of strong whiskeys, wines, etc., as also decoctions of brandy and cordials, but during our associations I never knew of his tak- ing strong drink of any character, nor did he use tobacco in any form, and in the absence of these habits and tastes we were entirely congenial, as I myself had never cultivated appetites of this char- acter. We were also lovers of literature of the same class, as well as music and the ftne arts, and matters pertaining to the stage. We enjoyed the gossip of the stage, and the people of the stage came in for a large share of our attention, especially St. Helen's, who talked much of what he called the old and the new school of acting, with which I became con- versant, which greatly pleased St. Helen, who frequently made reference to me as his trained asso- ciate, while he would explain that men became congenial by constant association linked together by the common mother, kindred thoughts, the off- spring of blended characters.
82
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SEPARATION
St. Helen had grown tired of his class of busi- ness. In fact, he paid little attention to it, letting it drift with the tide of business affairs in the little town of Grandberry. Now his mind turned to thoughts of mining and the acquisition of wealth by the development of mining properties in Colorado. I was looking to other fields for my efforts and de- cided to leave Texas.
When the final hour of our separation came I returned to the States, as we Westerners termed the older States in the Union, and St. Helen left for Leadville, Colorado, in the spring of 1878, from which point I lost trace of him until some time in the year 1898. In the meantime I had located in the city of Memphis, Tennessee, and St. Helen and I were far apart — lost to each other and comparatively forgotten for a period of twenty years.
During this interval of time, my location being more convenient to books and the acquiring of in- formation, I investigated the subject of the assassi- nation of President Lincoln and its attendant cir-
83
THE SEPARATION.
cumstances in view of the statements made by St. Helen. He had connected Andrew Johnson with the plot to kidnap and assassinate President Lin- coln and investigation became interesting to learn, if possible, the relations, personal and otherwise, existing between President Lincoln and Viee-Presi- dent Andrew Johnson.
In this search I find that the oath of office as President of the United States was administered to Andrew Johnson by Chief Justice Chase in the lodg- ings of Andrew Johnson, at the Kirkwood Hotel, "Washington, D. C., and that besides members of the Cabinet a number of United States Senators were called in to witness the ceremony. At this hour but few of the citizens of Washington knew that President Lincoln was dead. The inaugura- tion occurred at 10 o'clock on the morning of April 15, 1865, President Lincoln having died at twenty- two minutes past 7 o'clock on the same morning.
At his informal inauguration President Johnson made a speech remarkable in that he made no men- tion of President Lincoln. I give this speech in part with the comments thereon by those present, who say:
"The effect produced upon the public by this speech, which might be regarded as an inaugural address, was not happy. Besides its evasive charac-
84
THE SEPAEATION.
ter respecting public policies, which every observant man noted, with apprehension, an unpleasant im- pression was created by its evasive character re- specting Mr. Lincoln. The entire absence of eulogy of the slain President was remarked. There was no mention of his name or of his character, or of his office, the only allusion in any way whatever to Mr. Lincoln was Mr. Johnson's declaration that he 'was almost overwhelmed by the announcement of the sad event which has so recently occurred.'
"While he found no time to praise one whose praises were on every tongue, he made ample ref- erence to himself and his own past history, and though speaking not more than five minutes, it was noticed that 'I' and 'my' and 'me' were used at least a score of times. A boundless egotism was inferred from the line of his remarks, 'My past public life, which has been long and laborious, has been founded, as I in good conscience believe, upon the great prin- ciple of right which lies at the base of all things. '
" 'I must be permitted to say, if I understand the feelings of my own heart, I have long labored to ameliorate and alleviate the conditions of the great mass of the American people.
" 'Toil and an honest advocacy of the great prin- ciples of free government have been my lot. The duties have been mine, the consequence God's.' '
85
THE SEPARATION.
r
Senator John P. Hale, of New Hampshire, who
was present on this occasion, said, with characteris- tic wit, that —
"Johnson seemed willing to share the glory of his achievements with his Creator, but utterly forgot that Mr. Lincoln had any share or credit in the sup- pression of the rebellion."
Three days later, April 18, a delegation of distin- guished citizens from Illinois called upon Mr. John- son under circumstances extraordinary and most touching. The dead President still lay in the White House, before the solemn and august procession should leave the national Capitol to bear his mortal remains to the State which had loved and honored him. The delegation called to assure his successor of their respect and confidence, and in reply to Gov. Oglesby, the spokesman of the Illinois delegation, Mr. Johnson responded respecting the dead, Presi- dent Lincoln, and with profound emotion of the tragical termination of Mr. Lincoln 's life. He said :
"The beloved of all hearts has been assassinated." He then paused thoughtfully and added: "And when we trace this crime to its cause, when we re- member the source from whence the assassin drew his inspiration, and then look at the result, we stand yet more astounded at this most barbarous, most dia- bolical act. Who can trace its cause through suc-
86
THE SEPARATION.
cessive steps back to that source which is the spring of all our woes? No one can say that if the perpe- trator of this fiendish deed be arrested he should not undergo the extremest penalty of the law known for crime. None can say that mercy should inter- pose. But is he alone guilty?"
I charge the reader in the light of the facts that have been written and the statement made by John St. Helen, that you compare this oration of Andrew Johnson over the body of Lincoln with that of Marc Antony over the dead body of Caesar.
The character and force of Mr. Johnson's words were anomalous and in many respects contradic- tory.
Mr. Elaine says of him in his "Twenty Years in Congress:" "Mr. Johnson by birth belonged to that large class of people in the South known as the 'poor white.' " (Mr. Elaine should have said "Poor white trash," a term applied to a disreputa- ble class of poor white people who would be equally unworthy and socially ostracised if rich. It was and is no disgrace in the South to be "poor," and no so- cial ostracism extended to the poor, if honorable.)
"Many wise men regarded it as a fortunate cir- cumstance that Mr. Lincoln's successor was from the South," says Mr. Elaine, "though a much larger number in the North found in this fact a source of
87
THE SEPARATION.
disquietude, saying that Mr. Johnson had the mis- fortune of not possessing any close or intimate knowledge of the people of the loyal States ; and it was found, moreover, that his relations with the ruling spirit of the South in the exciting period preceding the war specially unfitted him for harmo- nious co-operation with them in the pending exi- gencies. (Vol. II., page 3.)
"Mr. Johnson had been during his entire life a Democrat, and had attained complete control of the Democratic party in the State of Tennessee and had filled various official positions in the State, and finally that of Democratic United States Senator from the State of Tennessee." (Vol. II., page 4.)
I pass- the above quotations without further com- ment than to challenge the thought of the reader to their significance to the political relations of Andrew Johnson with the Democratic politics of the State of Tennessee. In this connection I have sought to learn something, if possible, of Mr. Lincoln's feel- ing toward Vice-President Johnson, but find only a few sentences in written history touching their re- lations, which are recorded by William H. Herndon and Jesse "W. Wierk, in their biography of the life of Lincoln, in Volume 2, at page 232, in which Mrs. Lincoln speaks as follows :
88
THE SEPARATION.
"My husband placed great confidence in my knowledge of human nature, and it was his inten- tion to remove Seward as soon as peace was made in the South. He greatly disliked Andrew Johnson. On one occasion we noticed him following us and it displeased Mr. Lincoln so much that he turned and asked in a loud voice, 'Why is this man,' meaning Andrew Johnson, 'forever following me?' "
Thus we have conduct suspicious in its nature of Andrew Johnson toward Mr. Lincoln. And the world vrill ask of all mankind the same question Mr. Lin- coln asked of his wife. And why was it that An- drew Johnson should have followed Mr. Lincoln? Does St. Helen's story explain Johnson's conduct — Johnson's motives?
In this connection it is interesting to know how Lincoln passed the last day of his life. Mrs. Lin- coln says:
"He spent the last day of his life, the 14th day of April, 1865, by taking an early breakfast and at- tending a Cabinet meeting at 11 o'clock, at which Gen. Grant was present. He spent the afternoon with Gov. Oglesby, Senator Jones and other friends from Illinois."
On the afternoon of this day, in conversation with Mr. Colfax, only a short time before they should go to the theater, Mr. Lincoln invited Mr. Colfax to
89
THE SEPARATION.
attend the theater with him, saying that he had se- cured a box at Ford's Theater for the purpose of en- tertaining Gen. Grant, but that Gen. Grant had just declined the invitation and had left the city, and that he (Lincoln) did not want the people entirely disappointed in their expectation of seeing both himself and Gen. Grant at the theater that evening, and would be glad to have Mr. Colfax accompany him, taking Gen. Grant's place. This Colfax de- clined.
It has always been an interesting question to me why, and how, under what conditions could Gen. Grant have been so successfully decoyed away from the City of Washington on so important an occa- sion, almost at the hour of attending this theater party in company with President Lincoln as the great Federal heroes of the civil war?
Gen. Grant, in explanation of the occurrence, says that late on the afternoon in question he received a note from his wife expressing some frivolous reasons as to why they should leave the city at once and visit their daughter, I believe, in Dubuque, Iowa. He says that on reaching Philadelphia he heard of the assassination of President Lincoln and returned at once by special train to Washington. These facts of history I likewise present to the public mind with- out comment. I trust, however, that I may be par-
90
THE SEPARATION.
doned for saying here that I esteem my personal ac- quaintance with Gen. Grant an honor and a privilege and I now place myself on record in vindication of any thought or charge against the honor or integ- rity of character of this great man, and make men- tion of this incident only that the world may know the facts, as told me, of the actions and conduct of those whose names were in any way linked or asso- ciated with this story.
91
CHAPTER IX. THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH
In the month of Uecember, 1897, by some agency unknown to me, I found a copy of the Sunday edi- tion of the Boston Globe, dated December 12, 1897, in the reception hall of my home. How this paper came to be in my home is unknown to me. I did not take it by subscription, nor have I or any mem- ber of my family ever, before or since, purchased a copy of the Boston Globe, nor has a copy of this paper at any other time been in my office or home. How this special paper came to my home is a com- plete mystery to myself and to every member of my household. My purpose is not to convey the idea that the presence of the Boston Globe was an intru- sion in my home, for the contrary is true, because it was appreciated and read with great interest, and I regard it as worth many times its price as an en- tertainer for any household. I take pardonable pride in the State of Massachusetts and its people, for this State has been the home of my ancestors and kinsmen since the year 1635.
92
GEN. D. D. DANA.
Under Orders of Gen. C. C. Augur, Connected With the Army at Washington. The Pursuer of John Wilkes Booth.
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
The point is, by what mysterious means did this Sunday edition of the Boston Globe, containing the first published statement of Gen. D. D. Dana, of Lubec, Maine, giving a full account of his knowl- edge respecting the assassination of President Lin- coln, and a detailed statement of his pursuit of John Wilkes Booth, twenty-three years after I had heard the story of John St. Helen, who claimed to be John "Wilkes Booth. To my surprise the story of Gen. Dana corroborated in its minutest detail the story St. Helen told to me in his confession recounting Booth 's escape from Washington, D. C., to the Garrett home, in Virginia.
David D. Dana, brother of Charles A. Dana, the founder, owner and publisher of the New York Sun, in December, 1897, lived in a small, one-story frame house in West Lubec, Maine. This being the ancestral home of his wife's people, where he set- tled some twenty years prior to December, 1897, at the time when the opening of lead mines in this sec- tion promised to make Lubec famous the world over, and after years of mining with indifferent success, Gen. Dana settled down to the quiet life of the farmer with his wife and many pets as companions, being eight miles from the nearest village. But he
93
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
was by no means a recluse, being well informed on all current events, and a constant reader of the news- papers and periodicals of the day.
Gen. Dana's story is given in full below: 1 'The Boston Sunday Globe, Dec. 12, 1897.
"HE ALMOST SAVED LINCOLN.
"David Dana, Brother of Chas. A. Dana, Tried to Prevent
the Assassination of the Martyr President — Now
a Dweller in Lubec, Maine — He Tells
of His Pursuit of Booth.
"Away down in a remote corner of New England, in the most easterly town in this broad country, dwells the man who alone had knowledge before- hand of the meditated assassination of Lincoln, and who tried by every means in his power to thwart the conspiracy, but all in vain.
"This man, David Dana, brother of the late Chas. A. Dana, is a most unique and interesting character, and one who has seen his full share of life, and has been a part of the most stirring events in our coun-
94
THE PUKSUIT OF BOOTH.
try's history. It was the writer's good fortune re- cently to hear him tell of the part he took in the pur- suit of the assassin, Booth, and his accomplice, Her- old. Inasmuch as the story gives facts never before laid before the public, the recital cannot fail to be of great interest to every one who has ever perused the story of these exciting times.
" 'In the spring of '65 I was near Washington,' began Mr. Dana, ' with my headquarters at Fort Ba- ker, just above the east branch of the Potomac. It was within the lines of the Third Brigade of Har- den's Division, Twenty-second Corps, commanded by Gen. C. C. Augur, under whom I was provost marshal. I had authority over nearly all those parts of Maryland lying between the east branch of the Potomac and the Patuxent river. This part of the State was swarming with rebels, and I was com- missioned to watch all their movements and learn if possible of any plots against the Federal govern- ment.
" 'While patrolling this territory I learned that a plot was forming against the government, and that the blow would undoubtedly be aimed against the life of President Lincoln. I at once asked for a bat- talion of veteran cavalry, in addition to the regu- lar provost guard, and the request was granted. I was ordered to establish a line of pickets from Fort
95
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
Meigs on the left to Geisboro point on the right, with orders to permit none to enter the city of Washington during the day unless they could give their names, where they were from, and what was their business at the Capitol.
" 'From sundown to sunrise no one was to enter or leave the city except in case of sickness or death. All suspicious persons were arrested and sent to the commanding general for examination.
"On Friday, April 14, 1865, two men appeared be- fore the guard on the road leading into Washington from the east. Refusing to give their names or state their business, they were arrested and put in the guard tent, whence they were to be sent to headquar- ters. .This was about 1 o'clock in the afternoon. In an hour or two they gave their names as Booth and Herold.
" 'The officers on guard under me carried out my orders so strictly that it was very annoying to the rebel sympathizers who wished access to the city, so that many complaints were made by prominent citi- zens of Maryland.
' 'About 4 p.m. I received an order from Gen. Au- gur to release all prisoners held by the guards and to withdraw the guard until further orders. I sent an orderly to the officers on the line from Fort Meigs easterly, with orders to release all prisoners and
96
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
to report to me at Fort Baker. On the line from Fort Meigs to Surrattville I went in person and with- drew the guard to my headquarters.
" 'Booth and Herold were released as soon as the orders reached the guard, and they proceeded at once to Washington, reaching there about 6 :30 in the aft- ernoon. I had a guard at each end of the bridge on the eastern branch of the Potomac and one of the guards knew Booth and recognized him as he rode into the city and as he came out after the assassina- tion, and had it been known that he had killed Lin- coln escape would have been impossible.
" 'I returned to headquarters about 11 p. m. and had dismissed the guard and was eating supper, when an officer rode into camp with the startling intel- ligence that Lincoln was killed and that the murder- er, with another man, had ridden at a rapid pace into the country.
" 'I called out the guard and sent detachments in different directions and then went to the bridge to learn what I could there. On my way I met a company of cavalry, the 13th New York, which I ordered to patrol the river to Guisi Point and learn all they could and then return to Fort Baker.
" 'At the bridge I found an orderly from Gen. Augur with orders for me to report to him at Wash- ington without delay. I did so, and was ushered
97
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
into his presence, where I found him standing by his desk with streaming eyes.
" 'My God, marshal,' he cried, upon seeing me, 'if I had listened to your advice this terrible thing never would have happened!'
" 'After conversing with him for a few moments I was appointed adjutant general on his staff and ordered to use my own judgment as to the best way of capturing Booth. The order read as follows :
" ' To Commanders of all Divisions, Brigades, Regi- ments, Companies, and Posts: You will obey all orders emanating from Adjt. Gen. and Provost Mar- shall D. D. Dana the same as though especially issued from these headquarters.
.-**• (Signed) Maj. Gen. C. C. Augur,
Commanding 22d Corps in Dept. of "Washington. ' 1 " 'While with Gen. Augur and by his request I laid out the plan for the capture of Booth. First, one of the swifest steamers which could be obtained should patrol the Potomac as far as the Patuxent river and seize all boats which could not give a good accoun|; of themselves. Then a steamer should be sent up the Patuxent and all boats on this river were to be seized at all hazards to as far as Horse Head ferry.
" 'These orders were telegraphed to the boats on the Patuxent and were carried out to the letter. The
98
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
reason was this: In scouting through Maryland I had learned that a boat would be used by the assas- sin, who would go by land to the Patuxent, thence across to the Albert river, from there to the Atlantic coast, and thence to Mexico. The only thing that prevented Booth's escape was the seizure of these boats.
" 'I returned to Fort Baker, left orders for the cavalry, who were out scouting, took a small detach- ment of my own guard and started after Booth, tak- ing the road by Surrattville to Bryantown. As we passed by the Surratt mansion all was as dark as though it had never been inhabited, but I found an old man and woman who had a boy sick with the smallpox. Finding that no information could be obtained there, from the old man or his wife, I took him along with us for a mile and a half to a secluded dell. Refusing to give the desired information, I ordered him to be strung up to the limb of a big oak tree.
" 'It was a clear night with the moon just rising, its silvery glints touching the tops of the trees in the dell and the flickering light of the campfire, which the men had kindled, casting fantastic shad- ows here and there. The rope was made fast about the old man's neck and, at a signal from me, he was hoisted up and suspended between heaven and earth.
99
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
It was a weird and gruesome scene, there in the light of the fire and moon was the swaying body of the man struggling in his futile efforts to grasp the rope, while the spasmodic action of his body and the gurg- ling sounds from his throat produced an effect never to be forgotten.
" 'I ordered him to be cut down after a few mo- ments and he was resuscitated. Rather than try a second pull on the rope he told me that Booth and Herold had been at the Surratt mansion and had had something to eat and drink and that after supper, though Booth was badly hurt, they had mounted their horses and rode toward Bryantown.
" 'I pushed on after them and a few miles from Bryantown I came to a detachment of ten men under a sergeant as patrol guard to watch suspicious peo- ple in that section. I sent the sergeant to Port To- bacco at once, and ordered the troops to scout up the Patuxent river to arrest all suspicious persons and to report to me at Bryantown. The patrol guard afterward acknowledged that they heard the clatter of Booth's and Herold 's horses' feet as they passed by on the road leading to Dr. Samuel Mudd's to- ward Bryantown.
" 'This came about from the fact that a short dis- tance above the guard was a road leading to Dr. Mudd's, who resided about three and a half miles
100
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
from the village, and this road the pair had taken, reaching the doctor's house about 4 a. m., about two hours ahead of my troops.
" 'I arrived at Bryantown about 6 o'clock, and at once placed guards at all the roads leading into the village, with orders that anyone might enter the town but that none were to leave it. About 2 o 'clock that afternoon the detachment of troops from Port To- bacco reached me. In the meantime troops had been sent to Woodbine ferry and Horsehead ferry, all the boats had been seized and all crossing of the river had been stopped.
" 'By taking possession of these positions and seiz- ing the ferry boats and by closely guarding the line of the river Booth 's chances of escape this way were cut off. Could he have got across the Patuxent river into Calvert county, he would most certainly have reached Mexico in safety.
" 'After Booth and Herold arrived at Dr. Mudd's Booth's leg was set, and after giving them their breakfast, the doctor made a crutch for Booth and fixed him up ready to start at an instant's notice.
" 'Dr. Mudd came into Bryantown at 2 o'clock in the afternoon and stayed there until 8 or 9 in the evening, when a cousin of his, Dr. George Mudd, asked as a personal favor, a pass for him through the lines. After closely questioning Samuel Mudd and
101
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
believing him to know nothing of Booth, and having confidence in what his cousin said, I let Dr. Samuel Mudd go.
" 'During the doctor's long absence Booth got un- easy and sent Herold on horseback to Bryantown. Learning that troops were in the town, he tied his horse to a large clump of willows that grew on the side of a stream near the road, and there watched for Dr. Mudd's return.
" 'When the doctor made his appearance Herold came out and the two returned to the doctor's house. Booth was anxious to leave at once, but the good doctor assured him that there was no danger that night.
' ' ' George Mudd, let me say in passing, never inti- mated to me that his friend was a doctor, or was a relative of his. I learned the next day, when it was too late, that his cousin was a rank rebel, and I plainly told George Mudd what I thought of him. ,V 'The fugitives left Dr. Mudd's early the next morning and took the road for Horsehead ferry. When within two and one-half miles of the ferry they saw a man of about sixty years leaning on a fence in front of his house ; Booth rode up and asked him if he had heard the news of Lincoln being killed. He said yes, he had heard it from some troops that had arrived at the ferry. Booth asked him if there
102
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
were any troops then at Horsehead ferry and the man told him there were.
" 'Booth got a drink of water and wanted a drink of whiskey, but the old man had none. He asked the men who they were, and Booth answered: "Detec- tives looking for Booth and Herold." "What are you doing with a crutch?" was the rejoinder.
' ' ' The assassin explained that his horse had stum- bled and had fallen upon him, hurting his leg very badly. They asked the way to Woodbine ferry, and being directed, set off at a brisk trot.
" 'When within two miles of Woodbine ferry they met an old darkey and inquired: "How far is it to the ferry?" Upon being told they asked him the news. "Massa Lincum's killed an' Woodbine ferry's chock full of troops." "How many, uncle?" asked Booth. "Golly, massa, dere's more'n a hundred! Dey's swarming like bees!" answered the negro.
" 'The horsemen rode on a short distance through a gate into a mowing field, and there all trace of their horses' footprints were lost. But they returned to the vicinity of Dr. Mudd's and entered the Sekiah swamp from the east, where they spent two days and two nights, being supplied with food by friends near by.
" 'I had made arrangements for a detachment of troops to scour the swamp with a guide, when a
103
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH
heavy storm came up and made it impossible. Had I done so I certainly would have caught them, as they did not leave until 2 or 3 o'clock that day. When my troops reached the island the next day they found where the horses had been tethered, and the very moss where Booth and Herold had slept. They also found the pieces of blanket with which their horses' hoofs had been muffled. How they made their way from Woodbine ferry to the swamp is a mystery. It could only have been done by wrap- ping the horses' feet in blankets.
" 'The different movements they made from the time of the assassination to their reaching Sekiah swamp shows that they had their course all laid out beforehand. They knew where to go and who their friends were and were only prevented from escap- ing by the rapid movements of the troops under my command.
" 'Sekiah swamp lies a short distance nearly west of Bryantown. It is full of quagmires and sinkholes and is exceedingly dangerous to enter except by day- time. Even then great caution is required unless a person is acquainted with the swamp. Booth and Herold must have had a guide both going in and coming out.
104
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
" 'They never could have got their horses there alone; to attempt it would have been the last of them.
" 'There is a small stream running through the swamp, but large enough to float a small boat. It discharges into the Patuxent river. After leaving the swamp the fugitives went to a log cabin in a thick growth of pines and underbrush quite distant from any road. It was the dwelling of a man named Jones, who had a negress for a housekeeper. It was in that scrubby pine and underbrush, back of the house, that the two horses were killed and buried.
"Here Booth and Herold were kept three or four days, when they were taken by boat down the out- let of the swamp to a point below where the troops were stationed, and from there they were carried in a wagon to a point on the Patuxent nearly opposite Aquia creek. From here they were taken across the Potomac and made their way to Garrett 's near Bowl- ing Green, where Booth was killed. ' ' '
A Bay State soldier corroborates in part the story of Gen. David A. Dana, as well as that of St. Helen. This soldier was stationed at the bridge crossing the East Potomac river, on the road leading into Wash- ington, which John Wilkes Booth crossed going into Washington City and again on his return after the
105
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
assassination the evening of the same day. This man is Mr. F. A. Demond, and I give his letter in full : "Mr. D. D. Dana :
"Dear Sir and Comrade — I was very much inter- ested in reading your account of how you tried to prevent the assassination of the late President Lin- coln, as published in The Globe of yesterday. It brought back old memories to me of away back in '64, as I was a member of your old provost guard, with headquarters at Fort Baker.
"Well do I remember those days. I was detailed from my company — Co. C., Capt. A. W. Brigham, then stationed at Fort Mahan — and ordered to report to you at Fort Baker for duty on provost guard. I did so, and was employed guarding prisoners, sawing wood and going down to Uniontown searching for soldiers without passes. After a short time of ser- vice at headquarters I, with some others from your command, was sent to guard the bridge leading from Washington to Uniontown, down by the navy yard.
"I was stationed at the Uniontown end of the bridge where the gates were hung to stop people from going to Washington. I was under the orders of Corp. Sullivan — I think that was his name — and the command at the other end of the bridge, the Washington side, was under Sergt. Cobb.
106
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
"I was present the night that Booth and Herold crossed after Booth had shot the President, but was not on post. I stood in the door of the block house when Booth rode up and heard him ask the guard if anyone had gone through lately. I heard the guard on the post answer him,, 'No/ and ask him what he was doing out there this time of night ?
"He made some kind of answer about going to see some one who lived out on the T. B. road. I did not pay much attention at this time to what they were talking about. I helped open the gate and he rode through.
"A short time after this Herold rode over the bridge and asked if there had been anyone through mounted on a bay horse. Upon being told that there had, he muttered something about being a pretty man not to wait for him.
"Well, we opened the gate and let him through and he rode off in a hurry. About twenty minutes later, I should say, we heard a great uproar across the bridge and in a short time got word of the as- sassination. If we had only known it sooner neither one of them would have passed us, as I would have shot them as quickly as I would a mad dog. But it was too late ; they were out of sight and hearing by that time.
"I remember when you came down to meet some-
107
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
one that was waiting on the Washington side, but never knew who it was until I read the account given by you in The Sunday Globe. I remember of your going in pursuit, and, if I am not mistaken, one of Co. C. 's boys, Charles Joise, was with you.
"Excuse my writing to you, but I was so glad to hear from you, Lieutenant, that I had to let you know that one of your old boys was still living. Hoping sometime to see you on a visit to me up here, I remain, yours with great respect,
"F. A. Demond, Cavendish, Vt.
"Late private Co. C., Third Heavy Artillery, Mas- sachusetts Volunteers."
It will be observed that the statements made by Gen. D. D. Dana, supported by the letter of Mr. F. A. Demond, corroborate the statements and confes- sions made to me by John St. Helen (claiming him- self to be Booth) more than twenty-five years prev- ious to Dana's publication. That the statements of Gen. Dana and St. Helen, or Booth, should differ in immaterial details is not surprising, but the main points agree — that is, St. Helen says, he (Booth) and Herold were returning to Washington City on the morning of April 14th, 1865 ; that they were arrested and detained at the block house located at the bridge over the east branch of the Potomac ; that they were released and went into Washington from this bridge ;
108
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
that Booth was recognized at the time of his de- tention at the East Potomac bridge; that after the assassination of President Lincoln Booth and Her- old returned over the same route over which they came into the city, crossing the East Potomac bridge, which is also the route leading to Uniontown, men- tioned by Demond ; that in crossing said bridge and passing the guards they used the pass words "T. B.,' or "T. B. Road." It is undeniably a fact that Booth is corroborated in his statements that arrange- ments had been made for his escape; that he did escape from Washington through the Federal lines, is confessedly true, though the city was completely surrounded and guarded by the 22d Army Corps, composed of many thousands of union men, an army within itself, charged with the duty of protecting the City of Washington and guarding the life of President Lincoln against danger, which Dana says he knew was threatened, and he had known it for months prior to the President's assassination.
In comparing the statements of St. Helen, or Booth, with that of Gen. Dana, made twenty or twen- ty-five years after the occurrences, we find that Gen. Dana's statement published in the city of Boston in 1897, is almost a verbatim copy of that made by St. Helen to me in the State of Texas, though more than two thousand miles of territory divided them and a
109
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
difference in time of some years intervened. These statements could not have been preconcerted, and be- cause of these conditions, each corroborating the other, the accounts of the affair bear the stamp of physical truth.
The reader will not fail to note with anxious con- cern, and demand explanation of the statement of Gen. Dana, when he says:
"The life of the President (Lincoln) was then (on the 14th day of April, 1865) known to be in immin- ent and impending danger, and so well was this known to him and others, that he asked and obtained an extra force of mounted men to better guard the life of the President (Lincoln), and the lines of protection had been tightened around Washington City in every precautionary way, looking to the safe- ty of the life of the President, then threatened. Be- ing thus forewarned, forearmed and fully prepared to guard against a danger known to him, why was it that without a change in these conditions, the life of the President still threatened, without increase of hope for his safety, or promised immunity, rumored or otherwise, danger to which the commanding of- ficer, Major Gen. C. C. Augur, and himself, Gen. Dana, were admittedly advised of, John "Wilkes Booth, the assassin, a known Southern sympathizer who constitute one of the class of men from whom
110
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
the officers expected the attempted assault on the President with the purpose of taking his life, of which they had been warned, was permitted to enter the city less than eight hours before the assassina- tion under his own name of John Wilkes Booth? And Herold, Booth's accomplice, was also permitted to enter with him. They entered the city in such a manner as to cause suspicion of their conduct and purpose, were arrested and detained for a number of hours at the East Potomac bridge. Yet they were permitted to leave the city, returning over the very bridge where they had been held prisoners only eight hours before. They approached the bridge under circumstances that should have excited sus- picion, the same suspicious characters who had been detained but a few hours before, and yet were permitted to pass the guards without arrest by simply giving the pass word "T. B." or "T. B. Road," which was meaningless, unless understood by the guard on duty.
It will be remembered that Gen. Dana says that the strictest orders had been given to the guards to permit no one to pass at night, except on account of sickness or death, and that all suspicious characters were to be arrested and sent to headquarters to be examined by the commanding officer,^ Gen. C. C. Augur. If these orders were to be carried out by the
ill
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
guards they were violated because it was night and the reason given by Booth to pass out was neither sickness or death. It can not be denied that the approach of Booth and Herold to this bridge, from the city about ten thirty , o 'clock at night, their horses under full spur, at a high rate of speed, necessarily created suspicion in the minds of the guards, under circumstances to be remembered. Booth, a suspicious character, first approached, giv- ing the words "T. B.," or "T. B. Road," and was passed, while Herold, also a suspicious character it seems, passed the guards by simply inquiring if a man had passed, and describing Booth. A few min- utes later, coming in hot pursuit, the livery man and owner of the horse ridden by Herold reached the bridge, chasing Herold and just behind him, was stopped and made to tell his purpose, which was:
That he wanted to overtake Herold, who was rid- ing away with his horse ; that the President had been shot and that Booth and Herold were guilty and were escaping. It seems that this excuse was not sufficient for the guard on duty, and the owner of the horse, the leader of the chase after the escaping criminals, was turned back. (This was the commotion of which Mr. Demond speaks when they learned of the shooting of President Lincoln and the incident mentioned by Secretary John Hay in his public ut-
112
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
terance when referring to the passing of Booth and Herold over the bridge and the pursuit of the owner of the horse ridden by Herold, when he says, "Booth and Herold were permitted to pass and the only hon- est man who sought to pass was stopped.")
In this connection we have no information from history or Gen. Dana, from whom such information should come, that the guard who allowed Booth and Herold to pass was disciplined for the violation of orders. It, therefore, stands to reason that the guard was not punished but was simply carrying out orders in passing Booth, and Herold his ac- complice, and also in refusing to allow others to pass. But is the situation explained by Gen. Dana, who says that the orders prohibited the passing of persons through the lines, except upon conditions mentioned, and that he had individually taken in the guards at the East Potomac bridge, which he had not.
The question is, what interest did he have — or why should Dana individually do this, and intrust his orders at all other points to be delivered by an orderly? What special interest, I ask, should Dana have had in this identical spot, through which Booth was later to escape when he had killed Presi- dent Lincoln?
113
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
Gen. Dana, himself, confesses that he went to the East Potomac bridge and gave his orders in person. And, again, I ask, What were those orders? His- tory does not record. He does not say. The only answer is the act of the guard. Let the world inter- pret what those orders were. It is true, because it was a physical fact, the guard was on duty — Booth was allowed to pass on giving the pass word "T. B.;" Herold, his accomplice, was allowed to pass. Was the guard obeying orders when he allowed Booth and Herold to pass and turned back "the only honest man," the man in pursuit? If this act of the guard was a violation of orders he was caught red-handed and should have been punished as a particeps criminis for the crime of the assassination of President Lincoln. The penalty for which, under the order of Secretary Stanton of April 20th, 1865, making all those who aided Booth in his escape guilty of his (Booth's) crime, was punishable by death. Then, I ask, why was not this punishment meted out to the men who alone had it in their power to prevent the escape of Booth and Herold, but who did, knowingly, permit them to escape?
Further, Gen. Dana says that the orders were for calling in the guards to his headquarters, located at Fort Baker, and that he individually gave the orders at the East Potomac bridge ; that these orders
114
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
were issued to him (Dana) about four o'clock in the afternoon of April 14th, 1865, by Gen. C. C. Augur.
The reader is asked to note the significance of the fact that at about this hour St. Helen (Booth) says that he and Vice-President Johnson had separated at the Kirkwood hotel, Johnson going to arrange for Booth's escape. Is this order to Dana from his superior commanding officer, Major Gen. C. C. Augur, an echo of Johnson's mission?
Again, Gen. Dana says that in pursuance to these orders the guards were removed to his headquar- ters at Fort Baker. But it is a physical fact that at ten thirty o'clock p. m., when Booth crossed the bridge, the guards had not been removed; and if removed at all it was done after this as a subterfuge for carrying out the order to call in the guards, which seems to have been the case. For true it is that Gen. Dana says he had not reached his head- quarters with this guard until about eleven o'clock p. m. that night and was eating his evening meal when he first received word of the shooting of the President.
Any one knowing the distance from the East Potomac bridge to Fort Baker will readily under- stand how Gen. Dana, together with his guards, mounted and leaving the East Potomac bridge at about ten thirty o'clock could reach Fort Baker at
115
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
or about eleven o'clock. This would make the state- ments of Gen. Dana consistent, and this I believe to be a correct explanation of his seeming contra- diction in respect to the matter of withdrawing the guards from the East Potomac bridge, which respon- sibility he personally assumed and for which he will be held responsible.
However this may be, it is true that the guards were on duty at the bridge and, as a matter of fact and of history, whether intentionally or unintention- ally, did assist Booth and his accomplice in passing the line, and equally true that they did refuse to allow the owner of the horse ridden by Herold to pass a few minutes later. Then, I ask, why this discrimination against the man in pursuit of the fleeing assassin and his accomplice? This can only be answered by the guards, or Gen. Dana. Unless the conduct of the guards explains. But, legally holding these men responsible for the necessary con- sequence of their acts, they did aid Booth in his escape, while all the circumstances attendant upon Booth's passing of the guards tend to establish their guilty knowledge, or the guilty knowledge and conduct of their superior officers.
At this eleventh hour, while he was yet at his meal, Gen. Dana says he was ordered before Gen. C. C. Augur, but then too late, as the crime had been
116
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
already committed and the assassin had escaped the confines of the military powers of Washington.
Gen. Dana, on reaching the headquarters of Gen. Augur, found him in tears and his first words were : "My God, marshal, if I had listened to your advice this terrible thing would never have happened."
I ask, and the civilized world listens for the reply — What had Gen. Dana advised Gen. Augur touch- ing the safety of the President, and "this terrible thing," as he calls it, prior to the assassination, which, in Gen. Augur's opinion, if heeded, would have prevented the killing of President Lincoln ? Is this a self-accusation — an unwitting admission of his responsibility for the death of President Lin- coln? This expression of self -accusation, taken in connection with Gen. Augur's surprising and unex- plained order, issued about four o'clock on April 14th, 1865, in face of the known and impending danger to the life of President Lincoln, is startling. The withdrawing of the guard from the protection of the President on the late afternoon of the evening of his assassination has never been explained. And the bloody deed was accomplished in less than six hours after the order of withdrawal was issued, and before the ink was well dry on the record which changed the policy of the government for the pro- tection of the life of the President, long guarded by
117
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
a well-maintained standing army at Washington, and made possible the escape of the assassin. With- out reason, without explanation and without re- quest, and without suggestion even, of the President, or any other person in authority in the army superi- or in command to Gen. C. C. Augur, this important move was made, changing the fixed plans and tear- ing down the barriers of protection so long deemed necessary by the government as a wise and pruden- tial policy, upon the authority and orders only of Gen. C. C. Augur, so far as we are informed by Gen. Dana.
In the light of events following this mysterious order, we ask, to what conduct of his or advice of Gen. Dana could Major Gen. C. C. Augur refer as his failure to listen to Gen. Dana? Could it have been that Dana had advised the holding of Booth and Herold while they were yet prisoners at the block house, at the East Potomac bridge? Or had he, against the advice or knowledge of Gen. Dana, entered into the plans of conspiracy against the life of President Lincoln?
One would infer from the statements imputed to him by Gen. Dana that Major Gen. Augur had had it in his power, and was so advised by Gen. Dana, to save the life of the President and had failed to do so and that, too, against the admonitions of Gen.
118
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
Dana, to which he (Augur) had declined to listen, according to his own confession.
This leads to the conclusion that Gen. Augur must have known of a purpose to take the life of Presi- dent Lincoln previous to the assassination; other- wise he could not have prevented it by taking the advice of Gen. Dana. According to Dana's state- ment Gen. Augur admits that he could have pre- vented the commission of an act by another. Unless Gen. Augur had knowledge of the purpose to com- mit that act, and of the person who was to perform the specific act complained of, he had no such power as he admitted. Therefore, upon the statement of Gen. Dana, which we assume to be true, Major Gen. C. C. Augur had a knowledge of some act, which, if performed, would have saved the life of President Lincoln. Reasoning from the assumed admission to physical facts, based upon the proviso that Gen. Dana is correctly reporting, which I believe to be true because his report of the pursuit of Booth is in the main a strong corroboration of the story of St. Helen (or Booth) told to me, this is the inevit- able conclusion, applying the legal rule, the stand- ard by which we measure the words of men — if true in one thing, true in all, or false in one thing, false in all. This rule must sustain the statements of Dana, which, without further explanation, must
119
THE PURSUIT OF BOOTH.
"My God, marshal, if I had taken your advice this teiTible thing would not have happened." cihow thai; Major Gen. Augur, on his own confession, could nave saved the life of President Lincoln, but did not do it, even when advised to do so by Gen. Dana, iis subordinate officer, and conscience-whip- ped after the assassination he cries out :
And shall these words ring on and on through the changing cycles of time, a lasting tribute to the truth of the old, trite saying, "Murder will out" and "truth, though crushed to the earth, will rise again T"
GEN. C. C. AUGUR.
Commander of thp Army Stationed Around "Washington for
Protection of the Life of Lincoln, and the Home of the
Government, Who Issued the Order Calling in the Guards.
MRS. SURRATT
And Her Boarding-house in Washing-ton City, Where Booth Met Her Son, John H. Surratt, Delivering the Letter From David E. Herold, Their Mutual Friend.
CHAPTER X.
THE EAST POTOMAC BRIDGE
Gen. Dana says, in speaking of the pursuit of Booth and Herold: "Booth and Herold remained a day and one night at the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd." St. Helen (or Booth) told me they reached the home of Dr. Mudd just before daylight on the morning of April 15th, 1865, the morning after the assassination, where his riding boot was cut off by Dr. Mudd and his sprained ankle and fractured shin bone dressed and splintered by the doctor with parts of a cigar box, and the old doctor made him a rough crutch out of a broom handle; when after an early breakfast, their horses in the brush near by, having finished feeding, they, thanking and paying Dr. Mudd for his services, mounted their horses and left, riding the most direct way they could, keeping well in the country and by-roads, to the home of Mr. Cox, during the 15th day of April, 1865, the day after the killing of President Lincoln, showing sub- stantial corroboration of Gen. Dana so far.
Gen. Dana says Booth and Herold killed their horses while they were in hiding back of the Cox plantation on the Potomac river, but Booth says the
121
THE EAST POTOMAC BRIDGE.
horses were not killed but taken away, as he sup- posed, by Mr. Jones.
That this is true, I am inclined to believe, for two reasons: First, the horse ridden by Booth and de- scribed to me by St. Helen (or Booth) was a very fine and valuable animal, purchased by him in Mary- land some time before this event. The second rea- son is that Gen. Dana's men were too close on Booth and Herold to permit of their killing the horses, which must have been done by shooting them. Dana then says they were buried. This would have been a physical impossibility, for Booth, in his crippled condition, could not help and Herold was without the necessary implements with which to do it.
Booth says the Federal troops of cavalry were so close to them in their hiding in the pine brush be- hind the Cox plantation that they could hear the footfalls of the horses and the voices of the men, and for that reason their horses were taken away to pre- vent their neighs from attracting attention to them by the passing Cavalry, as they "had neighed fre- quently, much to our fear and discomfort."
Gen. Dana further says that "Booth and Herold must have had guides." The truth is Herold was well acquainted with this section of the country, as was Booth, from his previous inspections of this
122
THE EAST POTOMAC BRIDGE.
route over which Lincoln was to have been carried if kidnaped and taken to Eichmond, as originally designed. It is true, however, that Herold was to some extent a guide for Booth.
Herold is dead and I suppose I am the only liv- ing man who knows why Booth became associated with Herold, so unlike and inferior to himself, for David E. Herold was seemingly a man of no cultiva- tion, and was a drug clerk employed in a drug store in Washington City, where he made the acquaint- ance of Booth.
The explanation made to me by St. Helen ^or Booth) was that he had become acquainted with Herold while he was a clerk in a drug store which he (Booth) frequented to buy cosmetics sometimes used by him in his or others' makeup for the stage. And at these meetings he learned of Herold 's old acquaintance with this section of the country, what was then called "The underground route be- tween Washington, D. C., and Richmond, Virginia," and for this reason he made a friend of Herold and took him into his confidence. It was in company with Herold that Booth made his first as well as many other trips over this route. In the meantime he learned that Herold knew John H. Surratt. Hav- ing found Herold a willing and loyal friend, desir- ous of lending himself to Booth's plans against the
123
THE EAST POTOMAC BRIDGE.
Federal government and the life of President Lin- coln, Booth trusted him; and it will be remembered that it was Herold who gave Booth the letter of in- troduction to John H. Surratt.
Mrs. Surratt, the most prominent of the persons suspected of complicity in Booth's crime, was inno- cent of any complicity whatever in the matter ; was a woman of middle age at the time of her execution, rather good-looking, and the mother of two or more children, among them John H. Surratt and a daugh- ter. Mrs. Surratt was at one time comfortably well off but had been reduced to the necessity of remov- ing from Surrattville, her home, to Washington, where she kept a boarding house on H street. I am informed that Mrs. Surratt is the only woman ever hanged by a judgment of a Federal Adjudica- tion.
Recurring to the incident at the East Potomac bridge and the statements made by Demond to Gen. Dana, where he says, "I well remember when you came down to meet some one that was waiting on the Washington side, but never knew who it was un- til I read the account given by you in The Sunday Globe."
Is this statement suggestive? Gen. Dana fails to mention that he had a meeting with some third party
124
THE EAST POTOMAC BRIDGE.
who was waiting for him at the East Potomac bridge on the Washington side.
Was this meeting by prearrangement? And does it explain why Gen. Dana went in person to the East Potomac bridge, ostensibly to call in the guard, but presumably to meet this party in waiting? We reach this conclusion from the physical fact that he did meet this party and that he did not call in the guards, if so, not until Booth had made good his escape.
Gen. Dana says that he went in person to the East Potomac bridge to call in the guard, using this language: "On the line from Fort Meigs to Sur- rattville I went in person and withdrew my guard to my headquarters," his headquarters being at Port Baker. He follows this statement by saying: 4 'I returned to headquarters about eleven o'clock that night and had dismissed my guards." Thus referring to, or meaning, the guards which he had called in from the East Potomac bridge, the point where Booth crossed the river.
Booth killed the President about ten minutes past ten o'clock p. m. and arrived at the East Potomac and crossed the bridge about ten thirty o'clock. Gen. Dana says he received the order to call in the guards about four o'clock that afternoon; that he went in person to call in the guards from this bridge; that
125
THE EAST POTOMAC BRIDGE.
he reached his headquarters at Fort Baker and dis- missed his guards about eleven o'clock that night. Gen. Dana gives no account of himself from four o'clock p. m. until about eleven o'clock p. m. of the 14th day of April, 1865. Nothing of what he did at the bridge, what time he reached there, or when he left. Nothing of who this third party was at the bridge waiting on the Washington side, with whom he was seen to meet and talk by Demond.
Where was Gen. Dana when President Lincoln was shot ? Of this he gives no account. Where was he when Booth and Herold crossed the bridge about ten thirty o 'clock ? Of this time he gives no account. Was he present at the bridge? He says he with- drew the guards, and the guards were present when Booth and Herold crossed!
Gen. Dana says : "I withdrew my guards to my headquarters and had dismissed them and was eat- ing my evening meal at about eleven o'clock, when I heard the President was shot." Certainly Gen. Dana was not at his headquarters at the usual hour for taking meals.
If it be true that Dana withdrew the guards from the bridge it was certainly done after Booth and Herold had passed, for it is a physical fact that the guards were there when they passed over, so that the logical conclusion is that if the guard left at all
126
THE EAST POTOMAC BRIDGE.
they left after Booth and Herold had crossed the bridge.
Gen. Dana shows that when he arrived at the headquarters of Major Gen. Augur that Gen. Augur gave Dana complete command of all the forces to pursue and capture Booth. And we ask, is it not a significant fact that Gen. Dana should have misdi- rected all the troops which he sent out other than a single detachment, in pursuit of Booth, unless he knew the direction Booth had gone ? Is it not strange that he himself, with a detail of men, without hesita- tion and without other information than such as he possessed before the shooting of President Lincoln — in fact, as if by intuition, took the proper trail by leaving Washington directly for Surrattville, cross- ing the East Potomac bridge as Booth and Herold had done, following along the trail in the wake of Booth and Herold, who arrived at the home of Dr. Mudd about four o'clock a. m., while Gen. Dana turned from the road leading to Dr. Mudd's home and went to Bryantown, just three and a half miles from Dr. Mudd's home, reaching Bryantown at six o'clock a. m., while Booth and Herold were yet at the home of the doctor. Dr. Mudd administered to Booth's pains, then went to Bryantown, where he called on Gen. Dana, and was permitted to leave Bryantown by Gen. Dana, as the general says, "at
127
THE EAST POTOMAC BRIDGE.
the request of his cousin, Dr. George Mudd.'
We ask, are these findings of fact mere incidents of the occasion? Shall we say it is entirely reason- able so to conclude?
Gen. Dana, in commenting on the Dr. Mudd in- cident, says: "George Mudd, let me say in passing, never intimated to me that his friend was a doctor, or was a relative of his. I learned this the next day when it was too late (as usual he does not explain how he found it out) that his cousin was a rank rebel, and I plainly told George Mudd what I thought of him."
Which we suggest must have been a great punish- ment to Dr. George Mudd and was quite the act of a hero on the part of Gen. Dana to thus occupy his time — reading lectures to Dr. George Mudd while in hot pursuit of and on the trail of the assassin of the President of the United States.
Thus spending his time at Bryantown, neglecting to go with his troops, or send them to capture Dr. Samuel Mudd at his home only three and a half miles away, in order that he might investigate the suspicious and offending conduct of Dr. Samuel Mudd, he, instead, sends a detachment of his troops with a guide to scour a nearby swamp looking for Booth and Herold, when a heavy storm came up and made it impossible to proceed with the search
128
THE EAST POTOMAC BRIDGE.
«
and the next day it was too late. As usual, conven- ient for Booth and Herold.
Thus practically ended Gen. Dana's chase after Booth at Bryantown.
Realizing that he was hunted with a zeal beyond the zeal prompting the searchers in following the ordinary criminal and bringing him to justice ; stim- ulated by a burning desire for vengeance for the crime that startled the whole world, no less than the hope of the magnificent reward, which meant a for- tune in those days, John Wilkes Booth decided to cast his lot among the Indians. He met many of the tribes and mingled with them, finally becom- ing associated with the Apache tribe, whose chief he described as being a man of docility, lazy and de- void of ambition. The males of the tribe, who are called bucks, were active and possessed of more than ordinary intelligence; the squaws, some of them pretty and attractive, were the slaves of the men. But, though these people were kind to him and his safety was absolutely secure among them, Booth could not accustom himself to the habits and customs of these rude people and the longing for kindred companionship drew him back again to the haunts of civilized man.
He went to Nebraska City, Nebraska, where he met and was entertained by a Mr. Treadkell, who
129
THE EAST POTOMAC BRIDGfi.
employed him later as a teamster, under the name of Jesse Smith, in the fall of the year, 1866. Mr. Treadkell had a contract with the United States government for hauling overland the supplies to the United States army located at Salt Lake City, Utah.
In speaking of Booth Mr. Treadkell said: "There was always a strange thing about Jesse Smith, or Booth. While he was a good driver of mules four in hand, he did not have the slightest knowledge of how to harness his team nor even how to hitch them to the wagon. But he was the life of the camp at night and rendered himself so agreeable that I never once thought of discharging him for his ignorance in this respect, that he never was able to hitch up his own team. The other drivers were always gladly willing to do this service for him and I myself would much rather do this than give him up, on account of his ability to entertain us at night. He would recite Shakespeare's plays, poems, etcetera, and tell of his travels, which seemed to have been extensive. His recitations were grandly eloquent."
The day before reaching Salt Lake City and the army officials Jesse Smith (Booth) left the wagon and his employer, disappearing without notice or compensation, according to Mr. Treadkell's state- ment, which corroborates St. Helen's (Booth) ver- sion of the same story. And I suppose he continued
130
THE EAST POTOMAC BRIDGE.
his journey west to San Francisco where he met hts mother and brother, Junius Brutus Booth.
A few years later Mr. Treadkell purchased a book containing the story of the assassination of Presi- dent Lincoln and a picture of John Wilkes Booth the assassin, from which picture he was greatly sur- prised to recognize in his mysterious teamster, Jesse Smith, no less a person than John Wilkes Booth.
isi
CHAPTER XI. THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON
The government for some reason took up the pur- suit of Booth independent of the movements of Gen Dana and the Army of Washington within the lines of the 3rd Brigade of Harden 's Division, 22d Corps, commanded by Maj. Gen. C. C. Augur, when Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary of War, sent the following telegram to New York City:
"Washington, April 16th, 1865. "3:20?. M.
"Col. L. C. Baker— Come here immediately and see if you can find the murderer of the President.
" (Signed.) EDWIN M. STANTON,
"Secretary of War."
Early the next morning Col. Baker reached Wash- ington, accompanied by his cousin, Lieut. L. B. Bak- er, a member of the Bureau, who had recently been mustered out of the First District of Columbia Cav- alry.
They went at once to the office of the War De- partment and after a conference with Secretary Stanton, began the search for the murderer of the President.
132
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
"Up to this time," says Col. Baker, "the con- fusion had been so great that few of the ordinary detective measures for the apprehension of crim- inals had been employed. No rewards had been of- fered. Little or no attempt had been made to col- lect and arrange the clue in the furtherance of a systematic search and the pursuit was wholly with- out a dictating leadership."
Col. Baker's first step was the publication of a handbill offering thirty thousand dollars for the capture of the fugitives. Twenty thousand dollars of this amount was subscribed by the City of Wash- ington and the other ten thousand dollars by Col. Baker, offered on his own account and authorized by the War Department.
On this handbill was a minute description of Booth, as follows :
"John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated the Presi- dent on the evening of April 14th, 1865, height 5 feet 8 inches, weight 160 pounds, compactly built; hair jet black, inclined to curl ; medium length, part- ed behind, eyes black, and heavy brows. Wears a large seal ring on his little finger.
"When talking inclines his head forward and looks down.
"(Signed.) L. C. BAKER,
"Colonel and Adjutant of the War Dept."
133
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
Hardly had these handbills been posted when the United States Government made the publication of additional reward to the amount of one hundred thousand dollors for the capture of Booth, Surratt and Herold, Surratt at that time being suspected of dire complicity in the assassination.
Three states increased this sum by twenty-five thousand dollars each and many individuals and companies, shocked by the awful atrocity of the crime, offered rewards of various amounts. Fab- ulous stories were told of the wealth which the assassin's captors would receive, the sum being placed anywhere from five hundred thousand dol- lars to one million dollars.
This prospect of winning a fortune at once set hundreds of detectives and recently discharged Union officers and soldiers, and, in fact, a vast host of adventurers into the field of search and the whole of Southern Maryland and Eastern Virginia was scoured and ransacked until it seemed as if a jack rabbit could not have escaped, and yet at the end of ten days the assassins were still at large.
"Booth was accompanied in his flight by a callow stage-struck youth named David E. Herold, who was bound to Booth, the older, merely by ties of a mar- velous magnetism as a part of his art."
134
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
"In beginning his search for the assassin Col. Baker proceeded on the theory that Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, and his Cab- inet, were involved in the plot and that Booth, Her- old and others, were mere tools in the hands of the more skilled conspirators. He therefore detailed Lieut. L. B. Baker to procure for the purpose of future identification, photographs of John Wilkes Booth, Jefferson Davis, President of the Confeder- acy; George N. Sanders, Beverly Tucker, Jacob Thompson and others unknown, all of whom were charged with being conspirators.
"Lieutenant Baker, with half a dozen active men to help him, was sent into lower Maryland to dis- tribute the handbills describing Booth, Herold and others, and to exhibit the pictures of the fugitives when possible, under instructions from Col. Baker. They also made a search for clues, but they found themselves harassed and thwarted at Washington by private detectives and soldiers who tried to throw them off their trail (as Baker thought), in the hope of following it successfully themselves."
In this connection I challenge attention to the conduct of Gen. Dana, as we left him at Bryantown resting under the seeming shadows of treacherous conduct, which accusation appears also to be well founded by the statements of Col. Baker, for he says
135
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
that in their search for Booth and Herold they found themselves harassed and thwarted at every turn by private detectives and soldiers of the Federal Army who tried to throw them off the trail.
Baker says they regarded Booth, Herold and oth- ers as ' ' mere tools in the hands of more skilled con- spirators." Baker was more wise than even he knew in this conclusion as the events of after years disclosed, proven by the confession of Booth himself of the plot and the persons connected with it.
"On his return to Washington Lieut. Baker told Col. Baker that it was his opinion that Booth and his companions had not gone South, but had taken some other direction, most probably toward Phila- delphia, where it was known that Booth had several women friends.
" 'Now, sir,' was Col. Baker's answer, 'you are mistaken. There is no place of safety for them on earth, except among their friends in the still rebel- lious South.'
"Acting on this belief, Col. Baker, Theodore Woodall, one of the detectives in lower Maryland, accompanied by an expert telegrapher named Brak- with, who was to attach his instrument to the wires at any convenient point and report frequently to headquarters at Washington, started in pursuit of Booth.
136
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
' ' These men had been out less than two days when they discovered a valuable clue from a negro who told them without hesitation that two men answer- ing the description of Booth and Herold had crossed the Potomac below Port Tobacco on Sunday night, April 21st, 1865, in a fishing boat.
' ' This evidence or information was regarded as of so much importance that the negro was hurried to "Washington by the next boat on the Potomac river. Col. Baker questioned him closely and after show- ing him a large number of photographs he at once selected the picture of Booth and Herold as being the persons whom he had seen in the boat. Col. Baker decided that the clue was of the first import- ance and, after a hurried conference with Secretary Stanton, he sent a request to Gen. Hancock for a detachment of cavalry to guard his men sent in pur- suit and Lieut. Baker was ordered to the quarter- master's department to make arrangements for transportation down the Potomac river. On Lieut. Baker's return he was informed that he and E. J. Conger and other detectives were to have charge of the party.
"The three men then held a conference in which Col. Baker fully explained his theory of the where- abouts of Booth and Herold. In half an hour Lieut. Edward P. Dougherty, of the 16th New York Cav-
137
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
airy, with twenty-five men, Sergeant Boston Cor- bett, second in command, reported to Col. Baker for duty, having been directed to go with Lieut. Baker and Conger wherever they might order and to pro- tect them to the extent of their ability. Without waiting even to secure sufficient rations Lieut. Bak- er and his men galloped off down to the Sixth Street dock and hurried on the government tug, 'John S. Ide,' at a little after three o'clock, and that same afternoon the tug reached Belle Plain Landing. At this point there was a sharp bend in the river and Col. Baker advised his men to scour the strip of country stretching between it and the Eappahan- nock river.
"On disembarking Baker and Conger rode con- tinuously ahead, Lieut. Dougherty and his men fol- lowing within hailing distance. The country being familiar to both of the leaders of the expedition they assumed the names of well-known blockade runners and mail carriers and stopped at the homes of the more prominent Confederates to make inquiries, say- ing:
" 'We are being pursued by the Yankees and in crossing the river we became separated from twc of our party, one of whom is a lame man. Have you seen them?'
138
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
"All night this kind of work was kept up, inter- spersed with much harder riding, but although the Confederates invariably expressed their sympathy it was evident that they knew nothing of the fugi- tives. At dawn the cavalrymen threw off their dis- guise and halted for an hour for rest and refresh- ments.
"Again in their saddles they struck across the country in the direction of Port Conway, a little town on the Rappahannock river, about twenty-two miles below Fredericksburg. Between two and three o'clock in the afternoon they drew rein near a plant- er's home, half a mile distant from this town, and ordered dinner for the men and feed for their horses. Conger, who was suffering from an old wound, was almost exhausted from the long, hot and dusty ride. He and the other members of the party, except Baker and a corporal, dropped down on the roadside to rest. Baker, fearing that the presence of the scouting party might give warning to Booth and his companions, should they be hiding in the neighborhood, pushed on ahead to the bank of the Rappahannock river. He saw dozing in the sunshine in front of his little cottage a fisherman, or ferryman, whose name was Rollins. He asked him if he had seen a lame man cross the river within the past few days. The man answered yes he had, and
139
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
that there were other men with him. In fact he had ferried them across the river.. (This was Booth, Ilerold and Ruddy. Notice that the ferryman re- fers to men being with Booth — not a man).
"Baker drew out his photographs and without hesitation Rollins pointed out the pictures of Booth and Herold. (Baker had no picture of Ruddy).
" 'These men,' he said, nodding his head, 'They are the men, only this one,' pointing to Booth's pic- ture, 'had no mustache.' (The fisherman evidently was thinking of Ruddy and identifying him from Booth's picture, because Booth had a mustache and Ruddy did not have a distinguishable mustache, having an even growth of whiskers on his entire face. This would seem to show that Ruddy could have been, and was, mistaken for Booth, without a long mustache.)
"It was with a thrill of satisfaction that Baker heard these words. He was now positive that he of all the hundred detectives and soldiers who were looking for Booth, was on the right trail. Not a moment was to be lost now that the object of their search might be riding far into the land of the Rebels. Baker sent the corporal back with orders for Conger and his men to come up without delay. After he was gone Rollins explained that the men had hired him to ferry them across the river on the
140
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
previous afternoon and that just before starting three men had ridden up and greeted the fugitives.
"In response to questioning Rollins admitted that he knew the three men well; that they were Major M. B. Ruggles, Lieut. Bainbridge and Capt. Jett, of Mosby's Confederate command.
" ' Do you know where they went?' Baker press- ed the questioning.
" 'Wall,' drawled the fisherman, 'this Capt. Jett has a lady love over at Bowling Green and I reckon he went over there.' And he further explained that Bowling Green was about fifteen miles to the south and that it had a big hotel which would make a good hiding place for a wounded man. As the cav- alry came up Baker told Rollins that he would have to accompany him as a guide until they reached Bowling Green. To this Rollins objected on the ground that he would incur the hatred of his neigh- bors, none of whom had favored the Union cause.
" 'But you might make me your prisoner/ he said in his slow drawl, 'then I would have to go.' Bak- er felt the necessity of exercising the greatest energy in the pursuit if the fugitives were to be snatched from the shelter of the hostile country.
"Rollins' old ferry boat was shaky and, although the loading was done with the greatest dispatch it took three trips to get the detachment across the
141
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
river, when the march for Bowling Green was be- gun. The horses sweltered up the crooked sandy road from the river. Baker and Conger, who were riding ahead, saw two horsemen standing motion- less on the top of a hill, their black forms showing well against the sky. (This was Major or Lieut. Ruggles and Bainbridge on sentinel duty, guarding Booth at the Garrett farm, which was only a short distance to the north of where these men were seen) .
"These men seem much interested in the move- ments of the cavalry. Baker and Conger at once suspected them of being Booth's friends, who had in some way received information of the approach of the searching party.
"Baker signaled the horsemen to wait for a parley but instead of stopping they at once put spurs to their horses and galloped up the road. Conger and Baker gave chase, but they bent to the necks of their horses and riding at full speed they were away. And just as they were overhauling them the two horsemen dashed into a blind trail leading from the main road into the pine forest. (This is when Ruggles and Bainbridge rode to the Garrett home, a short distance north of the main road, in which the Federal troops then were on their way to Bowl- ing Green, and then it was that they notified Booth to leave the Garrett home, as explained to me by St.
142
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
Helen (or Booth), when he left the Garrett home and went into the wooded spot where he was after- ward picked up by Ruggles and Bainbridge, and fur- nished a horse by which means he made his escape.)
"The pursuers drew rein on their winded horses and after consultation decided not to follow further, but to reach Bowling Green as promptly as possi- ble. ' ' These men, Baker and Conger say, they were afterward informed, were Ruggles and Bainbridge, and that Booth, at the time they turned back, was less than half a mile away, lying on the grass in front of the Garrett house. Baker says further that "indeed Booth saw his pursuers distinctly as they neared his hiding place and commented on their dusty and saddle-worn appearance." (In this Baker is mistaken. Booth did not see them, but was in- formed of their movements only by Ruggles and Bainbridge.)
Baker and Conger believed Booth to be at Bowling Green, fifteen miles away, and so they pushed on, leaving behind the man they so much desired to cap- ture.
"It was near midnight when the party clattered into Bowling Green, and with hardly a spoken com- mand surrounded the dark, rambling hotel. Baker stepped boldly to the front door, while Conger strode to the rear from which came the dismal
143
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
barking of a dog. Presently a light flickered on and some one opened the door ajar and inquired in a frightened, feminine voice, what was wanted. Baker thrust his toe inside, flung the door open and was confronted by a woman. At this moment Con- ger came through from the back way, led by a negro. The woman admitted at once that there was a Confederate cavalryman sleeping in the house and promptly pointed out the room. Baker and Conger, candle in hand, at once entered. Capt. Jett sat up staring at them and said:
" 'What do you want?'
" 'We want you,' answered Conger. 'You took Booth across the river, and you know where he is.'
" 'You are mistaken in your man,' Jett replied rolling out of bed.
" 'You lie!' roared Conger, springing forward, his pistol close to Jett's head.
"By this time the cavalrymen had crowded into the room and Jett saw the candle light glinting on their brass buttons and on their drawn revolvers.
" 'Upon my honor as a gentleman,' he said, pal- ing, 'I will tell you all I know if you will shield me from complicity in the whole matter.'
" 'Yes, if we get Booth,' responded Conger.
" 'Booth is at the Garrett home, three miles this side of Port Conway,' he said. 'If you came that
144
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
way you may have frightened him off, for you must have passed the place.
"In less than thirty minutes the pursuing party was doubling back over the road by which it had just come, bearing Jett with it as a prisoner.
"The bridle reins of the horse ridden by him were fastened to the men on each side of him in the fear that he would make a dash to escape and alarm Booth and Ilerold.
"It was a black night, no moon, no stars, and the dust rose in choking clouds. For two days the men had eaten little and slept less, and they were so worn out that they could hardly sit on their jaded horses, and yet they plunged and stumbled on through the darkness over fifteen miles of mean- dering country road, reaching the Garrett home at half-past 3 or 4 o'clock on the morning of April 26, 1865.
"Like many other Southern places, Garrett 's home stood far back from the road, with a bridle gate at the end of a long lane. So exhausted were the cav- alrymen that some of them dropped down in the sand when their horses stopped and had to be kicked into wakefulness. Rollins and Jett were placed under guard and Baker and Conger made a dash up the lane, some of the cavalry following. Gar- rett's house was an old-fashioned southern man-
145
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
sion, somewhat dilapidated, with a wide hospitable piazza, reaching its full length in front, and barns and tobacco houses looming up big and dark apart.
"Baker leaped from his horse to the steps and thundered on the door. A moment later a window close at hand was cautiously raised and a man thrust his head out. Before he could say a word Baker seized him by the arm and said: 'Open the door ! Be quick about it ! ' The old man, trembling, complied, and Baker stepped inside, closing the door behind him. A candle was quickly lighted, and then Baker demanded of Garrett to reveal the hiding place of the men who had been staying in the house.
" 'They are gone to the woods,' he said. (This was true, as Booth had gone to the woods about 2 or 3 o'clock the day before, when notified by Rug- gles and Bainbridge.) Baker thrust his revolver in the old man's face. 'Don't tell me that,' he said. 'They are here.'
"Conger now came in with young Garrett. 'Don't injure father, ' said the young man. ' I will tell you all about it. The men did go to the woods last evening when some cavalry went by, but came back and wanted us to take them over to Louisa Court House.' (Booth had left as the old man Garrett said.)
146
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
"The men spoken of by young Garrett as coming back were Herold and Ruddy, returning from Bowl- ing Green, as prearranged at the Rappahannock Ferry, and explained to me by St. Helen (Booth) to meet Booth, who they found had gone. They re- mained that night with the Garretts. There was no one with Booth at the Garrett 's, and when he left he left alone. Ruggles and Bainbridge corroborate St. Helen (Booth), and say that when they returned to the Garrett home and notified Booth to leave they looked for Herold, who had not yet returned to Booth, and that Booth straightway left by himself, in the direction which they pointed out to him. So the allusion by young Garrett to the two men return- ing had no reference to Booth's return, for at the time Booth left the Garrett home Herold and Ruddy had not yet reached there on their return from Bowl- ing Green.
"Young Garrett, continuing, said to Baker: 'We could not leave home before morning, if at all. We were becoming suspicious of them and father told them they could not stay with us.'
" 'Where are they now?' interrupted Baker.
" 'In the barn. My brother locked them in for fear they would steal the horses. He is now keep- ing watch on them in the corn crib.'
147
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
"It was plain that Garrett did not know the iden- tity of the men who had been imposing on their hospitality. Baker asked no questions, but taking young Garrett 's arm he made a dash toward the barn, when Conger ordered the cavalrymen to fol- low, and formed them in such position around the barn that no one could escape. By this time the soldiers had found the boy guarding the barn and had brought him out with the key. Baker un- locked the door and told young Garrett that inas- much as the two men were his guests he must go inside and induce them to come out and surrender. The young man objected most vigorously.
" 'They are armed to the teeth,' he faltered, 'and they will shoot me down.' But he appreciated the fact that he was looking into the black mouth of Baker's revolver and hastily slid through the door- way.
"There was a sudden rustling of corn blades and the sound of voices in low conversation. All around the barn the .soldiers were picketed, wrapped in inky blackness and uttering no sound. In the midst of a little circle of candle light Baker stood at the doorway with drawn revolver. Conger had gone to the rear of the barn.
"During the heat and excitement of the chase Baker had assumed command of the cavalrymen,
148
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
somewhat to the umbrage of Lieut. Dougherty, who kept himself in the background during the remain- der of the night. Further away, around the house, the Garrett family huddled together trembling and frightened.
"Suddenly from the barn a clear, high voice rang out, 'You have betrayed me, sir! Leave this barn or I will shoot you ! '
"Baker then called to the men in the barn, order- ing them to turn over their arms to young Garrett and surrender at once. ' If you don 't, we shall burn the barn, and have a bonfire and a shooting match.' At this young Garrett came running to the door and begged to be let out. He said he would do anything he could, but he did not want to risk his life in the presence of the two desperate men.
"Baker then opened the door and Garrett came out with a bound. He turned and pointed to the candle which Baker had been carrying since he left the house. 'Put that out, or he will shoot you by its light, ' he whispered in a frightened voice. Baker placed the candle on the ground at a little distance from the door, so that it would light all the space in front of the barn. Then he called to Booth to sur- render. In a full, clear voice Booth replied:
" 'There is a man here who wishes to surrender.' And they heard him say to Herold: 'Leave me,
149
THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON.
will you? Go! I don't want you to stay!'
"At the door Herold was whimpering, 'Let me out! Let me out! I know "nothing of this man in here.' (As a matter of fact Herold knew nothing of the man in there with him, who was Ruddy, with whom he had been connected only as the employe and guide for Booth, from across the Potomac and Rappahannock rivers, and with whom Herold had gone to Bowling Green and returned to the Garrett borne, as explained by Booth to me.)
" 'Bring out your arms and you can surrender,' insisted Baker.