Articles and Announcements on the Assassination of President Lincoln

     “This evening at about 9:30 P. M., at Ford’s Theatre, the President, while sitting in his private box with Mrs. Lincoln, Ms. Harris, and Major Rathburn, was shot by an assassin, who suddenly entered the box and approached behind the President.

     The assassin then leaped upon the stage, brandishing a large dagger knife, and made his escape in the rear of the theatre.

     Gen. Grant and wife were advertised to be at the theatre this evening, but he started to Burlington at 6 o’clock this evening.”

     “Lincoln assassinated in Ford’s Theatre, Washington, D.C., by actor John Wilkes Booth during a performance of Our American Cousin.  All places of amusement will be closed starting April 15.”

     “Meeting At The Custom House. At about twelve o’clock an immense meeting assembled at the Custom House in Wall street. In point of numbers it was one of the largest assemblages ever held in that vicinity. There were not less than from twenty to thirty thousand persons present around the various streets and avenues in the neighborhood. . . .

     General Wethger [? difficult to read] said: . . . .Whereas it has pleased Almighty God to take from us Abraham Lincoln, the President of the United States, by a sudden and awful visitation; and by this great calamity befalling us in the hour of our national triumph, we are warned by the uncertainty of all human affairs and our absolute dependence for our safety and protection as a nation upon the mercy and wisdom of Divine Providence; therefore. . . .

     Resolved, That it be recommended to the citizens to close all places of business to-day as early as possible, and that they remain closed until after the burial of the deceased President.

     Resolved, That it be required that all places of public amusement be closed for this evening, and that the question of the further closing of such sources of pleasure be referred to the sympathy, loyalty, and reference of the managers. . . .

     The resolutions were adopted by acclamation.”

     Sections difficult to read. “The Theatres, Etc. The managers of our various places of amusement were among the first to pay that poor, but only available mark of respect to the [illeg.] which finds its expression in closed doors, [illeg.] lights, deserted offices. Early in the morning two of our leading managers resolved that they would abandon the plan of the day. Their example was immediately followed by every theatre in the city. There was a temporary opposition on the part of one only. This was the Olympic, where a person, who acts in the same way as the superior of Mrs. John Wood, positively refused to accede to the proposition, alleging, we are informed, that he was not in a position to postpone a benefit, which was to take place in the evening. There was to have been an afternoon performance also, and this, probably, was another obstacle. It was only when the artists of the company emphatically refused to act, that the churl consented unwillingly to close his doors. Mrs. John Wood, we are sure is in no way implicated in the affair. It is, nevertheless, unfortunate that it should have occurred at her theatre.        

     The profession is not free from its taint of treason, but there was but one feeling yesterday. It was stated, however, that a vagabond at Niblo’s Garden expressed his satisfaction at the calamity which has overtaken the nation. We were unable to learn his name. It is Mr. Wheatley’s duty at once to discover this, and hand the culprit over to an officer.

     Until the funeral of Mr. Lincoln there will be no more amusements in New-York. Superintendent Kennedy has issued an order to that effect.

     The Wehli and de Katow Matinée, at Irving Hall, and Mlle. Stella Bonheur’s concert, at the same establishment, were both postponed. So also the Brooklyn Philharmonic Concert. The opening of the National Academy of Design has, of course, been deferred.

     The Melo-Chorean ball was to have taken place on Monday next, but the committee have postponed it until Monday, May 1."

     “The Theatres. Dispatches from Boston announce that all the theatres in that city will be closed until further notice.

     In this city a movement of the same kind has been inaugurated. Fox’s Old Bowery Theatre will be closed this evening.”

     “Academy of Music. Leonard Grove, Director. Grand German Opera. Conforming to the universal gloom which shadows over all the nation, and as an humble tribute of respect to the memory of a great and good man, the Grand German Opera will postpone its announced season until subsequent to the obsequies of President Lincoln.  Reserved seats will be redeemed at the office where purchased between nine and twelve o’clock to-day and to-morrow.”

     “The associate managers of the city, in view of the great calamity that has befallen the nation, and to evince a proper respect for the memory of our late President, have unanimously resolved to close their several places of amusement until further orders. W. Wheatley, President.”

     “The associate managers of the city, in view of the great calamity that has befallen the nation, and to evince a proper respect for the memory of our late President, have unanimously resolved to close their several places of amusement until further notice. W. Wheatley, President.”

      “Academy of Music. Conforming to the universal gloom which shadows over all the nation, and as an humble tribute of respect to the memory of a great and good man, the Grand German Opera will postpone its announced season until subsequent to the obsequies of President Lincoln.  Reserved seats will be redeemed at the office where purchased between nine and twelve o’clock, to-day and to-morrow.”

     Part of larger article on the appearance of the city.

     “The Sight in Broadway.

     . . . .Passing along Broadway, we notice a universal compliance by the storekeepers with the Mayor’s request. Everyone has his flag—every flag is appropriate drapery. St. Paul’s, at the head of Fulton-street; Barnum’s Museum, just opposite, and the Astor House beyond, are notable among the public buildings on Broadway. The pillars of the church are wreathed in black, and the front is covered with drapery. At night the effect is startling. . .

     The extensive warerooms of Steinway & Sons, on Fourteenth street, the Academy of Music, Irving Hall, the theatres, Wallack’s, Niblo’s, Winter Garden, Olympic, Bowery and Broadway, the minstrel halls, and many of the concert saloons, are markedly noticeable for effective arrangement of bunting and crape.”

     “The last part that J. Wilkes Booth performed in this city was Marc Antony, in ‘Julius Caesar,’ when the three brothers, Edwin, J. B., and J. Wilkes Booth appeared in the same play, on the occasion of a benefit for the Shakespeare Monument Fund, given at the Winter Garden. In this connection permit us to say that while execrating the name of J. Wilkes Booth, let not the innocent suffer for the guilty—Edwin and J. B. Booth are innocent of all complicity in the dreadful deed of their brother, and should not be made to suffer for the wrongs of which he alone is guilty. We say thus much because we have heard threats made against the guiltless brothers. Their grief must be terrible as it is; let us not add to it by threats of vengeance.”

     “Business was not so good as usual last week at some of the theatres, and in view of the solemnities attendant on the President’s death, not much will be done this week. They are to remain closed, we understand, till after the funeral.”

     “The theatres and all other places of amusement were closed on Saturday, and no performances given afternoon or evening, in consequence of the national bereavement.”

     “Mr. Thomas I. Jackson, treasurer of the Winter Garden Theatre in this city, was arrested on the 16^th inst., says the N.Y. Herald, ‘charged with making use of exceedingly disloyal language at his boarding-house, 85 Amity street. It is alleged that Jackson, in presence of several persons in the house, stated that he was glad the President had been killed, was glad Booth had shot him; but there are several witnesses against him. He was taken to police headquarters and detained to await the action of General Dix.’”

     “The theatres in this city were all closed on the 15^th inst., and are to remain so by order of the Managers’ Association until further notice. The act was voluntary on the part of all the managers, in respect to the memory of President Lincoln, the only exception we have heard of being Mrs. Wood’s Olympic. In referring thereto, the daily Times says that ‘a person who acts in some way as the superior of Mrs. John Wood, positively refused to accede to the proposition, alleging, we are informed, that he was not in a position to postpone a benefit which was to take place in the evening. There was to have been an afternoon performance, also, and this, probably, was another obstacle. It was only when the artists of the company emphatically refused to act, that the churl consented unwillingly to close his doors. Mrs. John Wood, we are sure, is in no way implicated in the affair. It is, nevertheless, unfortunate that it should have occurred at her theatre.’”

     “Special Notice. The Associate Managers of this city respectfully announce that the following places of Amusement will reopen on Wednesday Evening next, April 26:

     Wallack’s, Old Bowery, New Bowery, Olympic Theatre, Academy of Music, Broadway Theatre, Bryant’s Minstrels, Wood’s Minstrels, Winter Garden, Niblo’s Garden.

     The programmes of entertainment will appear on Wednesday morning.

     W. Wheatley, President.

     Extensive article about funeral preparations for Lincoln.  Music not mentioned.

     “Special Notice. The Associate Managers of this city respectfully announce that the following places of amusement will reopen on wednesday evening next, April 26.

     Wallack’s, Old Bowery, New Bowery, Olympic Theatre, Academy of Music, Broadway Theatre, Bryants’ Minstrels, Wood’s Minstrels, Winter Garden, Niblo’s Garden, Hippotheatron.

The programmes of Entertainment will appear on Wednesday morning. W. Wheatley, President.”

      “The Theatres, &c.—All the various places of amusement resume their genial offices to-night, after an uninterrupted silence of ten days. The programmes for to-night are the same as those prepared for last Monday week. Numerous concerts have yet to be deferred to the first open day. The Melo-Chorean ball will take place at Irving Hall on Monday next.

     There are two very important announcements tonight, namely, of the commencement of the German opera, under Mr. Grover’s management, at the Academy of Music, and of the opening of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean at the Broadway Theatre. These enterprises have suffered severely from the late period of grief, particularly the opera, which consumes its thousands of dollars per diem. Let us hope that the season will terminate brilliantly. Mr. Grover merits success, having done all that lay in his power to produce it. Mr. and Mrs. Charles Kean may safely be left to themselves.”

     “All the various places of amusement resume their genial offices to-night, after an uninterrupted silence of ten days. The programmes for to-night are the same as those prepared for last Monday week.  Numerous concerts have yet to be deferred to the first open day.”

     “City Summary. The past has been a blank week in amusements, not a theatre, (if we except the Museum and Varieties), having been open since Friday evening, April 14^th, on which night, in a theatre, the President received his death wound at the hand of a scheming assassin. The closed doors of those places where thousands of pleasure seekers nightly assembled to enjoy the performances offered for their entertainment, silently inform us that a national sorrow has taken our attention from the every day affairs of life, and centered our thoughts on the all-absorbing topic of the murder of our beloved President. In the place of theatres, the churches have been open during the week, and stirring and affecting discourses on the public service and martyrdom of Abraham Lincoln have been delivered by eminent divines. It is not surprising that the theatre should be introduced in those discourses, and that some rather severe reflections should be cast upon the character of the members of the dramatic profession, for the clergy are but mortal, subject to passion and excitement like ourselves, and apt to say things in moments of anger that would be left unsaid when calm reason holds undisputed sway. While some of our ministerial brethren have used expressions ill becoming of the sanctity of the pulpit when referring to the theatre and the players, others again have been charitable, placing the actor in his true position before the world, and instead of execrating him, taking him by the hand in Christian kindness. . . . [I]t is sufficient to say that no place is sacred against the visitations of the assassin, not even the church. The place least likely to be turned into a slaughter house, the private chamber of a sick man, was invaded by one of the conspirators in this hellish plot, and Secretary Seward, sick in his bed, was stabbed repeatedly by the assassin, and other members of the family brutally assailed and maimed. Where is the difference between the sick chamber and the theatre, therefore, when the murderer is intent upon the fulfillment of his bloody work? In an extraordinary state of feeling and excitement, such as we are now passing through, we may excuse those of our ministerial friends who have so ruthlessly condemned the stage and its teachings, for the drama and its illustrator are not without their sacred oracles and reverend defenders. [Lengthy quote by Martin Luther concludes article.]”

     “Dramatic. The Theatres throughout the country have done little or nothing since the announcement of the assassination of our Chief Magistrate; many of them have not been opened at all, while in certain places performances were not resumed until after the 19^th, the day fixed upon for the funeral ceremonies in Washington. A deep gloom seems to have settled upon the people, who have been unfitted for their every day business avocation by the deed of blood, and whose thoughts for the present cannot be led in the channels of amusements. Managers and performers have wandered about, scarcely knowing what to do with themselves; the temples of the drama, usually gay and brilliant, have been gloomy and lifeless; the minstrel halls have been dark and deserted, musical halls with scarce a sound of life about them, and even underground resorts have succumbed to the general depression, and exhibited signs of mourning. Never before, in the history of this nation, has there been such a long and general suspension of amusements as that just coming to an end, for never before was there such a lamentable occasion to call forth such a display of sorrow. Everything has been deranged by the atrocious crime, engagements broken, time curtailed, entertainments postponed, speculations ruined, hopes deferred, and aspirations nipped in the bud. The present week will, probably, witness the resumption of business, but whether the balance of the season will be as prosperous as the early stages have been, is questioned. Sorrow and gloom will avail nothing, however; and the sooner we throw off despondency, the better; if we could bring the honored dead to life, if by our manifestations of grief we could restore to the nation its lamented Chief Magistrate, most willingly would we make whatever sacrifices might be required; but this cannot be; the work is done, and cannot be undone. In death as in life has been honored as no mortal was ever honored, for a world will mourn his loss, while his most endearing monument will be in the hearts of a free people. Let us resume, therefore, our usual duties, and amusements, and recreations and prepare for celebrating an event that cannot be far distant, the consummation of peace, and the restoration of the Union as it was, one and indivisible, cemented by the blood of patriot martyrs, from the President down to the most humble in the army of the Union.”

      “Barnum’s Museum re-opened on the 20^th, and gave a dramatic performance, but this early opening movement was not received with favor; in fact, Phineas was excoriated by some of the papers for his haste to resume the ‘Act of Money Making.’”

     “The Varieties, following Barnum’s example, re-opened on the 21^st.”

     “The various theatres and halls will re-open on Wednesday evening, April 26^th, after a cessation of operations since the 14^th.”

“After the difficult, fate-filled pause, which the nation lived through, last week musical activity finally stirred anew.  It makes us happy to be able to say that it was German singers who paid the first musical tribute to the fallen president.  About a thousand singers* performed Schubert’s ‘Chorus of Spirits’ and the Pilgrims’ Chorus from ‘Tannhäuser’ at the funeral.  And as they passed by the bier, the winds played Mr. A. Paur’s arrangement of the March of the Dead from Hiller’s ‘Saul’.

*The following singing clubs were represented: Liederkranz, Teutonia, Sängerrunde, Colonia, Concordia, Euphonia, Frohsinn, Fidelia, Germania, Harmonia, Helvetia, Loreley Liedertafel, Liedertafel Williamsburg, Liedertafel der Vereinigten Social-Reformer, Lyra Männerchor, Mozart-Verein, Orpheus, Quartett-Hoboken, Rheinische Sängerbund, Sängerbund Williamsburg, Schillerbund, Sängerrunde Jersey City, Social-Reform Gesangverein, Social-Reform Liedertafel, Sing-Academie, Uhlandbund, Social Männerchor, Quartett-Club Williamsburg, Beethoven Männerchor, Schwäbische Sängerbund, Melomanen, Arminia Männerchor.”