The Life, Crime, and Capture of John Wilkes Booth — John Shaqi
The Life, Crime, and Capture of John Wilkes BoothTownsend, George Alfred
History
The Life, Crime, and Capture of John Wilkes Booth
Townsend, George Alfred
Assassins -- United States -- Biography; Booth, John Wilkes, 1838-1865; Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865 -- Assassination
Some very deliberate and extraordinary movements were made by a handsome
and extremely well-dressed young man in the city of Washington last
Friday. At about half-past eleven o'clock A. M., this person, whose name
is J. Wilkes Booth, by profession an actor, and recently engaged in oil
speculations, sauntered into Ford's Theater, on Tenth, between E and F
streets, and exchanged greetings with the man at the box-office. In the
conversation which ensued, the ticket agent informed Booth that a box
was taken for Mr. Lincoln and General Grant, who were expected to visit
the theater, and contribute to the benefit of Miss Laura Keene, and
satisfy the curiosity of a large audience. Mr. Booth went away with a
jest, and a lightly-spoken "Good afternoon." Strolling down to
Pumphreys' stable, on C street, in the rear of the National Hotel, he
engaged a saddle horse, a high-strung, fast, beautiful bay mare, telling
Mr. Pumphreys that he should call for her in the middle of the
afternoon.
From here he went to the Kirkwood Hotel, on the corner of Pennsylvania
avenue and Twelfth street, where, calling for a card and a sheet of
notepaper, he sat down and wrote upon the first as follows:
_For Mr. Andrew Johnson_:--
I don't wish to disturb you; are you at home?
J. W. Booth.
To this message, which was sent up by the obliging clerk, Mr. Johnson
responded that he was very busily engaged. Mr. Booth smiled, and turning
to his sheet of note-paper, wrote on it. The fact, if fact it is, that
he had been disappointed in not obtaining an examination of the
Vice-President's apartment and a knowledge of the Vice-President's
probable whereabouts the ensuing evening, in no way affected his
composure. The note, the contents of which are unknown, was signed and
sealed within a few moments. Booth arose, bowed to an acquaintance, and
passed into the street. His elegant person was seen on the avenue a few
minutes, and was withdrawn into the Metropolitan Hotel.
At 4 P. M., he again appeared at Pumphreys' livery stable, mounted the
mare he had engaged, rode leisurely up F street, turned into an alley
between Ninth And Tenth streets, and thence into an alley reloading to
the rear of Ford's Theater, which fronts on Tenth street, between E and
F streets. Here he alighted and deposited the mare in a small stable off
the alley, which he had hired sometime before for the accommodation of a
saddle-horse which he had recently sold. Mr. Booth soon afterward
retired from the stable, and is supposed to have refreshed himself at a
neighboring bar-room.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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