Treasury Guard Flag

[Rsmyth]

Over at BoothieBarn our young intrepid researcher has posted about the "Rambler" who penned an article on the Treasury Guard flags used to decorate the box at Ford's Theater (Feb 9th 1913). The Rambler says that on April 12th 1865 the Guard held a ball at Ford's and had the boxes decorated with flags from the Treasury. John T. Ford asked if the flags could remain as the President would be attending the theater on Friday.
We have always heard that the Fords did not receive the invitation until the morning of the 14th. But, as with the Booth autopsy photo and remains of the Rathbone's, is it possible?
Dave searched and found that on April 12th Laura Keens was performing in a play at Fords. It would be interesting to know if the play was a matanee, evening or both. And, he could not find anything about a Treasury "ball" or of the commodore visiting the capitol that evening.
In Civil War Washington, ed. Lawrence, Price, and Winkle; Portable Walt Whitman, ed. Van Doren, 434–35 it is mentioned that
"A year before his death Lincoln had also attended a Treasury Department ball and reception at Ford’s. Lincoln and the first lady arrived at the theater by carriage... So the Treasury Guard did have balls! (stop the laughter! This is serious stuff!)
Also in the Daily News of August 8th 1898 there is an article reporting on the poor condition of the flag and stating the exact story that the "Rambler" posted. I saw another mention of the story in a book titled "Timely Topics" vol. 2 edited by Henry Pattengil dated January 21st 1898.
If not true, I wonder how this story originated? It appears the earliest mention is the "Timely Topics" articel from 1898, 33 years after the assassination.