twenty minutes before ten
However , he did n't seem to know anybody and none appeared to notice him or worry over his unconventional attire . Penfield had an appreciative audience that night . Never had anything so fine been given at Annapolis , and enthusiastic delight was repeatedly expressed . At twenty minutes before ten the bearded man in the box suddenly left and once outside of the theatre he started at a dead run toward the Academy grounds . A convenient negro made twenty-five cents by boosting him over the wall . The bearded man rushed on the Chesapeake Bay side of the Armory and Bancroft Hall , ran over the terrace , and bolted into the open window of room 23 . The five minutes ' warning bugle was soon heard , to be followed by the call for taps .