TRAGEDY AT FORD'S THEATRE
The assassin, John Wilkes Booth**, grappled with one of Lincoln's guests, Major Henry Rathbone, then leaped to the stage and fled out the back of the theatre.
Mr. William Petersen, owner of a boardinghouse opposite Ford's on 10th Street, offered use of one of his rooms on the 1st floor. Mrs. Lincoln, in a frantic state, followed her husband into the boarding house.
SOURCES
"Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination, The Untold Story of the Actors and Stagehands at Ford's Theatre," by Thomas A. Bogar, Regnery History, 2013.
"The Assassination: Death of the President," by Champ Clark, Time-Life Books, Alexandria, VA, 1987.
"We Saw Lincoln Shot: One Hundred Eyewitness Accounts," edited by Timothy S. Good, University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, MS, 1995.
The Presidential Box
Washington, D.C. (JFK+50) "Harry Hawk*...was alone out on the...forestage. For a moment he froze, wondering what had exploded backstage. He (heard) a male shout...'Sic semper tyrannis' (and) saw a dark figure vault the railing of the presidential box as a puff of...smoke drifted. Then came the sound of ripping cloth and a heavy thud, and he recognized his...friend John Booth...crouching in an odd, off-balance way."
So describes the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre on the evening of April 14, 1865. The description comes from Thomas A. Bogar's "Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination." The President was sitting in a rocking chair alongside his wife, Mary, when a bullet, fired from a pistol at close range, entered the back of his head.
So describes the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre on the evening of April 14, 1865. The description comes from Thomas A. Bogar's "Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination." The President was sitting in a rocking chair alongside his wife, Mary, when a bullet, fired from a pistol at close range, entered the back of his head.
The assassin, John Wilkes Booth**, grappled with one of Lincoln's guests, Major Henry Rathbone, then leaped to the stage and fled out the back of the theatre.
One of the eyewitnesses in the theater at the time of the shooting described it as follows..."...a
pistol was fired and...a second (later) a man
vaulted over the ballister of the box (and) ran across the stage with a knife in his
right hand."
After some delay getting into the box, assistance was rendered to the President. Dr. Charles Leale located the wound and immediately determined it to be mortal. Fearing the President
would die before he could be returned to the White House, Dr. Leale
directed soldiers to carry Lincoln to the nearest bed.
Mr. William Petersen, owner of a boardinghouse opposite Ford's on 10th Street, offered use of one of his rooms on the 1st floor. Mrs. Lincoln, in a frantic state, followed her husband into the boarding house.
The President was laid diagonally across the single bed in the room. Dr. Leale was assisted by Dr. Charles Sabin Taft and Dr. Albert F. King. President Lincoln lingered through the night, but died at 7:22 on the morning of April 15, 1865.
*Harry Hawk (1837-1916) was born in Philadelphia, PA. His first stage role was in 'The Little Treasurer' in 1859. HH toured with Laura Keene's stage company in 1865 & was the only actor on stage at the time of Lincoln's assassination.
**John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865) was born in Bel Air, MD to a prominent theatrical family. JWB attended Bel Air Academy, Milton Boarding School & St. Timothy's Hall before debuting on stage at age 17. He was a nationally known leading man by the late 1850s.
**John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865) was born in Bel Air, MD to a prominent theatrical family. JWB attended Bel Air Academy, Milton Boarding School & St. Timothy's Hall before debuting on stage at age 17. He was a nationally known leading man by the late 1850s.
"Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination, The Untold Story of the Actors and Stagehands at Ford's Theatre," by Thomas A. Bogar, Regnery History, 2013.
"The Assassination: Death of the President," by Champ Clark, Time-Life Books, Alexandria, VA, 1987.
"We Saw Lincoln Shot: One Hundred Eyewitness Accounts," edited by Timothy S. Good, University Press of Mississippi, Jackson, MS, 1995.
The Presidential Box
Ford's Theatre
Photo by John White (2016)
