640 



OBITUAEIES, UNITED STATES. 



la the spring of 18C4 he virtually withdrew 

 from the stage, and had appeared hut once 

 since that time, when he took part with his 

 brothers in the performanQC of "Julius Cojsar," 

 at the Winter Garden. He professed to have 

 engaged in speculations in petroleum lands and 

 oil; hut there is reason to believe that this was 

 mainly as a cover for the conspiracy for the 

 capture or murder of the President, in which 

 he had been involved for many months. He 

 had repeatedly visited Canada during the year 

 1864 and the early months of 1865, and the 

 evidence obtained on the trial of his fellow-con- 

 spirators indicated a scheme of abducting the 

 President. The attempt to abduct Mr. Lincoln 

 failed, and then Booth determined upon his 

 murder. This he had attempted to accomplish 

 on the day of the inauguration, but failing again, 

 his fury, which grew by what it fed upon, led 

 him to include in the massacre the principal 

 members of the Cabinet, the Vice-President, and 

 the Lieutenant-General. He addressed himself 

 to the work of training his accomplices in "Wash- 

 ington and its vicinity for their several parts. 

 The murderous plot failed to kill any except 

 the chief victim, though Mr. Seward and his 

 son were saved from death almost by miracle. 

 After firing the fatal shot at Mr. Lincoln, Booth 

 leaped from the box to the stage, and his spur 

 catching upon the flag which draped the front 

 of the President's box, he fell upon the stage 

 and fractured one of the bones of the leg, but 

 springing up he flourished his bloody knife and 

 shouting, "Sio SEMPER TYRANNIS," fled across' 

 the stage to a private entrance, where one of 

 his accomplices was holding a horse for him. 

 Accompanied by Harold, another accomplice, 

 he passed rapidly across the Long Bridge into 

 Virginia, and turning southward rode nearly 

 thirty miles, to the residence of Dr. Mudd, where 

 his broken limb was set. The doctor aided in 

 concealing him, and finally conveyed him across 

 a swamp from whence he escaped still farther 

 southward, traversed the northern neck of Vir- 

 ginia, and crossing the Eappahannock at Swan 

 Point, where he paid $300 for a boat to take 

 himself and his companion over, he made his 

 way with great difficulty to Garrett's farm, near 

 Bowling Green, about twenty miles below Fred- 

 ericksbnrg. Colonel Baker, of the War Detective 

 Police, had been following his trail indefatigably, 

 and on the night of the 25th of April, a squad of 

 his detectives under his brother, Lieut. Baker, 

 had traced him to Garrett's farm, and by threats 

 had compelled Garrett's sons to show them 

 the barn in which he was concealed. They 

 summoned him to surrender, but he refused 

 obstinately, and they finally set fire to the barn. 

 He then aimed at Lieut. Baker, and one of the 

 detectives, Sergeant Boston Corbett, fired at 

 him, and the ball took effect in the base of the 

 brain, near the point where his bullet had 

 wounded President Lincoln. He lived three 

 hours, perfectly conscious, and in great agony, 

 and died about 7 A. M. of the 26th of April, 

 eleven days after his victim. 



April 30. LATTA, A. B., the inventor of 

 steam fire-engines, died in Ludlow, Kentucky, 

 aged 44 years. 



April . MOORE, AUGUSTUS OLCOTT, pub- 

 lisher of works upon agricultural subjects, died 

 at New York city, aged 43 years. He was a 

 native of Columbus, Ga., and removed at an 

 early age with his parents to Ohio, in which 

 State, at the age of 19 years, he purchased and 

 worked a farm. Subsequently he went into 

 the banking business in Cincinnati, but after 

 several years' experience, his love of art led him 

 to leave mercantile life and devote his time and 

 attention to painting, for which he had a de- 

 cided talent. In 1853 he removed to New 

 York and engaged in the publishing business, 

 but the close confinement bringing on hemor- 

 rhage of the lungs, he relinquished it in 1859, 

 and spent some time travelling in Europe, Cali- 

 fornia, and Central America, frequently con- 

 tributing articles for "The Agriculturist," illus- 

 trated by his own pencil. He returned from 

 Europe in the fall of 1864. 



April . SELDEN, GEORGE N., a philanthro- 

 pist and leading citizen of Troy, N. Y., died in 

 that city. He bequeathed the bulk of his large 

 property to benevolent objects, among which 

 was $25,000 for the founding of an institution, 

 to be known as the "Selden Institute," for the 

 education, bringing up, and maintenance of fe- 

 male nurses. 



April . WILLARD, Dr. SYLVESTER D., 

 Surgeon-General of the State of New York, 

 died at Albany. 



May 1. DE HAVES', Lieut. EDWIN J., TJ. S. 

 N., died at Philadelphia. He was born in that 

 city in 1819, and entered the navy in 1829, 

 being but ten years of age. He had been 

 nearly thirty-six years in the service, about 

 one-half of it in the sea service, but owing to 

 impaired vision had been placed on the retired 

 list. His last cruise was completed in 1857. 

 He was a man of fine scientific abilities, and 

 was often detailed for special service. He com- 

 manded the first Arctic exploring expedition, 

 of which Dr. Kane wrote so graphic an ac- 

 count. Lieut. De Haven was for several years 

 employed in the National Observatory, under 

 Maury, who was indebted to him for much of 

 the scientific reputation he attained. 



May 8. ORAM, Miss ELIZABETH, a teacher 

 and authoress, died in Georgetown, D. C., aged 

 75 years. She was for many years a successful 

 teacher in New York city, and was extensively 

 known as the author of many elementary edu- 

 cational works, a Magnetic Globe, for which she 

 received a patent under the administration of 

 Gen. Jackson in 1831, and of numerous fugi- 

 tive essays in poetry and prose. She also pub- 

 lished translations of several works from the 

 German and French into English, and from 

 English into German and French. 



May 8. REYNOLDS, JOHN, formerly Governor 

 of Illinois, died at Belleville, 111., aged 70 yeai* 

 Ho was a native of Montgomery County, Pa., 

 and was born of Irish parents, who had landed 



