Lincoln's Assassination

It was back in 1974. I was just a young boy at the time. I was on a little league baseball league team and my newspaper route was making me enough money for all the Twinkies I wanted. I hadn't discovered what the true meaning of the boy/girl relationship but I did think that Georgia Gordon was cute but not in the way I would think she would be cute a few years later. I guess I was just a normal boy...I was normal until a cold winter night when everything changed.

That night I went to bed around 9:00 but didn't fall asleep until sometime around 11:30. I know what time it was because I could hear my dad listening to The Late Show in the other room. Yeah, he yelled at me but by then my eyes were closing and I didn't really pay any attention to anything he said anyway.

I remember that I had some really interesting dreams that night. They ranged from pleasant to the worst nightmares I could ever think of but I stayed asleep. I had school in the morning and a test in math sometime in the morning so I wanted to be sharp when that came around.

Sometime during the night I felt someone in my room. Of course I thought it was my dad checking whether I was sleeping or not but then something strange happened...I felt myself being lifted into the air. I wanted to open my eyes but somehow I didn't need to, I could see everything around me. I saw my bed drop away beneath me and, as I did, I saw myself floating between the boards of the ceiling and then through the roof and into the air.

Above me I could see a brilliant blue light. It was some distance away and I was moving toward it at what was by now a very high rate of speed. The strange thing was, yes there was a strange thing, I could not feel the wind around me as I traveled. It was as if there was a shield around me blocking me from feeling anything. I didn't even feel the emotions I should be feeling. I was completely calm and relaxed.

It took what I guessed was about fifteen minutes to reach the light and when I did the center of the light looked like it dissolved and I was moved into the abyss. Once I was inside I was escorted down a long hallway and into a room with twenty or thirty people but they were not like the people at home and they weren't the Greys I had heard so much about in the science fiction movies and some of the books I had read over the years.

They had a face that looked human but their eyes were white and their skin was a pastel blue. They had a very small mouth that never opened or closed, their noses were just slits in the front of their face and their hair was thick with silver/blue coloring to it. Yes, they were different but they seemed calm and friendly and did not scare me at all.

I was fed. It was like grilled beef but it tasted different and it came with a glowing blue drink with some kind of fruit floating in it. I was hungry...there was no way I couldn't say that I wasn't so I sat down and devoured everything they put in front of me. There were a lot of new tastes but I liked every one of them so my “dinner” went down fairly quickly but with the last sip of the drink I started feeling tired and dizzy. It wasn't more than a couple minutes before I was sound asleep.

I woke up on a soft bed. It took me a while to get my bearings but I saw a room that was designed for comfort. I was just laying there when one of the creatures walked in and stood next to me.

“I hope we did not hurt you,” he said. Then he explained that I had a small chip implanted in the back of my neck that would allow me to understand them and they would be able to understand what I was saying and what I was thinking.

Reaching back to the back of my neck I expected to feel a wound or something...maybe some stitches...but there was nothing. “Where did you put it,” I asked. “I don't feel anything.”

“We don't create wounds,” he said. “Our technology heals as soon as the procedure is completed. We have examined you and took the information we were sent for. Now, we will place you anywhere or anywhen you wish to go.”

My one wish was to get the chance to get to meet my favorite president Abraham Lincoln. I asked him if he could arrange that and he said that it would not be a problem.

The next thing I knew I was standing on an old cobblestone street. I looked around and saw soldiers walking through the narrow streets. Horses lined the streets...some were fastened to all kinds of carts and wagons while others simply had a saddle and stood by metal hitching posts that lined the streets.

I knew what I thought I was seeing but I knew that it couldn't be real. How could it be real? The last thing I remembered was a world filled with hippies and soldiers either returning or leaving for Vietnam and their uniforms weren't blue and there sure weren't any horses tied to anything...at least not that I had ever seen..

The first person I saw walking up to me was a soldier. I saw by his stripes that he was some kind of sergeant. “Sir,” I started as he looked down at me, “Can you tell me where I am?”

“Boy, you are in Washington City in the District of Columbia,” he replied with a smile. “Where did you think you were?”

“Sir, I am from New Jersey,” I answered.

“Boy, you had better head back to your parents,” he said as he knelt down to face me. “The president will be coming by here soon and whenever he travels people crowd around him and sometimes kids get hurt.” He walked me over to the side of the road, patted me on the back and sent me on my way but before I left I asked him who the president was and he quickly replied that it was President Lincoln....President Abraham Lincoln.

As he started leaving I stopped him for one more moment. “Sir, may I ask one more question,” I asked/ He told me that I could ask him anything and I asked him what the date was. He smiled and told me that it was April 14^th.” I stood there in shock before I asked him the other question I needed to know. “Sir, what year is it?”

“Young man, I would get your parents to take you to a doctor,” he said pointing to a hospital just down the street. “You should know this information unless you were hurt in some way. Please boy, go get your head checked out.”

“Sir, what year is it,” I was irritated at having to ask again.

“Boy, calm down,” he said. “It is 1865.” Then, as soon as he told me, he said that he had to get his horse. He was expected down in Virginia by sunset...something about helping the slaves get resettled. He bid me a farewell and reminded me to get to a doctor and then he left into an assembled crowd of people.

I thought a minute...April 14^th 1865. I knew that date. I learned it in school, It was the day Lincoln was shot over at Ford's Theater. He was going to be shot that evening. I knew that I had to do something to warn him....tell him not to go to the theater but how could I do that? Then I thought that he must be at the White House so I got my bearings and headed down the street and on to Pennsylvania Blvd.

It was just a few blocks and suddenly I turned the corner and I was there. I was standing in front of the White House. It was surrounded by soldiers both on foot and on horseback. I could see that they were more heavily armed that any soldiers I had seen anywhere and any time. I stopped one soldier, a private I think, and asked him what was going on.

“There is a rumor going on that some rebels were going to come into the city and we wanted to make sure that President Lincoln was safe,” he said.

“He isn't the only one,” I whispered.

“What was that boy,” he asked in a stern voice.

“Sir, I said that he might not be the only one,” I said. “There may be others who may be targets.” He heard me but he just blew me off. Maybe the officers already knew about all oif the targets but after I had a chance to think about it why would anyone take the thoughts of a kid or even a private seriously?

I didn't say anything else. I just walked toward the gate. I was stopped before I even got close and was told to leave the area or face arrest. I tried explaining that I had an important message for the president. Once again I was shooed off and told that the president wasn't seeing anyone at that moment. I tried explaining that it was a matter of life and death but they didn't want to hear any of it. I tried a couple more times but when I had a rifle pointed at me I knew that I would have to give up trying...at least at the White House.

The Ford Theater wasn't too far away and I remembered that was where the president and his wife was going to be that night so I ran over there and checked the doors. They were still locked and, across the poster, was a banner that read “SOLD OUT!”

I went around and checked the stage doors, the fire doors and basically every entrance I could think of but they were all locked. Several of the actors were outside talking. Some were talking about that evening's performance while others were talking about going to dinner after the show and after they had heard what the president said whether he enjoyed the show or not. I guess actors haven't changed over the centuries...they were still interested in the reviews of their shows.

“Boy, what are you doing here,” one of the actors asked.

“I have heard so much about the play and I really wanted to see it but it is sold out,” I said looking as disappointed as I could. He turned and asked if any of the actors had any tickets. I was lucky one had a single ticket in his pocket and he was more than happy to give it to me and I gratefully accepted it. I had another stroke of luck with that ticket. It was an aisle seat in the back row of the theater. So, I took the ticket, put it in my pocket and walked up to the front of the theater.

There was a huge line at the front door so I took my place and waited. It took about 45 minutes before the door opened and we were allowed in. I walked slowly until an usher came over and took me to my seat. My luck continued. I looked aver and I was no more than 20 feet from the president's box. Of course he was not there yet but the box was covered with red,white and blue bunting and behind his seats were a pair of American flags. They had the 13 stripes but only 35 stars. Yeah, they looked strange but then I remembered that the country was smaller back then.

Someone took the seat across the aisle from me. I looked carefully and cautiously then I recognized the man from my history books...it was John Wilkes Booth. He was sitting their calmly excape his eyes were darting back and forth. I knew that he was watching for the president and I knew that Lincoln would be in soon.

Suddenly the orchestra started playing some song that I never heard and everyone stood and looked up toward the box. There were soldiers in the audience and they snapped to attention and saluted. I was a Boy Scout at the time so I did the same thing .

The first person to walk behind was Lincoln's bodyguard who looked straight at Booth when he walked by. He was followed by Mrs. Lincoln, a man named Harris and lastly the president and Major Rathburn.

Booth became skittish as the group entered the box and the bodyguard took up his position.

I sat there and pretended to watch the play but my eyes were locked on Booth but not enough so that he would notice.

Finally, the intermission came and I watched the bodyguard check the door and then leave. On the way out I saw him and Booth lock eyes on each other and Booth had a slight smile on his face and I swear to this day Booth nodded. I wasn't aware then but I learned in history class that the bodyguard went over to a nearby pub and was drinking during the play.

It only took a couple minutes before Booth stood up and started walking toward Lincoln's box. When I saw him move I got and followed him up the stairs to the president's box. Just before he reached for the door I tugged on his coat and asked if I could have an autograph Believe it or not...Booth had such an ego that he stopped and signed one for me and started talking about his career. I knew if I kept him talking long enough someone, anyone would come up and stop him from entering and shooting Lincoln.

He talked to me for just a couple minutes but it felt like it was forever.

Finally, he excused himself from me. I tried to keep him talking but he got a stone cold look on his face. He treated me as if I was no more than a flea on his coat...I was not there anymore.

As he turned I started running down the stairs to get help. I was about half way down when I heard the single gunshot, the audience scream and Booth yell Sic Semper Tyrannis and he was gone. People ran up the stairs but Lincoln had already been severely wounded by the gun shot.

Despite being grabbed by people I was passing as I ran down the stairs I finally made it out to the street and across to a building on the other side of the street. It was just a few minutes later that Lincoln was carried in by several of the audience members. Mrs. Lincoln was crying as were many of the people who were carrying the president.

It wasn't hard to get into the room where they carried Lincoln. There were doctors, statesmen and soldiers coming and going as if nothing had happened so I just walked in with the others. Lincoln was laying on the bed. His head was bleeding badly and some of the men were trying to stop it without much avail. Mrs. Lincoln was crying as she sat next to her husband. I worked my way over until I was right next to the head of the bed. Lincoln's eyes were open. I looked at him and I uttered the words “Mr. President.”

He was nearly completely unconscious but his eyes opened slightly more than a slit. I was crying but then I saw his lips more. It was barely discernible but I swear that he said “Hello.” At that second I saw a bright light and I was back on the alien ship.

“What did you do,” I yelled. “I went back to save him to help the world.”

“Young man,” the one alien said. “You asked if you could speak with that man. We gave you the chance to do that.”

I was crying hard when I said, “But I went back to warn him. I wanted to save his life.”

“That is not possible,” he responded. “The death of that man is a fixed point in your species history. It can and will never be able to be changed. He was too important and his death was a major event. We are sorry but you cannot change that.” He was as serious as anyone I had ever seen and there was not discussion after that.

Immediately following that I was once again surrounded by a bright white light and I found myself back in my bed and the clock beside my bed read 11:35. It was still dark outside so I knew that. Despite all the time I spent in the 1860's I had only been gone a mere 5 minutes.

Then I remember the last thing the alien said while the light surrounded me. He said, ”The memories of what you have seen will remain with you. Share them when you feel that the time is right.” So, after nearly 40 years I am sharing my story. I just hope that someone, anyone will believe me...if not I won't worry. I will keep telling it as the rue story of Lincoln's assassination and I know it is the truth and that is all that matters.