“He Would Break Down and Weep Bitterly”
Washington, as well as the whole country, was plunged in an agony of grief, and the excitement knew no bounds. Stanton’s grief was uncontrollable, and at the mention of Mr. Lincoln’s name he would break down and weep bitterly. General Grant and the Secretary of War busied themselves day and night in pushing a relentless pursuit of the conspirators, who were caught, and were brought to trial before a military commission, except Booth, who was shot in an attempt to capture him. John H. Surratt, who escaped from the country, was captured and tried years later, the jury disagreeing as to his guilt.
Quoted in Horace Porter,Campaigning with Grant (New York: Century Co., 1897; New York: Konecky & Konecky, 1992), pp.499