The life, crime, and capture of John Wilkes Booth,: with a full sketch of the conspiracy of which he was the leader, and the pursuit, trial and execution of his accomplices./ By George Alfred Townsend.

~48 Life, Crime, and Capture of JoAn Wilke BootA.
duoed Booth under another name, and stated that he had fallen from his
horse during the night. The doctor remarked of Booth that he draped the
lower part of his face while the leg was being set; he was silent, and in
pain. Having no splits in the house, they split up an old-fashioned wooden
lbaId-box and prepared them. The doct)r was assisted by an Englishman,
who at the same time began to hew out a pair of crutches. The inferior
bone of the left leg was broken vertically across, and because vertically it
did not yield when the crippled man walked upon it.
The riding boot of Booth had to be cut fi'om his foot.; within were the
words "J. WVilkes." The doctor says he did not notice these, but that
visual defect may cost him his neck. The two men waited around the house
all day, but toward evening they slipped their horses from the stable and
rode away in the direction of Allen's Fresh.
Below Bryantown run certain deep and slimy swamps, along the belt of
these Booth and Harold p:.ked up a negro named Swan, who volunteered
to show them the road for two dollars; they gave him five more to show
them the route to Allen's Fresh, but really wished, as their actions intimated, to gain the house of one Sam. Coxe, a notorious rebel, and probably
well advised of the plot. They reached the house at midnight. lt is a
fine dwelling, one of the best in Mfaryland. And after hallooing for some
time, Coxe came down to the door himself. As soon as he opened it and
beheld who the strangers were, he instantly blew out a candle he held in his
hand, and without a word pulled them into the house, the negro remaining
in the yard. The confederates remained in C,xe's house till 4 A. M., during
which time the negro saw them drink and eat heartily; but when they reappeared they spoke in a loud tone, so that Swan could hear them, against
the hospitality of Coxe. All this' was meant, to influence the darkey; but
their motives were as apparent as their words. He conducted them three
mniles further on, when they told him that now they knew the way, and
giving, him five dollars more-making twelve in all-told him to go back.
But when the negro, in the dusk of the morning, looked after them as he
receded, he saw that both horses' heads were turned once more toward
Coxe's, and it was this man, doubtless, who harbored the fugitives from
Sunday to Thursday, aided, possibly, by such neighbors as the Wilsons and
.Adamses.
At the point where Booth crossed the Potomac the shores are very shallow, and one must wade out some distance to where a boat will float. A
white man came up here with a canoe on Friday, and tied. it by a stone
anchor. Between seven and.eig,ht o'clock it disappeared, and in the afternoon some men at work inf Virginia, saw Booth and Harold land, tie the
boat's rope to a stone, and fling it ashore, and strike at once across a
ploughed field for King George Court house.'Many folks entertained them
without doubt, but we positively hear of them next at Port Royal Ferry,
and then at Garrett's farm.
I close this artiole with a list of all who were at Garrett's farm on the
death of Booth.
1. E. J. Conger, Detectives.
2. Lieut. Baker, Detectives.
3. Surgeon from Port Royal,
4. Four Garrett daughters. *
5. Harold, Booth's accomplice,
Soldiers.-Company' H, Sixteenth New-York Volunteer Cavalry, Lie.
enlant Ed. P. Doherty commandming: Corporals A. Neugarten, J. Walye
f. liornisby: Privates J. Mellington. D..Barker, E. Parelays, W. Mock.