[New York City—Thursday, 4 May 1865]

Thursday. Mr Graham & Eugene Benson called to go to studios—couldn’t but drove with Jamie to see Mrs Rutherford—a lady with most sweet eyes—“sweetest eyes were ever seen”—drove in the park with her.

In the evening met a small company among whom was Mr Bancroft who promised to come in the evening to her house. He filled me with laughter. Miss Buckley standing behind him while he was engaged in talking with J.T.F. dropped her handkerchief. He turned immediately like one who had eyes behind his head saying—“How dare you to stoop” but fortunately the active young girl already held the recovered handkerchief or I don’t know what might have happened. When he entered the room punctually at 8 he ran & kissed Mrs R’s hand, and when tea was handed asked “how she dared to pass the cake” or what the matter was, when she rose to assist me. Altogether “Voici un drôle” I thought, and awoke this morning fancying that somebody had put a placard upon Mr Bancroft’s back “Il se moque de tout.”

An hour before we went to tea Aldrich came to see us. He said he & Launt Thompson was staying with Edwin Booth alternate nights during this season of sorrow. That it was all right between himself & the lady he was about to marry. Then he described to us the first night while Booth was plunged in agony he said the gas was left burning low and the bed stood in the corner just where he lay sleepless looking at a fearfully good crayon portrait of Wilkes Booth which glared at him over the gas. Launt Thompson started with the mother from N.Y. for Philadelphia where she was going to join her daughter the day that John Wilkes was shot and an extra containing the news was brought them by a news boy as they stepped on the ferry boat. The old woman would have the paper. “He was her “Johnny” after all” said T.B.A.


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