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Charles Betterly, 83 Years Old Passes Away at Home Here

SEARCHED FOR BOOTH

Perhaps the only man who ever resided in the Wyoming Valley who was in Ford's Theater, Washington, DC the night Abraham Lincoln, the martyred president, was assassinated, Charles C Betterly, eighty-three, Civil War veteran and retired awning manufacturer, died yesterday morning at his home at 401 N. Main Street. Mr Betterly had just come from a hospital in Washington, convalescing from a wound received in the battle of Gettysburg and happened to go into the theater and of course witnessed the shooting of the president. He became a member of the searching party which ran down John Wilkes Booth, the famous actor who did the shooting. He had the distinction of being one of the body guards at the funeral of President Lincoln.

Mr Betterly was married to Medora Bowman, daughter of Mr & Mrs Charles M Bowman, in September, 1893, at Carverton by Rev Isaac Austin. His wife survives him; also the following children: Austin C, William L, Mrs Richard Arnold, of this city; Mrs. R Stanley Honeywell of this city; Ethel R of Clark's Summit, and E Stanley, Mt Greenwood. Mr Betterly is also survived by the following grandchildren; Charles C, Myrtle, Ethel, William A Betterly and Mildred Betterly of Mt Greenwood; Frances Medora and Paul V Betterly of this city; James, Mary, John and Kathleen Betterly of Clark's Summit.

Mr Betterly came from a family of American patriots. His brother, Dr E L Betterly, served throughout the Civil War as a surgeon and the deceased often said how his great-grandmother, widow of a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and how she had pointed out to him the equipment that was used by her husband in the war against England for American independence. She resided in Butler Valley, near Drums, and lived to be 110 years of age.

C C Betterly was born in Berwick, April 14, 1838 and came to this city when about fifteen years of age. He enlisted with the 143th Pennsylvania Volunteers Regiment August 4, 1862, and served with that command until the close of the war. Prior to his enlistment he was a member of the old Neptune Volunteer Fire company No 3 in this city. He went through all the battles participated in by the 142nd Regt. At Gettysburg he was wounded and after remaining in the aid hospital until the end of the battle was taken to Baltimore where he recovered and was given special duty in rounding up bounty jumpers and guerillas. He had the privilege of seeing John R Mosby, leader of a band of guerillas in flight before a detachment of Union cavalry and was also in Columbus, Ohio when John Mourns, also a guerilla, escaped from that jail there.

Returning to Wilkes-Barre after the war, Mr Betterly has resided here ever since that time except for a few years that he spent in Pottsville which happened to be during the time of the Molly Maquires and the trial of some of the members of the band.

(The remainder of the article is illegible. JEB Oct 18, 1996)

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