Associated Ads

Posted on December 10, 2012 by Dave Taylor

The assassination of Abraham Lincoln manifested into countless front page headlines in newspapers across the country. From the details of the assassination, the hunt for Booth and his conspirators, and the trial that followed their arrests, nary a day went by between April 15th and July 7th, 1865, that aspects of Lincoln’s death were not “today’s top stories”. While significant and valuable text space was attributed to the big items of the assassination story, minor details had played out in the classified sections of various newspapers before the tragedy occurred. For a long time after the events as well, echos of the crime at Ford’s Theatre popped up in the most innocuous area of the newspaper – the advertisements. Here are a few examples of period advertisements associated with the death of Abraham Lincoln.

April 14th, 1865
Evening Star, Washington, D.C.
Advertisement for Lincoln at Our American Cousin 1 Advertisement for Lincoln at Our American Cousin 2

On page two of the Evening Star, the attendance of the Lincolns and General Grant is announced for that night’s performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre.

November 25, 1864
New York Herald, New York City, NY
Booth Shakespeare Benefit 1864 advertisement

The New York Herald announces that night’s performance of the brother’s Booth in their benefit towards the construction of a statue of Shakespeare in Central Park.

August 18, 1869
Sun, Baltimore, MD
JJSellingTeas1869

After being released from prison for the final time, John Harrison Surratt, Jr. made his way down into South America for about six months. Upon his return to America he tried his hand at the mercantile life with his own business selling tobacco and other commodities like the “slightly damaged” tea above. This business did not last long and about 18 months later, John Surratt would be a teacher in Rockville, MD.

January 3, 1871
Richmond Whig, Richmond, VA
JJLecture1871

Attempting to cash in on his story and connection to John Wilkes Booth, John Surratt underwent a lecture tour. His lecturing was as short-lived as his mercantile business due to public outcry.

CHALLENGE
June 15, 1864
Evening Star, Washington, D.C.
SchoonerIndianAuction1864

Here’s a good challenge for you all. Can any of you tell me how this sale of a schooner by the federal government is involved in the story of Lincoln’s assassination. Show me your skills by replying in the comment section below.

References:
The Last Lincoln Conspirator by Andrew Jampoler

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Another Boothie Carol

Posted on December 9, 2012 by Dave Taylor

It’s time for another dose of revised holiday cheer. Here’s another classic Christmas carol rewritten in the “Boothie” theme. Please remember that these songs are just meant as harmless fun, and not an endorsement of Booth and his actions.
webruti

We, Bruti
As sung to, “We, Three Kings of Orient Are”

We Bruti, of vengeance we are.
Recompense we seek for our scars.
This oppression through suppression,
Masking as stars and bars.

O, Lincoln, Seward, Johnson too
Tyrants all, destructive crew.
Guns and daggers, cease their swagger.
Guide us on our deadly coup.

“Caesar falls from my noble plot.
I am scorned, but it matters not.
Chased and hunted, lamed and blunted,
I earn my own gun shot.”

O, Lincoln, Seward, Johnson too
Tyrants all, destructive crew.
Guns and daggers, cease their swagger.
Guide us on our deadly coup.

“With my knife, I burst in his room.
With his blood, I paint it with gloom.
He survived me, then they tried me.
Now I await my tomb.”

O, Lincoln, Seward, Johnson too
Tyrants all, destructive crew.
Guns and daggers, cease their swagger.
Guide us on our deadly coup.

“With my task, I could not commit.
Pawned my gun, from D.C. I split.
Found with Richter, bound and pictured,
Still the same fate I get.”

O, Lincoln, Seward, Johnson too
Tyrants all, destructive crew.
Guns and daggers, cease their swagger.
Guide us on our deadly coup.

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Goodbye Stairs, Hello Sushi

Posted on December 6, 2012 by Dave Taylor

While we are very fortunate that the former Surratt boarding house on H. Street in Washington, D.C. is still standing today, we all know it is nothing but a shell of what it was in Lincoln’s day. The interior has been altered many times, even as recent as September of this year.

Aside from modern upgrades and advertising awnings for the Wok ‘N Roll, however, the exterior of the building is still very much identifiable as the former boarding establishment of Mary Surratt. The biggest exterior difference between its 1865 appearance and now, is the removal of the stairs and the first floor entrance.

Boardinghouse 1

In large, dirty cities like Washington first floor entrances were commonplace. This helped to keep the filth on the street from being tracked inside as easily.

While researching today, I came across the following picture which shows the boarding house with its stairs only recently removed:

Boardinghouse without stairs

When this picture was taken, you could still see the first floor door and the beautiful moulding around it but it no longer served as an entrance to the house unless a passerby was willing to give you a leg up. This was a transitional time for the building, and soon after the “phantom” door would be replaced by a window making the building closer to what we know it to be today.

Boardinghouse Today

References:
The Suppressed Truth about the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln by Burke McCarty

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Woe for the Powells

Posted on December 4, 2012 by Dave Taylor
Lewis Powell as an infant with his mother Patience. From Betty Ownsbey's Alias Paine.

Lewis Powell as an infant with his mother Patience. From Betty Ownsbey’s Alias Paine.

After the events of April 14th, 1865, there were many ramifications for those related to the conspirators.  I’ve often highlighted the hardships of the Booth family in dealing with John Wilkes’ horrible act.  The fact that Edwin Booth managed to continue his successful theatrical career after such a tragedy demonstrates the power of his acting ability.  He gives a wonderful foil to his brother and his many years after in the spotlight allows us to really study his brother’s effect on his and his family’s life.  For the families of the other conspirators, however, such a study is not possible.  Edwin Booth was a newsworthy individual and the historical record speaks volumes about him.  The other families affected all too often just faded  away into obscurity.  Therefore, I find this brief newspaper article regarding the Powell family’s grief to be quite poignant.  After their son Lewis attacked Secretary of State Seward and his household, the Powells carried a similiar stigma as the Booth family.  Just because history did not fervently document their struggles with their kin’s actions does not make their suffering any less real.

Woe for the Powells New York Herald 8-2-1865

References:
Alias “Paine” by Betty Ownsbey
New York Herald – August 2, 1865
Lewis Payne – Pawn of John Wilkes Booth by Leon Prior

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A Boothie Carol

Posted on December 3, 2012 by Dave Taylor

During this holiday month, I am hoping to post a few of my “Boothie” Carols.  I hope you enjoy these revised Christmas carols as the harmless bit of humor that they were intended to be.

This first one is called, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Play”.  I’ve embedded a YouTube video of the original song in case you feel like singing along with the new lyrics. 🙂

timeoftheplay

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Play

As sung to, “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”

.

It’s the most wonderful time of the play.

With the stage almost empty,

And laughter a plenty,

Plus I’ve barred the way.

It’s the most wonderful time of the play.

.

It’s the slap-happiest whimsy of all.

When their foreign born cousin,

A bane there in London,

Let’s loose his guffaw.

It’s the slap-happiest whimsy of all.

.

There’ll be noise for suppressing,

The sound of my threshing,

In case someone puts up a fight.

.

There’ll be shock and confusion,

A sense of delusion,

As Lincoln goes out like a light.

.

It’s the most wonderful time of the play.

There’ll be much adoration,

As I save the nation,

A tyrant, I slay.

.

It’s the most wonderful time.

Yes, the most wonderful time.

Oh the most wonderful time,

Of the play!

.

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Eeny, meeny, miny, moe…

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Dave Taylor

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Edwin Pitts, Chief Clerk of the Judge Advocate General’s Office

Posted on November 25, 2012 by Dave Taylor

For a third time, I have inadvertently run into the name of Edwin Pitts, the Chief Clerk of the Judge Advocate General’s Office in the War Department. It appears, from photographs, that among Mr. Pitts’ duties were to attend to and show interested parties the relics of the trial of the Lincoln assassination conspirators. Twice I have highlighted images of Mr. Pitts holding Booth’s derringer:

In addition to the anonymous photographers above that wished to see the trial exhibits, Edwin Pitts also apparently showed the relics to at least one author of an assassination book. Upon the completion and publication of his book, Philip Van Doren Stern sent Edwin Pitts an autographed copy of his book, The Man Who Killed Lincoln.  The War Department replied to the gift with the following sad letter:

January 14, 1939

My dear Mr. Stern:

This office is in receipt of an autographed copy of your book entitled “The Man Who Killed Lincoln”, addressed to Mr. Pitts.

I am very sorry to advise you that Mr. Pitts died of lobar pneumonia on December 12th last after an illness of two weeks.

The book and your letter to Mr. Pitts will be turned over to his widow upon her return from Florida where she has gone for recuperation.

Very truly yours,

Joseph L. Lyons,

Chief Clerk

I don’t know how long Edwin Pitts was employed in the JAG office, but from the above pictures it appears that this civil servant died a bit before his time.  Au Revoir, Mr. Pitts and thank you for keeping an eye on the assassination relics during your tenure.

EDIT: Thanks to the wonderful memory of researcher Wesley Harris, an expert on the weapons used by the conspirators, here is another piece of evidence of Mr. Pitts’ employment at the War Department.  The following letter is to a Miss. Lenigan who apparently asked what items were in the possession of the War Department in 1936.  This list was sent to her by E. B. P. or Edwin B. Pitts:

Not all the items in the above list are correctly identified, though. The biggest one would be Powell’s knife which was not in the posession of the JAG’s office since it was given to Private George Robinson in 1867. Still it’s clear that Mr. Pitts was the go to person in the JAG’s office when it came to the relics of the conspirators.

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Davy on Spangler

Posted on November 23, 2012 by Dave Taylor

After his capture, David Herold gave a lengthy statement to authorities while imprisoned aboard the monitor Montauk.  He impressively mixed fact with fiction in his attempt to dig himself out of his own grave.  Reading his statement provides a valuable look into the reaction Booth had towards the reports of his actions.  For example, Herold twice recalled that Booth was, “sorry from the bottom of his heart about the sons” of Secretary Seward, which he had heard were killed in the attack upon their father.  Though this proved not to be true both Frederick and Augustus Seward survived their encounter with Powell, Booth seemed to feel remorse over the spilling of innocent blood.

During the interrogation, Davy was shown several photographs and asked to identify the individuals pictured.  After one such photo Davy responded with the following:

“I don’t know him. (After a pause) Yes, I have seen him at Ford’s Theatre.  He was the stage carpenter there, I think.  Mr. Booth had a horse up at the back of Ford’s Theatre, and he loaned it to me.  This carpenter & a boy up there attended to the horse.”

David Herold and Edman Spangler

Later, the questioning returns to this carpenter:

Q. Did you see the carpenter the Friday before you left town?

A. I have not seen that carpenter for I believe six weeks.  I will tell you what Booth did say.  He said there was a man at the theatre that held his horse that he was quite sorry for.

Q.  Did he say what man it was?

A.  He did not say his name, and if I were to hear it, I would know it.  Booth said it might get him into difficulty.

After that, there is no more mention of the Ford’s Theatre carpenter, Edman Spangler.  If Davy is to be believed and Booth actually did express these sentiments about the “difficultly” Spangler might get into for the holding his horse, it certainly places Spangler in a softer light.  Could this statement be another instance of Booth lamenting the plight of the innocent? Or is it one conspirator trying to protect another?  Where do you come down on Edman Spangler’s guilt or innocence?

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