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.

Th tO'e, O~tre, and Caatpute t J oA rtka wk BoothA.
hopelessly submerged in slime, now attacked by lgions of wood teiks, now
tempting some unfaithful log or greenishly solid morass, and plunging to
the tip of the skull in poison stagnation; the tree boughs rent their uni
forms; they came out upon dry land, many Of them without a rag of gatr.
ment scratched, and gashed, and spent, repugnant to themselves, anid disc
gusting to those who saw them; but not one trace of Booth or Harold was
any where found. Wherever they might be, the swamps did not contain
them.
WVhile 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 cavalryand infan try for Chappel Point;
they took the entire peninsula as before, and marched in close skirmish
line across it, butwithout 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 forde 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 HIlarold. These two advanced
to farm-houses and gave their assumed names, asking at the same time for
Dsistance and shelter. They were generally avoided, except by one man
named Cla,gert, who told them they might hide in the woods behind his
house. When Clapgert was arreste(l, however he stated that he meant to
hide them only to give tlemn up. While on this adventure, a man who had
heard of the reward came very near shooting Laverty. The ruse now be.
came 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
etween 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 pa.
sage of the intermediate country undiscovered
One Mills, a rebel mail-c'arrier, 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 dowt:
the country and gave up, but Major O'Bierne, with asingle 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 tq catch the assassins before they reached Port
l-oyal.
.This the department refused. Colonel Baker's men were delegated tc
make the pursuit with the able Lieutenant Doherty, and. O'Bierne, who was
the most active and successful spirit in the chase, returned to Washington,.
theerful and contented.