US History/US History (Bureau Development Inc.)(1991).ISO/dp/0029/00296.txt

Text File | 1990-12-23 | 33KB | 559 lines

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$Pretitle{27}
$Title{Ford's Theatre - National Historic Site
Ford's Theatre}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{McClure, Stanley W.}
$Affiliation{National Park Service}
$Subject{theatre
lincoln
booth
president
box
ford's
april
stage
building
door}
$Volume{Handbook 3}
$Date{1984}
$Log{Lincoln's Box*0029601.scf
John Ford*0029602.scf
John Booth*0029603.scf
Abraham Lincoln*0029604.scf
The Fatal Shot*0029605.scf
The Restored Theater*0029606.scf
}
Book:        Ford's Theatre - National Historic Site
Author:      McClure, Stanley W.
Affiliation: National Park Service
Volume:      Handbook 3
Date:        1984

              Overview of Ford's Theatre - National Historic Site

Ford's Theatre and the House Where Lincoln Died, both located in downtown
Washington, have been preserved as memorials to Abraham Lincoln.  This book
chronicles the background and events of this tragedy.

Ford's Theatre

Prologue

     In downtown Washington, almost midway between the Capitol and the White
House, two historic structures, Ford's Theatre and the House Where Lincoln
Died, have been preserved as memorials to Abraham Lincoln.  These buildings
are associated with one of the most tragic and dramatic episodes in American
history.  In Ford's Theatre, on the evening of April 14, 1865, Abraham Lincoln
was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth, a member of a prominent theatrical
family and brother of the great actor Edwin Booth.  Early the next morning the
President died in the Petersen House, directly across the street from the
theatre.

[See Lincoln's Box: Lincoln's box, photographed after the assassination.]

     When President Lincoln entered the theatre box that fateful night,
prospects for the Nation's future appeared bright.  The War Between the States
was virtually at an end.  In the Confederate States the people were returning
to the weary task of reconstruction, and many Northerners were willing to
forget the past in the solemn rejoicing of victory.  Both in the North and in
the South the personality of Lincoln was seen as the guiding hand in binding
up the Nation's wounds.  The trials and agonies of the "tragic era" which
followed the conflict might have been spared the South had the Nation heeded
the sublime spirit embodied in the words of his Second Inaugural Address which
spoke of a peace "with malice toward none, with charity for all."  With the
smoke of the assassin's pistol, the mounting hopes of an early reconciliation
vanished.  The mild peace advocated by President Lincoln gave way to the
outcry of the Northern radicals for vengeance.

     In his death, as in his life, Abraham Lincoln has entered deeply into the
folklore and history of our country.  He has become an eternal symbol, to us
and to the world, of the heights to which a common man can aspire under a
democratic way of life.  Ford's Theatre portrays his homely greatness and the
tragedy of his death.  At no place can the work of Lincoln as a national
leader and as President be more appropriately commemorated than at the site
where this work was brought to an abrupt conclusion.  The Petersen House,
preserved as of that period, carries you to the days of the Civil War and to
one of that war's saddest nights.

Ford's Theatre

     The First Baptist Church of Washington in 1833-34 erected a house of
worship upon the spot where Ford's Theatre now stands.  Services were held in
the building until 1859, when the congregation united with another church,
retaining the name of the First Baptist Church but abandoning the 10th Street
building.

     John T. Ford, an enterprising theatrical manager of Baltimore and
Philadelphia, purchased the First Baptist Church in 1861 and converted it into
a theatre.  After extensive alterations it was inaugurated on November 19,
1861.  Early in 1862, the building was closed to make renovations necessary
for the presentation of theatrical instead of musical plays. Reopened under
the name of "Ford's Athenaeum," the playhouse proved to be a profitable
business venture for Ford.  On the evening of December 30, 1862, however, the
theatre caught fire and, although several fire companies responded, the
building was soon a smoldering ruin.

[See John Ford: John T. Ford, about 1865, from an original daguerreotype.]

     Ford, not discouraged by this misfortune, made plans for the construction
of a larger and more modern structure.  The cornerstone of the new edifice was
laid on the morning of February 28, 1863, by James J. Ciflord, the architect
and builder.  A substantial brick structure of imposing architectural
proportions, it was one of the finest theatres in the country. The auditorium
seated nearly 1,700, including 421 in the dress circle (first balcony).  The
orchestra, parquet, and dress circle, sloping downward toward the stage, were
equipped with cane-bottomed chairs.  There were eight private boxes, two upper
and two lower, located on either side of the stage.

     The new Ford's Theatre was completed and opened to the public on the
night of August 27, 1863, when the dramatic pageant "The Naiad Queen" was
presented to a capacity audience.  From that date until it was closed by the
Government in April 1865, Ford's Theatre was one of the most successful
amusement places in Washington.  Ford endeavored to provide his patrons with
the best entertainment possible and a galaxy of famous actors and actresses
appeared there in some of the outstanding productions of the period.

John Wilkes Booth and the Conspiracy

     One of the many actors who had performed in the presence of Lincoln was
the prominent young actor, John Wilkes Booth.  Grandson of a man who helped
runaway slaves escape, son of an eccentric idealist of great acting ability,
and brother of Edwin Booth, the matinee idol of his time, he had the talent
and eccentricities of his family, but did not share their Union sympathies. As
a youth, his intimate associates had been Southerners, and he had developed a
passionate love for the South and its institutions.  Yet, when war came, he
continued to act in the North rather than fight for the South.  The
26-year-old thespian was handsome, popular with the ladies, and his earnings
totaled approximately $20,000 a year.  On November 9, 1863, his fame had drawn
Abraham Lincoln as a spectator to his performance in "The Marble Heart" at
Ford's Theatre.  But success in the theatre did not satisfy his lust for
enduring fame.  His misguided zeal led him on to the deed which gained for him
not fame, but deepest infamy.

[See John Booth: John Wilkes Booth photograph.]

     In his original plan, Booth did not intend to kill the President.  He
meant to kidnap him and hold him as a hostage.  As ransom for the President,
he would demand the release of Southern prisoners of war to replenish the
thinning Confederate ranks.  To carry out his scheme, Booth gathered about him
a small group of conspirators.  Two of them, Samuel Arnold and Michael
O'Laughlin, had been his schoolmates and had fought in the Confederate Army.
Lewis Paine, desperado and Confederate deserter, was a great admirer of Booth.
A German immigrant, George Atzerodt, was enlisted in the plot to supply a boat
to take the kidnappers across the Potomac River.  David Heroid, an
insignificant youth, had become a willing tool of Booth.  Another, John
Surratt, was a Confederate blockade runner.  Booth and several of the
conspirators frequently met at the boardinghouse of John Surratt's mother,
Mrs. Mary E. Surratt, located at 541 now 604, 11 Street NW., in Washington.
While examining a possible escape route in Southern Maryland, an area full of
Confederate sympathizers, Booth became acquainted with Dr. Samuel A. Mudd of
Bryantown, who was later to pay dearly for this association.  After an
abortive attempt to capture the President, the conspirators lost interest in
the kidnapping plan, and it was abandoned.  As a last resort, the desperate
actor decided to assassinate the President.

Lincoln's Last Day

Introduction

     April 14, 1865, was a day of celebration and thanksgiving in the Northern
States.  After four long years of war General Lee had surrendered, and the
capitulation of Johnston's forces was expected soon.  President Lincoln had
chosen this day as a fitting occasion for again raising the shell-torn flag
above Fort Sumter, on the fourth anniversary of its fall into Southern hands.

[See Abraham Lincoln: Abraham Lincoln on April 10, 1865. One of the last
portraits.]

     As a temporary escape from his arduous duties, Lincoln had arranged to
attend the play at Ford's Theatre that evening.  In the morning he breakfasted
with his family; and Robert Lincoln, a captain on Grant's staff who had
arrived the day before from City Point, Va., entertained with accounts of life
at the front.  President Lincoln met with his Cabinet at 11 a.m., the session
lasting until 1:30 p.m.  The main topic of discussion was the restoration of
the Southern States into the Union.  During the afternoon the President took a
long carriage ride with Mrs. Lincoln and Tad.  The drive carried Lincoln to
the Navy Yard where he visited the monitor Montauk. Returning to the White
House, he spent a pleasant hour with Governor Oglesby and General Haynie, too
of his old Illinois friends.  After dinner Lincoln visited the War Department
and then prepared to go to the theatre.  Several people were interviewed from
7:30 to 8 p.m., including Schuyler Colfax, Speaker of the House, who called by
appointment.  A congressman from Massachusetts, George Ashmun, called on the
President regarding the claim of a client.  It was after 8 o'clock and time to
go to the theatre.  So that Ashmun would be admitted early the next morning,
Lincoln wrote on a card "Allow Mr. Ashmun & friend to come in at 9 A.M.
tomorrow.  A Lincoln.  April 14, 1865."  This was the last writing from the
hand of Abraham Lincoln.

The Play - "Our American Cousin"

     Tom Taylor's celebrated comedy, "Our American Cousin," was presented at
Ford's Theatre on the evening of April 14, 1865.  The distinguished actress,
Laura Keene, was in the role of Florence Trenchard, a character she had
enacted more than 1,000 times.  It was announced in the afternoon newspapers
that General Grant would accompany President and Mrs. Lincoln to the theatre.
Although Lincoln was a familiar figure at Ford's Theatre, Grant was almost a
total stranger, and Washingtonians were anxious for a glimpse of him.  In the
hope of seeing General Grant, many persons purchased tickets for the play, and
a crowded house was anticipated.

     A messenger from the Executive Mansion had come to the box office at
Ford's Theatre at 10:30 on the morning of April 14th and reserved the state
box for the Presidential party.  Earlier in the morning, General and Mrs.
Grant had accepted an invitation from the President to accompany him and Mrs.
Lincoln to the theatre.

Preparations for the Presidential Party

     In preparation for the occasion the acting manager, Harry Clay Ford,
supervised the decorations of the President's box, situated on the south side
of the stage.  The partition between the two upper boxes was removed by Edman
Spangler, the stagehand, converting it into a single box for the convenience
of the Presidential party.  Two American flags, each on a staff, were placed
at either side of the box and two others were draped on the balustrades.  The
blue regimental flag of the U.S. Treasury Guards was suspended at the center
pillar on a staff.  An engraving of George Washington was hung in front of the
pillar as an added touch to the decorative scheme.

     During the afternoon General Grant informed the President that he and
Mrs. Grant would be unable to go to the theatre.  Late in the day they left by
train for Philadelphia on the way to visit their children at Burlington, N.J.
Lincoln then asked several other persons to join the theatre party, but all,
including Robert Lincoln, declined.  At the last moment Miss Clara Harris,
daughter of Senator Ira T. Harris of New York, and her fiance, Maj. Henry R.
Rathbone, accepted the invitation.

     It was close to 8:15 p.m. when the Lincoln carriage left the White House
grounds and drove toward the residence of Senator Harris, at 15th and H
Streets NW.  It was about 8:30 p.m. when the carriage drew up in front of
Ford's Theatre.  The performance had begun at 7:45 p. m.  The house was
filled, except for the boxes.  Only the state box was reserved that evening.

     There were five doorways opening into Ford's Theatre.  The stairway
leading to the family circle (gallery) was reached by the doorway on the
extreme south.  The doorway next on the north was the main entrance.  The box
office, with windows on the north and south, was located between these two
doors.  The other three doorways on the north were used as exits.

     Entering the lobby of the theatre by the main entrance, the Presidential
party ascended the stairway at the north end to the dress circle.  Charles
Forbes, the footman, and John Parker, a special guard, were in the party.
Passing in back of the dress circle seats, they proceeded down the aisle to
the vestibule leading to the double box.

     The door to box 7, on the left side of the vestibule, was closed.  The
party entered through the open door to box 8, at the far end of the passage.
In the afternoon, a sofa, a high-backed chair, and a black walnut rocking
chair upholstered in red damask had been placed in the box.  The rockers of
the rocking chair fitted into the angle of box 7, behind the closed door, and
nearest to the audience.

     The President took this chair with Mrs. Lincoln on his right, toward the
center pillar of the double box.  Miss Harris was seated in the right-hand
corner of box 8 and Maj. Rathbone at her left on the sofa.

     When the President had entered the theatre, William Withers, Jr., the
leader of the orchestra, signaled for "Hail to the Chief."  The audience then
caught sight of the President and, rising as a body, cheered again and again.
Once in the box, the President came to the front and, in acknowledgment, bowed
to the audience.  After the Presidential party was seated, the play was
resumed.

Events Preceding the Assassination

     At noon, Booth walked to Ford's Theatre, where it was his custom to have
his mail delivered.  Several letters were handed him, and he seated himself on
the doorsill to read them.  After half an hour, Booth walked on.  He was told
by Harry Ford that the President and General Grant would be at the theatre
that evening.

     Booth then went to the livery stable of James W. Pumphrey, on C Street in
the rear of the National Hotel, and engaged a small bay mare which he called
for at about 4 o'clock.  Sometime later he put the horse in his stable in the
rear of Ford's Theatre.  Edman Spangler, the stagehand, and Joseph "Peanuts"
Burroughs, who distributed bills and was stage doorkeeper at Ford's Theatre,
were in charge of the stable.

     Shortly after 9 o'clock, Booth came to the back door of the theatre and
called for Spangler to hold his horse.  Spangler was one of the scene-
shifters and his almost continuous presence was required at his post.  As soon
as Booth passed inside, Spangler called for "Peanuts" Burroughs to watch the
horse.

     Booth crossed underneath the stage to an exit leading to 10th Street and
entered the saloon of Peter Taltavull, adjoining the theatre on the south.
Instead of his customary brandy, Booth ordered whisky and a glass of water.

     Booth walked out and entered the theatre lobby.  He was in and out of the
lobby several times and once asked the time of the doorkeeper, John
Buckingham.  A short time later, at 10: 10 p.m., he reentered the lobby,
ascended the stairs and passed around the dress circle to the vestibule door
leading to the President's box.  Before reaching the door, Booth paused, took
off his hat, leaned against the wall, and made a survey of the audience and
stage.  The play was now nearing the close of the second scene of Act 3.
According to witnesses, Booth took a card from his pocket and handed it to
Charles Forbes who occupied seat 300, the one nearest the vestibule door.  He
then stepped down one step, put his hand on the door of the corridor, and
placed his knee against it.  It opened and Booth entered, closing it behind
him.

     As it had no lock, Booth placed a pine bar against the door and anchored
the other end in a mortise cut into the outside brick wall of the building.
This precaution was taken to prevent anyone in the dress circle from
following.  A small hole which had been bored in the door of box 7, directly
in back of Lincoln, enabled the assassin to view the position of the
President.  The actor had free access to the theatre at all times.  It is
probable that the mortise in the wall was cut by Booth sometime after the
rehearsal on April 14.  Notwithstanding the general belief that Booth also
bored the hole in the door to the President's box, Frank Ford, the son of
Harry Clay Ford, later said that his father had the hole cut so the guard
could look in on the Presidential party without having to open the door.

     The actor timed his entrance into the box when only one person was on the
stage.  The lone figure of Harry Hawk, playing the part of Asa Trenchard, was
standing at the center of the stage in front of the curtained doorway at the
tragic moment.  Miss Clara Hartis and Major Rathbone were intent upon the play
and Mrs. Lincoln laughed at the words being spoken by Harry Hawk: "Don't know
the manners of good society, eh?  Well, I guess I know enough to turn you
inside out, old gal - you sockdologizing old mantrap."  These words were
probably the last heard by Abraham Lincoln.

Assassination and Death of Lincoln

     President Lincoln was leaning slightly forward with his hand on the
balustrade and had turned his head to look into the audience.  Pulling around
the flag that decorated the box, he was looking between the pillar and the
flag.  It was at this moment, approximately 10:15 p.m., that Booth silently
entered the door to box 8 and fired the fatal shot.  A single-shot, muzzle-
loading Deringer, about 6 inches long, was fired by the assassin at close
range.  The bullet, less than one-half inch in diameter, entered slightly
above and between his left ear and the median of the back of his head, and
lodged close behind the right eye.  The President slumped forward in his
chair, and then backward, never to regain consciousness.

[See The Fatal Shot: John Wilkes Booth silently enters the door and fires the
fatal shot at President Lincoln.]

     Instantly, Major Rathbone sprang upon the assassin.  Booth dropped the
Deringer, broke from Rathbone's grasp, and lunged at him with a large knife.
Rathbone parried the blow, but he received a deep wound in his left arm above
the elbow.  Booth placed one hand on the balustrade, to the left of the center
pillar, raised his other arm to strike at the advancing Rathbone, and vaulted
over the railing.  Rathbone again seized Booth but only caught his clothing.
As he leaped, Booth's right boot struck the framed engraving of Washington,
turning it completely over.  The spur on his right heel caught in the fringe
of the Treasury Guards' flag and brought it down, tearing a strip with it.
These obstacles caused the assassin to lose his balance and he fell awkwardly
onto the stage, 12.5 feet below, and tore a rent in the green baize carpet. He
landed in a kneeling position, with his left leg resting on the stage.  In the
fall, the small bone of his left leg was fractured about 2 inches above the
ankle.

     The actor regained his feet with the agility of an athlete, and is
asserted to have flourished his dagger and shouted "Sic Semper Tyrannis" (Thus
always with tyrants), the motto of the Commonwealth of Virginia, before
dashing across the stage.  Harry Hawk, seeing Booth striding toward him with a
knife, ran through the center doorway on the stage and up a flight of stairs
to the flies.

     Leaving the stage on the north side of the theatre, Booth passed between
Laura Keene and young William J. Ferguson, standing near the promptor's desk.
In the narrow aisle leading from the stage to the rear door, Booth bumped into
William Withers, Jr., the orchestra leader.  He slashed twice at Withers,
cutting his coat and knocking him to the floor before rushing out the door.
Grasping the reins from "Peanuts" Burroughs, the assassin felled him with the
butt end of his knife, then mounted his horse and rode swiftly from the alley.

     Maj. Joseph B. Stewart, a lawyer, who was 6 feet 6 inches tall and
probably the tallest man in Washington, was sitting in the front seat of the
orchestra, on the right-hand side.  Startled by the shot, he looked up and saw
Booth tumbling onto the stage.  Rising instantly, Stewart climbed over the
orchestra pit and footlights, and pursued Booth across the stage, shouting
several times "Stop that man!" He stepped out the back door only to see Booth
mount his horse and ride away.

     The audience, not realizing what had happened, was stunned for a moment
by the report of the pistol.  Even when Booth was seen leaping from the box to
the stage, many thought it all a part of the play.  The screams of Mrs.
Lincoln first disclosed that the President was shot.  Ford's Theatre then
became a scene of terror and pandemonium.  The people left their seats and
wandered about in wild confusion.  When the audience was quieted, the theatre
was vacated.

     Several doctors attended the stricken President.  Assistant Surgeon
Charles A. Leale, U.S. Army, seated in the nearby dress circle, was the first
to reach the box, and Assistant Surgeon Charles S. Taft was lifted from the
stage into the box.  Dr. A. F. A. King of Washington was also present.  After
examining the wound they ordered that Lincoln be removed to the nearest bed,
as a ride over the rough streets to the White House would have brought on a
fatal hemorrhage.  The unconscious form was carried down the dress circle
stairway.  On reaching the street, they saw a man on the porch of a house
opposite, in front of a lighted hallway.  The surgeons ordered Lincoln be
taken into this house, and he was carried up the curving steps and down a hall
to a small, first-floor bedroom.  The single bed was pulled out from the
corner of the room and the dying President laid diagonally across it, his
extreme height not permitting any other position.

     Throughout the night Cabinet members, physicians, and distinguished men
watched at Lincoln's bedside.  All of the Cabinet officers were there, except
Secretary of State William H. Seward.  At least six doctors were also in the
room.  Surg. Gen. Joseph K. Barnes and Dr. Robert K. Stone, the family
physician, probed the wound and found it to be mortal.

     Assisted by Major Rathbone, Miss Harris, and Laura Keene, Mrs. Lincoln
followed her husband across to the Petersen House.  Major Rathbone collapsed
from loss of blood and was taken home.  Mrs. Lincoln occupied the front parlor
and here was secluded from the curious.  Going to Lincoln's bedside from time
to time, her anguish. and grief increased with each view of her dying husband.
Sometime before his death, his labored breathing and change of countenance so
affected her that she fell in a faint so prolonged that a physician ordered
that she not be permitted again to enter the room.

     In the back parlor, members of the Cabinet conferred, and here Secretary
of War Stanton began his investigation of the assassination and interviewed
witnesses of the tragedy.  Vice President Andrew Johnson visited the
President's bedside during the night but departed before the end.

     About 7 o'clock in the morning, April 15, 1865, Dr. Stone announced that
death was near, and at 7:22 a.m. the President died.  The Reverend Phineas D.
Gurley, pastor of the New York Avenue Presbyterian Church, offered a prayer
and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton approached the bed and is said to have
uttered the enduring words "Now he belongs to the ages."

     At about 10 p.m. on April 14, 1865, at almost the same time that Booth
assassinated President Lincoln, Lewis Paine entered the residence of Secretary
of State Seward, Madison Place, Lafayette Square, on the pretext of delivering
medicine to Seward, who had been injured in a carriage accident.  Paine
fractured the skull of Frederick Seward, a son of the Secretary, with his
revolver, slashed a male nurse, and stabbed Seward twice in the face.  Only
the fact that he was wearing a steel brace around his neck and broken jaw
saved Seward's life.

     On April 18, 1865, thousands of people viewed the remains of President
Lincoln in the East Room of the Executive Mansion.  Funeral services were held
in this room on April 19, and then the coffin headed a procession which moved
down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol.  Placed in the rotunda of the
Capitol, the bier was visited by huge throngs on April 20.

     The train bearing the coffin left for Springfield, Ill., on April 21,
following in reverse almost the same route taken by Lincoln in reaching
Washington early in 1861.  His body was placed in state in several of the
large cities en route.  On May 4, the coffin was placed in the receiving vault
of Oak Ridge Cemetery, Springfield, Ill., 15 days after the services at the
Executive Mansion in Washington.  The Lincoln Monument, located on the hill
above the receiving vault, was dedicated on October 15, 1874.  It contains the
bodies of President and Mrs. Lincoln and three of their four sons, Edward,
William, and Thomas (Tad).  The eldest, Robert Todd, the only Lincoln son to
reach maturity, is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

Flight of Booth and Trial of Conspirators

     In his flight from the alley behind Ford's Theatre, Booth passed along F
Street, around the Capitol to Pennsylvania Avenue, and across the Navy Yard
Bridge.  He was overtaken shortly afterward by his accomplice David Heroid.
They stopped at Lloyd's Tavern, Surrattsville, Md., at midnight April 14, to
obtain whisky and a carbine secreted there beforehand.  At 4 a.m., April 15,
they reached the home of Dr. Samuel A. Mudd, near Bryantown, Md., who set
Booth's left leg.  The flight was resumed late in the afternoon of April 15,
and at midnight the fugitives arrived at the residence of Samuel Cox.  They
were concealed in a nearby thicket and supplied with food by Thomas Jones,
foster brother of Cox, until April 21, when they started the journey to the
Potomac River.  They were aided in crossing the river by Jones, and reached
the Virginia shore on the morning of April 23.

     After crossing the Potomac, Booth and Herold were directed to the home of
Richard H. Garrett, near Port Royal, Va.  They reached there at 4 p.m. on
April 24.  At 2 a.m., April 26, a cavalry detachment of 28 men under Col. E.
J. Conger tracked Booth and Herold to Garrett's barn.  Herold surrendered, but
Booth refused.  The barn was set afire, and Booth, advancing toward the open
door, was shot through the neck.  Sgt. Boston Corbett claimed to have fired
the shot.  The wounded Booth was dragged from the flaming structure to the
front porch of Garrett's house, where he died at 5:30 a.m.  His body was
brought back to the Washington Navy Yard, identified, and buried beneath a
cell in the penitentiary at the Arsenal grounds on April 27, where it remained
until October 1, 1867, when it was removed to the nearby Arsenal warehouse.
In February 1869, his body was released to his family.

     The conspirators were quickly rounded up following Lincoln's
assassination.  Atzerodt, who had been assigned to kill Vice President
Johnson, lacked the courage to carry out the plan, and was captured 6 days
afterwards.  Arnold and O'Laughlin were apprehended 3 days after the murder.
On April 17, Mrs. Surratt was arrested at her boardinghouse, along with Paine
who had walked in while the police were there.  Dr. Mudd was arrested on April
21.

     Paine, Herold, Atzerodt, and Mrs. Surratt were hanged.  Dr. Mudd, Arnold,
and O'Laughlin were sentenced to life imprisonment at Fort Jefferson on the
Dry Tortugas, Fla.  Dr. Mudd and Arnold were pardoned by President Johnson in
1869, and O'Laughlin died of yellow fever in 1867. Spangler, charged with
aiding in Booth's escape, was sentenced to 6 years' imprisonment but was
pardoned with the others.  John Surratt, who had fled to Europe, was captured
at Alexandria, Egypt, and tried in Washington by a civil court in 1867.  He
was freed when the jury disagreed.

Ford's Theatre After the Tragedy

     On the night of April 14, 1865, Secretary of War Stanton ordered guards
to be posted at the theatre, and all future dramatic productions were
canceled.  In June, the building was restored to John T. Ford who advertised
that the theatre would be reopened.  This announcement aroused public
indignation, and the War Department ordered the building closed.  Ford
threatened legal proceedings, whereupon the Government rented the building for
$ 1,500 a month until June 1, 1866, with the privilege of purchasing it for $
100,000.  The necessary funds were provided by Congress in the Deficiency
Appropriation Acts of July 7, 1865, and April 7, 1866.

     Soon after renting the property, the Government began remodeling the
theatre into an office and storage building.  On August 17, 1865, a contract
was awarded for altering the interior of the building.  The ornate woodwork of
the stage and balconies was removed and the building was divided into three
floors.  This work was completed on November 27, 1865.  The building was
occupied by the Record and Pension Bureau of the War Department in April 1866.
The Army Medical Museum was located on the third floor from 1867 to 1887.

     On the morning of June 9, 1893, a second tragedy occurred in the old
theatre building.  Excavation in the basement for the installation of an
electric plant weakened the foundations of the structure and caused the three
floors to collapse.  Employees of the Record and Pension Bureau were at work
when the crash occurred.  Clerks, desks, and heavy file cases fell into the
basement.  Twenty-two persons were killed and 68 injured in the catastrophe.
The interior of the building was restored the following year.

     On July 1, 1928, the building was transferred from the War Department to
the Office of Public Buildings and Public Parks of the National Capital and
utilized for storage purposes.  That office was absorbed by the National Park
Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, by Executive order of June 10, 1933.

Restoration of Ford's Theatre

     Beginning in 1946, a number of bills were introduced in Congress to
restore Ford's Theatre to its original appearance as of the night of April 14,
1865.  No action was taken until 1960, however, the funds were appropriated
for research and architectural study of the building.  Final approval for full
restoration of the theatre did not come until July 7, 1964, when the 88th
Congress voted $2,073,600 for this purpose.  To carry out the work, the
Lincoln Museum, which had occupied the building since 1932, was closed and the
exhibits were removed.

     On February 13, 1968, after 3 years during which the interior of the
building was rebuilt section by section, Ford's Theatre was reopened to the
public.  The furnishings throughout are either original items or true
reproductions based on contemporary photographs, sketches, and drawings,
newspaper articles, official reports, and samples of wallpaper and curtain
material from museum collections.  Except for the original crimson damask
sofa, the furniture in the Presidential box was duplicated especially for the
restoration.  The flags displayed across the front of the box are also
reproductions, but the framed engraving of George Washington is the original
used on the night of the assassination.

     Theatrical plays were reintroduced in Ford's Theatre soon after it was
reopened and have continued in season with scheduled afternoon and evening
performances.  When plays are not in progress, visitors are seated in the
auditorium.  The history of the theatre and the assassination are dramatically
described against the setting of the reconstructed stage and boxes.  The stage
set, itself, changes frequently, for theatrical productions.

[See The Restored Theater: The Restored Ford's Theatre.]