The wife and I had been celebrating all week. The war was won; was there ever a better time to celebrate? It had been 6 days of the grandest celebration any living man had seen. President Lincoln made speeches, actors hands cramped from all the signatures given as they walked the streets, and most every important man and woman in the whole of the D.C. area was enjoying the festivities. Even though all of this and more was happening, people could be seen sulking around and altogether suffering the hardships of the loss. We were not among those.
After all of these recreations, the wife told me that she wanted to relax and enjoy herself. I agreed, and we got tickets to see Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre. The look on our faces when we learned that President Lincoln was also to be attending the play must have been the most hilarious image anyone had seen. We waited all through the day, all the while broiling in anticipation of our being allowed to be in the same room as the President of the United States. We embarked on our way to the theatre late in the evening, and were so eager to be there that we were practically running!
We got there expecting to see Lincoln, but were disappointed to learn that he was still forthcoming. The news dampened our spirits, but we still had the play to look forward to. We took our seats, towards the back, and waited for the show to start. They withheld the beginning for awhile, but had to start it despite the Lincoln’s absence. I can honestly say that that time had been some of the most relaxing that I had had in years. We must have been a good bit through the show when we heard a clamor, and soon saw the president and his entourage of guests, including Mrs. Lincoln.
Oh, but how kind they were to enter the show without making themselves noticed. Despite their efforts, the play was stopped, and their arrival was announced. An incumbent applause soon followed, and then we returned to the show, which continued a great while without further incident. Alas, when another incident occurred, we were shocked and stunned.
The show’s apex was approaching, and I heard a slight shuffling behind my seat. A man turned back and said to me, “I’m sorry, sir,” and continued on his way. A good few minutes passed before all Hell broke loose. The audience burst out in hysterics as the punchline was delivered, and then we heard a loud bang that barely seeped through our dissonances. We all looked around for what had happened, when somebody shouted from the president’s box, “THE PRESIDENT HAS BEEN SHOT!”
All of a sudden, a man jumped onto the stage and yelled something indiscernible from such a distance and over such an uproar. The wife and I just sat there, paralyzed where we sat. My senses suddenly snapped back, and a deluge of emotions rushed over me as strong as the Mississippi. I was confused, shocked, outraged, lost, scared, and insecure. This is when I realized who the killer was. He must have been the man sliding behind my seat and pardoning himself. I was ashamed for not wondering why he was walking up to the president’s box.
Then, a rush of people flowed from the door. I heard shouts of, “GET OUT OF THE WAY!” and “PRESIDENT COMING THROUGH, MOVE ASIDE!” I moved with the rush, and lost my wife it the process. I had no idea what was going on, and lost all sense of order when we burst through the door. The streets were flooded with people, all of who must have heard the news, the president had been shot. They took the Lincoln’s limp body to a boarding house across the street, and I weaseled my way through the crowds, all the while crying and shouting. The emotions hit me hard and fast. I was angry for letting Lincoln’s killer through, and sad for the loss of such a great leader. I had had no idea that any of this was going to happen, and now that it has, I sit here and write my account of what happened. I will have to go searching for my wife soon, as she still hasn’t returned from the madness. This Saturday, April 14″, 1865 will be remembered all through history, as a day of mourning, and loss.
