Everything to Know About John Wilkes Booth's Death: Killer, Location, and Legacy
By Alexander Ross
The pursuit closed in shortly after 2:00 AM on April 26, when twenty-six troopers from the 16th New York Cavalry, led by Lieutenant Edward P. Doherty and accompanied by intelligence officers Colonel Everton Conger and Lieutenant Baker, surrounded the Garrett barn. Conger demanded immediate surrender within five minutes or threatened to burn the building down.
David Herold panicked, pushed through the barn door with his hands raised, and surrendered into military custody. Booth refused. "I will not be taken alive," he shouted through the wooden boards, offering to fight the entire cavalry detachment single-handed at fifty yards. Conger crept around to the barn’s corner, slipped a torch of burning hay through the slats, and set the dry brush inside ablaze.
Within seconds, fire climbed the timber walls, illuminating the interior. Federal troops watching through the gaps saw Booth leaning against a crutch, a Spencer carbine cradled in one hand and a revolver in the other. He dropped the crutch and took three swift steps toward the door, his eyes scanning the perimeter for an escape lane.
Alexander Ross has covered the video game industry for a decade, writing deep dives on game design, esports tournaments, VR developments, and gaming culture.
