Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth, Assassin of President Lincoln (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1907 edition. Excerpt: ... THE HAND OF SECRETARY STANTON The government for some reason took up the pursuit 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 P.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 Washington, accompanied by his cousin, Lieut. L. B. Baker, a member of the Bureau, who had recently been mustered out of the First District of Columbia Cavalry. They went at once to the office of the War Department and after a conference with Secretary Stanton, began the search for the murderer of the President. "Up to this time," says Col. Baker, "the confusion had been so great that few of the ordinary detective measures for the apprehension of criminals had been employed. No rewards had been offered. Little or no attempt had been made to collect and arrange the clue in the furtherance of a systematic search and the pursuit was wholly without 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 Washington 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 President on the evening of April 14th, 1865, height 5 feet 8 inches, weight 160...