Chapter XIV

TOM HUNTS WILKES BOOTH--THE END OF THE MURDERER--ANDREW JOHNSON,
PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES--TOM AND TOWSER GO HOME.

The assassination of Lincoln was not the only crime that stained that memorable night. Secretary-of-State Seward was stabbed in his sick-bed by one of Booth's co-conspirators. Attempts were made upon the lives of other Cabinet ministers. Many arbitrary arrests had been made during the war by Secretary Stanton. It had been said that whenever Stanton's little bell rang, somebody went to prison. That little bell had little rest this Saturday. Wholesale arrests were made of suspected Southern sympathizers who might have known something of the hideous conspiracy of murder. Stanton put all the grim energy of him into the pursuit of the leading criminals. He was said never to forget anything. One of the things he had not forgotten was that Tom Strong knew Wilkes Booth by sight. He sent him from Lincoln's bedside, hours before Lincoln died, to join a troop of cavalry that was to pursue Booth. The road by which the murderer had left Washington was known. Hard upon his heels rode the avengers of crime. Wherever there was a light in one of the few houses along the lonely road, often where there was no light, the occupants were seized, questioned, sometimes sent to Washington under guard, sometimes released and sternly bidden to say nothing of the midnight ride. Piecing together scraps of information gathered here and there, studying every crossroad for possible hoof-marks of flight, the silent commander of the cavalrymen at last convinced himself that he was on the trail of the quarry. The troops broke into full gallop. A few minutes before dawn they reached a small village on the bank of the Potomac, where the fires of a smithy gleamed. They pulled up short as the startled blacksmith came out of his sooty shed.

"What are you doing here?" demanded the captain.

"I've been--I've been--putting on a horseshoe, sir."

"For what kind of a looking man?"

"He said his name was Barnard."

"I beg your pardon, sir," said Tom from his saddle, "but Barnard was the name Wilkes Booth once gave me for his own." At the beginning of the ride, Tom had described Booth's appearance to the captain.

"Was the man pale? Did he have long black hair?"

"Long black hair," answered the blacksmith, "but his cheeks were red. He seemed excited. While I was replacing the shoe his horse had cast, he kept drinking brandy from a bottle he carried. He never gave me none of it," the man added with an injured air.

"Did he say anything?"

"Yes, sir. He said I'd hear great news later today, that the Southerners had won their greatest victory. I asked him where and he swore at me and told me to shut up. But he gave me a silver dollar. Perhaps it's bad. Is it?"

The blacksmith pulled out of his grimy pocket a dollar and showed it to the captain.

"Do you know who that man was?" was the stern command.

"No, sir, o' course I don't. I s'pose he was Mr. Barnard."

"He was Judas. He has murdered Abraham Lincoln. And he has given you one of the forty pieces of silver."

With wild-eyed horror, the smith started back. He flung the accursed dollar far into the Potomac.

"God's curse go with it," he cried. "Captain, the man went straight down the river road. He gave his horse a cut with his whip 'n he yelled 'Carry me back to ole Virginny!' and he went off lickety-split. He ain't half-an-hour ahead of you."

No need to command full speed now. Every man was riding hard. Every horse was putting his last ounce of strength into his stride. Within an hour, the hounds saw the slinking fox they chased. Booth, abandoning his exhausted steed, took refuge in a tumble-down barn. A cordon was thrown about it and he was called on to surrender. The reply was a shot. Tom heard the whiz of the bullet as it tore by him. The cavalry pumped lead into the barn. Once, twice, thrice they fired. At the first volley, the trapped murderer had again fired. There was no answer to the second and third. With reloaded carbines, the troopers charged, burst open the barred door, and rushed into the rickety shed. A man lay on the earthen floor, breath and blood struggling together in his gaping mouth. As they gathered about him, the Captain asked:

"Do you know this man, Captain Strong?"

"Yes, sir."

"Who is he?"

"Wilkes Booth, sir."

The sound of his own name half recalled Booth to life. He looked up at the boy who stood beside him and recognized him. Ferocious hate filled the glazing eyes. Then Wilkes Booth went to his eternal doom, hating to the end.

"Is he dead?" said the Captain, turning to a major of the medical service, who had galloped beside Tom on that fierce ride of the avengers. A big, bearded man knelt beside the body of Wilkes Booth, put his finger where the pulse had been and laid his hand where the heart had once beat.

"He is dead," answered Major Hans Rolf.

His body was thrust somewhere into the earth he had disgraced or else was flung, weighted with stones, into the river, all the flood tides of which could not wash away the black guilt of him. No man knows where the body of Wilkes Booth was buried.

* * * * *

"The king is dead! Long live the king!"

When Tom rode sadly up Pennsylvania Avenue, with a crape-laden flag at half-mast over the Capitol, glad for the stern justice that had been dealt out to the murderer he loathed, but bowed down with grief for the murdered President he had loved, Abraham Lincoln was no longer President of the United States. In his stead, our uncrowned king was Andrew Johnson, of Tennessee, a Southern Unionist who had been elected Vice President when the people chose Lincoln a second time for their ruler. Johnson had been born to grinding poverty in a rough community where "skule-l'arnin'" was not to be had. He was a grown man, earning a scanty livelihood as a village tailor, when his wife taught him to read and write. He worked his hard way up in life, became a man of prominence in his village, in his county, in his State, until he was chosen for Lincoln's running-mate as a representative Southern Unionist. He was of course a man of native force, but he sometimes drowned his mind in liquor. That fatal habit pulled him down. He was a failure as a President, though thereafter he served his State and his country well as a United States Senator from Tennessee.

The White House was changed under its new ruler. John Hay, full of cheer and wit, was abroad as a secretary of legation. Nicolay, his superior officer, was a consul in Europe. The Lincoln family had gone West through a sorrowing country, bearing the body of the martyr-President to its burial-place in Springfield, Illinois. For a while some familiar faces were left. At first, the same Cabinet ministers served the new President. For some time, Uncle Moses had to learn no new names as he carried about the summons to the Cabinet meetings. But the visitors to the White House had changed mightily. Rough men from Tennessee and the other Border States, some of them diamonds in the rough, swarmed there. Lincoln had never used tobacco. The new-comers both smoked and chewed. Clouds of smoke filled the lower story and giant spittoons lined the corridors and invaded the public rooms. Gradually the Republican leaders ceased to wait upon the President.

Among the people who left the White House soon after Lincoln left it was Tom Strong. On a bright May morning he walked across the portico, where Towser was eagerly awaiting him and where Uncle Moses followed him. Unk' Mose lifted his withered black hands and called down blessings on the boy who had been his angel of freedom and had led him out of bondage.

"De good Lawd bress you, Mas'r Tom. And de good Lawd bress dat dar wufless ol' houn' dawg Towser, too. 'Kase Towser, he lubs you, Mas'r Tom,--and so duz I," Uncle Moses shyly added.

The venerable old negro and the white boy shook hands in a long farewell upon the steps of the White House. Then Tom turned away from the historic roof that had so long sheltered him and walked to the railroad station, to take the train for New York. Towser trotted stiffly by his side, trying at every step to lick his master's hand.

Tom Strong studied hard at home and then went to Yale, as his father had done before him.

Towser could not go with him. The laws of Yale forbade it. That is one of the chief disadvantages of being a dog. Soon after Tom went to New Haven, Towser went to heaven. At least, let us hope he did. He deserved to do so. One of the human things about Martin Luther, the stern founder of Protestantism in Germany in the Sixteenth Century, was that he once said to a tiny girl, weeping over the death of her tiny dog: "Do not cry, little maid; for you will find your dog in heaven and he will have a golden tail."

THE END

BOOKS FOR YOUNG FOLKS

THE DOGS OF BOYTOWN

By WALTER A. DYER

_Author of "Pierrot, Dog of Belgium," etc._
_Illustrated. $1.50 net_

_New York Sun_: "It takes the cake--in this case, of course, a dog
biscuit.... It is the most unusual book of its kind.... Dyer enters a
new field for boys ... all boys will want to know about Dogs--their ways
and habits, their histories and origins.... Threaded through this
wonderful textbook on dogs is the story of adventures of two boys ...
shows the reader where to find out about everything from bench shows and
the care of puppies to fleas...."

THE FIVE BABBITTS AT BONNYACRES

By WALTER A. DYER

_Illustrated, by J. O. Chapin. $1.50 net_

A back-to-the-farm story for young folks based on actual experience. The
farm problems and results are such as could actually occur on thousands
of American farms.

MAGIC PICTURES OF THE LONG AGO

By ANNA CURTIS CHANDLER

_With some forty illustrations. $1.30 net_

Each recounts the youth and something of the later life of some striking
character in art, history, or literature, and is made very vivid by
reproductions of famous pictures, etc.

BLUE HERON COVE

By FANNIE LEE MCKINNEY

_Author of "Nora-Square-Accounts."_

_Illustrated. $1.35 net_

Tells how Blue Heron Island and its seafaring folks change "a little
German countess in white satin" into "a real, authentic American girl."

THE GUN BOOK

By THOMAS H. MCKEE

_Profusely illustrated. $1.60 net_

A book about guns for boys of all ages. The history is accurate; boys
will remember the anecdotes; and the technical parts are sensibly
adapted to show "just how it works."

HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

COMPANION STORIES OF COUNTRY LIFE

FOR BOYS By CHARLES P. BURTON

THE BOYS OF BOB'S HILL

Illustrated by GEORGE A. WILLIAMS. 12mo. $1.35 net.

A lively story of a party of boys in a small New England town.

"A first-rate juvenile ... a real story for the live human boy--any
boy will read it eagerly to the end ... quite thrilling
adventures."--_Chicago Record-Herald_.

THE BOB'S CAVE BOYS

Illustrated by VICTOR PERARD. $1.35 net.

"It would be hard to find anything better in the literature of New
England boy life. Healthy, red-blooded, human boys, full of fun,
into trouble and out again, but frank, honest, and clean."--_The
Congregationalist._

THE BOB'S HILL BRAVES

Illustrated by H. S. DELAY. 12mo. $1.35 net.

The "Bob's Hill" band spend a vacation in Illinois, where they play at
being Indians, hear thrilling tales of real Indians, and learn much
frontier history. A history of especial interest to "Boy Scouts."

"Merry youngsters. Capital. Thrilling tales of the red men and
explorers. These healthy red-blooded, New England
boys."--_Philadelphia Press._

THE BOY SCOUTS OF BOB'S HILL

Illustrated by GORDON GRANT. 12mo. $1.35 net.

The "Bob's Hill" band organizes a Boy Scouts band and have many
adventures. Mr. Burton brings in tales told around a camp-fire of La
Salle, Joliet, the Louisiana Purchase, and the Northwestern
Reservation.

CAMP BOB'S HILL

Illustrated by GORDON GRANT. $1.35 net.

A tale of Boy Scouts on their summer vacation.

THE RAVEN PATROL OF BOB'S HILL

Illustrated by GORDON GRANT. $1.35 net.

The account of a camping trip of the Raven Patrol of the Boy Scouts to
the Massachusetts coast, with much real boy fun and wholesome
adventure.

HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

BY ALICE CALHOUN HAINES

_For Young Folks from 9 to 16 Years old._

PARTNERS FOR FAIR

With illustrations by FAITH AVERY. $1.35 net

A story full of action, not untinged by pathos, of a boy and his
faithful dog and their wanderings after the poor-house burns down.
They have interesting experiences with a traveling circus; the boy is
thrown from a moving train, and has a lively time with the Mexican
Insurrectos, from whom he is rescued by our troops.

THE LUCK OF THE DUDLEY GRAHAMS

Illustrated by FRANCIS DAY. 300 pp., 12mo. $1.35 net.

A family story of city life. Lightened by humor and an airship.

"Among the very best of books for young folks. Appeals especially
to girls."--_Wisconsin List for Township Libraries._

"Promises to be perennially popular. A family of happy, healthy,
inventive, bright children make the best of restricted conditions
and prove themselves masters of circumstances."--_Christian
Register._

"Sparkles with cleverness and humor."--_Brooklyn Eagle._

COCK-A-DOODLE HILL

A sequel to the above. Illustrated by FRANCIS DAY.

296 pp., 12mo. $1.35 net.

"Cockle-a-doodle Hill" is where the Dudley Graham family went to live
when they left New York, and here Ernie started her chicken-farm, with
one solitary fowl, "Hennerietta." The pictures of country scenes and
the adventures and experiences of this household of young people are
very life-like.

"No better book for young people than 'The Luck of the Dudley
Grahams' was offered last year. 'Cock-a-Doodle Hill' is another of
similar qualities."--_Philadelphia Press._

HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

By ALFRED BISHOP MASON

TOM STRONG, WASHINGTON'S SCOUT

Illustrated. $1.30 net.

A story of adventure. The principal characters, a boy and a trapper,
are in the Revolutionary army from the defeat at Brooklyn to the
victory at Yorktown.

TOM STRONG, BOY-CAPTAIN

Illustrated. $1.30 net.

Tom Strong and a sturdy old trapper take part in such stirring events
following the Revolution as the Indian raid with Crawford and a
flat-boat voyage from Pittsburgh to New Orleans, etc.

TOM STRONG, JUNIOR

Illustrated. $1.30 net.

The story of the son of Tom Strong in the young United States. Tom
sees the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr; is in
Washington during the presidency of Jefferson; is on board of the
"Clermont" on its first trip, and serves in the United States Navy
during the War of 1812.

TOM STRONG, THIRD

Illustrated. $1.30 net.

Tom Strong, Junior's son helps his father build the first railroad
in the United States and then goes with Kit Carson on the Lewis and
Clarke Expedition.

TOM STRONG, LINCOLN'S SCOUT

Illustrated. $1.30 net.

Serving under President Lincoln, the fourth Tom Strong becomes an
actor in the most stirring events of the Civil War.

HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

_STANDARD CYCLOPÆDIAS FOR YOUNG OR OLD_

CHAMPLIN'S

Young Folks' Cyclopædias

By JOHN D. CHAMPLIN

_Late Associate Editor of the American Cyclopædia_

Bound in substantial red buckram. Each volume complete in itself
and sold separately. 12mo, $3.00 per volume, net.

COMMON THINGS

New, Enlarged Edition, 850 pp. Profusely Illustrated
"A book which will be of permanent value to any boy or girl to whom
it may be given, and which fills a place in the juvenile library,
never, so far as I know, supplied before."--_Susan Coolidge._

PERSONS AND PLACES

New, Up-to-Date Edition, 985 pp. Over 375 Illustrations

"We know copies of the work to which their young owners turn
instantly for information upon every theme about which they have
questions to ask. More than this, we know that some of these copies
are read daily, as well as consulted; that their owners turn the
leaves as they might those of a fairy book, reading intently
articles of which they had not thought before seeing them, and
treating the book simply as one capable of furnishing the rarest
entertainment in exhaustless quantities.--_N. Y. Evening Post._

LITERATURE AND ART

604 pp. 270 Illustrations

"Few poems, plays, novels, pictures, statues, or fictitious
characters that children--or most of their parents--of our day are
likely to inquire about will be missed here. Mr. Champlin's
judgment seems unusually sound."--_The Nation._

GAMES AND SPORTS

By JOHN D. CHAMPLIN and ARTHUR BOSTWICK

Revised Edition, 784 pp. 900 Illustrations

"Should form a part of every juvenile library, whether public or
private."--_The Independent._

NATURAL HISTORY

By JOHN D. CHAMPLIN, assisted by FREDERICK A. LUCAS

725 pp. Over 800 Illustrations

"Here, in compact and attractive form, is valuable and reliable
information on every phase of natural history, on every item of
interest to the student. Invaluable to the teacher and school, and
should be on every teacher's desk for ready reference, and the
children should be taught to go to this volume for information
useful and interesting."--_Journal of Education._

HENRY HOLT AND COMPANY
PUBLISHERS NEW YORK

End of Project Gutenberg's Tom Strong, Lincoln's Scout, by Alfred Bishop Mason