A Night Not To Be Forgotten
The play once again resumed and proceeded into its third act. It seemed that the plot, however melodramatic and unorthodox as it was, was thickening. I turned to my mother to ask her about something just said on stage when I heard I loud bang from above. The sound reverberated briefly through the whole theatre. You could tell there was some commotion going on somewhere, but from where? Was it part of the act? All of a sudden someone shrieked a scream that I cannot describe with words. Then a man wearing a black felt hat fell onto the stage from the box where the President was. He shouted something to the crowd - something about the South being free - and limped frantically off the stage. Cries from above poured down begging people to "stop that man." "The President is shot!"
My mother quickly grabbed me and my brothers and followed the panic-stricken crowd. I was absolutely horrified, scared, confused. What had just happened? Was it really true that the President was shot? Who would do such a thing? Leaving was made very difficult by the startled, confused mob. We finally made it outside onto the street, but we didn't know where to go next or what to do. So we stayed where we were while my oldest brother, a local doctor's apprentice, went to offer his help. Only moments after he left, a group of people carrying a man approached our spot on the street. It was President Lincoln they were carrying. His body was motionless and limp. You could see the distress and sense of helplessness in the faces of those carrying him. I wanted to help, to do something for him, anything! But I could not. I began to cry.
They took him to a house across from the theatre. And only a minute or two after he was inside, Mrs. Lincoln rushed past me and my family in horror. This was not what I hoped for. I wanted to be close to the President and his wife tonight. I wanted to have a good vantage point from which to see them. But not now. I wanted to be as far away as possible. My emotions were flooded with feelings of anger, confusion, anguish. And now with everyone inside, all we could do was wait.
This night was long. Hours had gone by and only a little news had come our
Latest Articles