MICHIGAN MILLERS
MUTUAL FIRE INSURANCE CO.
Lansing, Michigan

June 26, 1951

Dear Miss Malone:

I have your letter of June 19 asking some questions in
regard to the burial of John Wilkes Booth, I have collec-
ted all the information that I can and am giving it to you
herewith,

John Wilkes Booth was killed at the Garrett farm by Boston
Corbett. He was a crank on religious matters, and when
Father was negotiating with Booth at the front door of the
Garrett barn Corbett put his carbine through a knothole in
the rear of the barn and fired. He hit Booth in the back

of his neck - the same place that Booth shot Lincoln.

Father heard the shot, and while standing at the front door
saw Booth pitch forward and jumped in to catch him in case
he was only wounded. He found, however, that Booth's spinal
cord was severed. Some of the soldiers helped him carry Booth
to the back porch of the Garrett house, where he died in
Father's arms after he had said "Tell my mother that I did
what I thought was for the best."

The captain of the company that was under Father's command
said that the man who shot Booth would go back to Washington
in irons, and when Corbett was brought before the captain he
asked him why he had shot him. Corbett said "The Lord told
me to," and the captain said "If you hit him through that
knothole, the Lord must have directed you." Booth died on
the porch after he had drunk some water from Father's pocket
CUD.

My father took Booth to Washington, which was only a few miles,
in a lumber wagon driven by an old darkey. When fixing some
repair under the.wagon some of Booth's blood dropped on the
darkey's hand, which scared him, and the darkey said "That is
a murderer's blood and it won't ever come off. The body was
identified by quite a number of people in Washington, and then
Secretary of State Seward told General Baker to bury it where
it would not be dug up until "Gabriel sounded his last horn."
Father and, I think, Colonel Conger took the body in a boat
from Old Capitol Prison and rode down the Potomac River until
it became dark at night. Then they rode back to Old Capitol
Prison, which,’ as you know, was in the city of Washington and
belonged to the Government, and took up a big slab in a cell
 

and dug a grave underneath it and put Booth's body therein.
Some four or five years later the actor, Edwin Booth, who
was a brother of John Wilkes Booth, requested permission
from the Government to take the body up and bury it in the
Booth burial lot in (I think, V;rginia) which was done.
—Baltimore - B.M., in pencil.

One of the stories that you hear is that of the Enid, Okla-
homa, "legend" which is to the effect that Booth was not
killed and went to Oklahoma and lived out his life there.
That is pure fiction, as Booth died in Father's arms and
Father knew him. Besides that, he was identified by quite
a number of people in Washington. This "legend" was exposed
in Scribner's Magazine, which said that the records in Wash-
ington were correct and none other should be accepted.
Leslie's Magazine, which at the time of the Civil War occu-
pied a place similar to that of the Saturday Evening Post,
had a picture on the front page which showed Father and
Colonel Conger shoving Booth's body (duly wrapped up) over
the gunwell of the boat into the Potomac River. This was
purely imaginary, although Father kept the magazine and I
think he exhibited it in some of his lectures.

Booth shot Lincoln when Lincoln was sitting in a box in
Ford's Theatre in Washington. He shot him through the back
of his neck. He then leaped over the front of the box onto
the stage, saying a Latin phrase which I think is "sic semper
tyrannis,'" which is supposed to mean "so perish all tyrants."
As he leaped from the front of the box his spur caught in the
United States flag and he broke his leg. He went through the
front of the stage to the back and out the back door and
leaped on his horse. He went across the Potomac into Virginia,
where he finally came to the Garrett farm, and the Garrets
told him he could sleep in the barn, which he did. That is
where my father caught him.

Booth knew that he had broken his leg when he leaped on the
stage, and went to Dr. Mudd to have his leg set. If I re-
member rightly, Dr. Mudd was thus considered part of the
conspiracy and was sent to an island off the Florida coast,
called the "Dry Tortogus," where he was held prisoner for
several years and was finally released. The Mudd who was in
the United States Service, to whom you refer, is probably a
grandson.

As you will remember, a Mrs. Surratt, who was unquestionably
one of the plotters for the killing of all the cabinet of-
ficials, was hanged, as was also a man named Paine. What
became of the others I don't know, but I do know that only
Lincoln was killed in the conspiracy although all of the
others were intended to be.

 
 

It has been almost forty years since my father died and
what I am telling you is from memory, but I am quite sure
it is correct. My father had a thousand dollar job in the
State Capitol for many years, but occasionally a Democratic
victory in the State would put him out of his place. It was
in one of these two-year periods that he delivered his lec-
ture a good many times in the States of Michigan, Illinois,
and Indiana. Part of that time I acted as his agent in
dealing with the people who wanted him to give the lecture.
I think that the lecture in the Plymouth Congregational
Church, which you remember, had the largest audience he ever
had, as the church was filled. I think he earned about $600
a year while he was lecturing.

This is about all I can remember, although I have his lecture,
written in his own handwriting, somewhere among my paperse
I hope this will give you all the information which you wanted.

I think that the "Enid legend" was started by a man who looked
somewhat like Booth, and while he was never known to have said
he was Booth, he permitted the "legend" to spread. At least
that is my memory of it now.

I am glad that you wrote me, as I am the last of the Baker
family that you knew; my two sisters having died some years

ago and my brother seven years ago. I was the oldest of the
children and am now 82 years old. I remember quite clearly
hearing your name, and I presume you were the friend of one or
both of my sisters, who were twins. But, as you know, the
memory of a person of my age grows pretty dim and I am not sure
whether you were married or not,

Sincerely yours,

(signed) Arthur D. Baker
ADB: NC
Miss Bertha E. Malone
81 Waverly Avenue
Highland Park 3, Michigan
P. Se Booth was, as was his brother, an actor and probably felt
he was acting somewhat when he shot Lincoln on account of his

leaping onto the stage from the box and making the Latin quota-
tion which he did.

 

From the original, lent for reproduction
by Miss Bertha Malone.

Burton Historical Collection
Detroit Public Library
March 28, 1956