AP Was There: Original AP report of Lincoln's assassination

[Nevilledog]

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Adrian Morrow
@AdrianMorrow
This AP dispatch, filed 156 years ago tonight, is simultaneously amazing for its level of reported detail on deadline, and one of the most egregious possible examples of burying the lede

AP Was There: Original AP report of Lincoln's assassination
On the night Abraham Lincoln was shot, April 14, 1865, Associated Press correspondent Lawrence Gobright scrambled to report from the White House, the streets of the stricken capital, and even from...
apnews.com
12:32 PM · Apr 14, 2021

On the night Abraham Lincoln was shot, April 14, 1865, Associated Press correspondent Lawrence Gobright scrambled to report from the White House, the streets of the stricken capital, and even from the blood-stained box at Ford’s Theatre, where, in his memoir he reports he was handed the assassin’s gun and turned it over to authorities. Here is an edited version of his original AP dispatch:

___

WASHINGTON, APRIL 14 — President Lincoln and wife visited Ford’s Theatre this evening for the purpose of witnessing the performance of ‘The American Cousin.’ It was announced in the papers that Gen. Grant would also be present, but that gentleman took the late train of cars for New Jersey.

The theatre was densely crowded, and everybody seemed delighted with the scene before them. During the third act and while there was a temporary pause for one of the actors to enter, a sharp report of a pistol was heard, which merely attracted attention, but suggested nothing serious until a man rushed to the front of the President’s box, waving a long dagger in his right hand, exclaiming, ‘Sic semper tyrannis,’ and immediately leaped from the box, which was in the second tier, to the stage beneath, and ran across to the opposite side, made his escape amid the bewilderment of the audience from the rear of the theatre, and mounted a horse and fled.

The groans of Mrs. Lincoln first disclosed the fact that the President had been shot, when all present rose to their feet rushing towards the stage, many exclaiming, ‘Hang him, hang him!’ The excitement was of the wildest possible description...

There was a rush towards the President’s box, when cries were heard — ‘Stand back and give him air!’ ‘Has anyone stimulants?’ On a hasty examination it was found that the President had been shot through the head above and back of the temporal bone, and that some of his brain was oozing out. He was removed to a private house opposite the theatre, and the Surgeon General of the Army and other surgeons were sent for to attend to his condition.

*snip*

[brush]

1. Thank God journalists have learned to get to the point since then.

Last edited Wed Apr 14, 2021, 09:09 PM - Edit history (1)

[Skittles]

3. it's not like there were a hundred sources of news back then

[70sEraVet]

2. Novels of the period are the same way.

So much time spent in the service of bringing the reader to the scene at the moment.

[Boomerproud]

4. Typically Victorian era prose. Flowery.

I have my gggrandfather's Civil War disability discharge papers and it starts with "My dear Colonel " and ends with "your ever faithful servant " .

[hlthe2b]

9. well, except for that bit about his "brain oozing out..."

That was some strange reporting.

[luckone]

5. It was announced in the papers that Gen. Grant would also be present, but was not there

Interesting
I wonder if the plan was to shoot him too

[Boomerproud]

6. Short answer-yes.

That was part of the Booth conspiracy.

[luckone]

8. Thanks for info I know the group shot SOS Seward who they hated too (but he survived the attempt)

[Towlie]

7. Aside from that, Mr. Lincoln, how did you like the play?

 
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Why link to a tweet when you can just link to the article?