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
While all this was going on, a force started from Point Lookout, and
swept the narrow necks of Saint Mary's quite up to Medley's Neck. To
complete the search in this part of the country, Colonel Wells and Major
O'Bierne started with a force of cavalry and infantry for Chappel Point;
they took the entire peninsula as before, and marched in close skirmish
line across it, but without finding anything of note. The matter of
inclosing a house was by cavalry advances, which held all the avenues
till mounted detectives came up. Many strange and ludicrous adventures
occured on each of these expeditions. While the forces were going up
Cobb's neck, there was a counter force coming down from Allen's Fresh.
Major O'Bierne started for Leonardstown with his detective force, and
played off Laverty as Booth, and Hoey as Harold. These two advanced to
farm-houses and gave their assumed names, asking at the same time for
assistance and shelter. They were generally avoided, except by one man
named Claggert, who told them they might hide in the woods behind his
house. When Claggert was arrested, however he stated that he meant to
hide them only to give them up. While on this adventure, a man who had
heard of the reward came very near shooting Laverty. The ruse now became
hazardous and the detectives resumed their real characters.
I have not time to go into the detail of this long and excellent hunt.
My letter of yesterday described how the detectives of Mr. Young and
Marshal Murray examined the negro Swan, and traced Booth to the house of
Sam Coxe, the richest rebel in Charles county. There is a gap in the
evidence between the arrival of Booth at this place and his crossing the
Potomac above Swan Point, in a stolen or purposely-provided canoe. But
as Coxe's house is only ten miles from the river, it is possible that he
made the passage of the intermediate country undiscovered.
One Mills, a rebel mail-carrier, also arrested, saw Booth and Harold
lurking along the river bank on Friday; he referred Major O'Bierne to
one Claggert, a rebel, as having seen them also; but Claggert held his
tongue, and went to jail. On Saturday night, Major O'Bierne, thus
assured, also crossed the Potomac with his detectives to Boon's farm,
where the fugitives had landed. While collecting information here a
gunboat swung up the stream, and threatened to fire on the party.
It was now night, and all the party worn to the ground with long travel
and want of sleep. Lieutenant Laverty's men went a short distance down
the country and gave up, but Major O'Bierne, with a single man, pushed
all night to King George's court-house, and next day, Sunday,
re-embarked for Chappell's Point. Hence he telegraphed his information,
and asked permission to pursue, promising to catch the assassins before
they reached Port Royal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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