(02-17-2018 06:09 PM)AussieMick Wrote:  As far as Booth shouting " Sic Semper Tyrannis" is concerned I saw (I'll try to locate link) a newspaper where an Irish audience claims he heard " I'm sick send for McMannis".

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I don't know if this link (I found it when looking for my Tyrannis/McNannis quote) has been covered re. the spur.

https://archive.org/stream/assassinaxxx0...h/send+for

I hope that our readers flip through all the correspondence in this link. For me, it reminded me of how old I am! I actually remember almost everyone mentioned in the letters as well as the circumstances they cover.

It was especially nostalgic to read the letters of John C. Brennan, one of my beloved mentors. Besides being a historian extraordinaire, he was a graduate of The Citadel and received his law degree from what is now the George Washington University School of Law before serving as a lawyer for the federal government.

Not only was he brilliant, but he was also great fun to be around. I believe I learned more history from him and from my other adored mentor, James O. Hall, than I ever did from anyone else -- even from a college prof who had 13 doctorates and looked like a peacock in her robes at graduation processions!

"Professional historians" would look down their noses at these "amateurs," but I have noticed over the years that quite a few have turned to the amateurs for assistance. I say this to encourage everyone to continue to pursue your interest in history, no matter what degree comes after your name.

As far as Booth shouting " Sic Semper Tyrannis" is concerned I saw (I'll try to locate link) a newspaper where an Irish audience claims he heard " I'm sick send for McMannis".

Its here. At the very bottom.
https://archive.org/stream/assassinxxxxx...3/mode/2up

Hmmm..... Was McMannis another secret conspirator??

(02-18-2018 11:45 AM)JMadonna Wrote:  Hmmm..... Was McMannis another secret conspirator??

Or, was the Irishman who reported this a little tipsy? Perhaps had difficulty with dialects? The first article by Renton will also confuse neophytes to this history since it makes it seem that Ferguson and Keene were actually on stage as Booth exited, instead of behind the scenes.

(02-18-2018 01:41 PM)L Verge Wrote:  The first article by Renton will also confuse neophytes to this history since it makes it seem that Ferguson and Keene were actually on stage as Booth exited, instead of behind the scenes.

Which leads to believe my earlier assumption that Ferguson gave a very detailed account of the assassination was assigned to the wrong Ferguson - James Ferguson, Green Back Saloon owner was the one I was thinking of. His account is one of the most detailed.

(02-18-2018 09:50 PM)J. Beckert Wrote:  Which leads to believe my earlier assumption that Ferguson gave a very detailed account of the assassination was assigned to the wrong Ferguson - James Ferguson, Green Back Saloon owner was the one I was thinking of. His account is one of the most detailed.

Did the young girl he was with ever give a statement - either in 1865 or when she was older? I'd be curious to read her account if such exists.

Seems to me (I may be wrong ... I was once, I think) that there were very few formal/sworn statements provided by women.
It may have been due to the antiquated notion that men were more reliable. After all, if a man and a woman were present there would have been no need to get the woman's view of events ... the man's could do that much better (!).

(02-19-2018 05:49 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Did the young girl he was with ever give a statement - either in 1865 or when she was older? I'd be curious to read her account if such exists.

Not that I've ever heard of, Roger. I believe he pushed her to the floor, fearing for her safety, so she may not have seen a lot after the shot was fired. I also remember something about her being underage.

Whatever happened to the knife Booth used to slash Rathbone?

(02-20-2018 10:56 PM)JMadonna Wrote:  Whatever happened to the knife Booth used to slash Rathbone?

Jerry, please see Dave Taylor's post here.

Thanks Roger. I wish Dave would have told us where it was found.

Back to the spur: I had a very nice visit (unannounced) this morning with a descendant of the Reams family who informed me that the spur at the Naval Academy Museum has been removed from their exhibits and no one seemed to know where it is. She suspects that it is sitting in a storage room somewhere.

She intends to discuss this with her numerous cousins to see if they are agreeable to having it removed from that museum and placed elsewhere. She asked my opinion on where it should go, and I said Ford's Theatre, with the recommendation that the NPS exhibit both spurs in the same display case with a synopsis of the "provenance" of each and the label ending with "What do you think? Did either spur come from the assassin's boot?"

I gave her the email address for the curator at Ford's, if they decide to go that route. If I learn more, I'll keep you updated.

Roger - I also gave her information on this forum and your email so that she can contact you directly about joining.

(02-22-2018 03:10 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Roger - I also gave her information on this forum and your email so that she can contact you directly about joining.

Thanks, Laurie. I hope she joins us.

(02-22-2018 03:10 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Back to the spur: I had a very nice visit (unannounced) this morning with a descendant of the Reams family who informed me that the spur at the Naval Academy Museum has been removed from their exhibits and no one seemed to know where it is. She suspects that it is sitting in a storage room somewhere.

And you keep trying to convince me that you have no influence...

(02-22-2018 09:40 PM)JMadonna Wrote:  

(02-22-2018 03:10 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Back to the spur: I had a very nice visit (unannounced) this morning with a descendant of the Reams family who informed me that the spur at the Naval Academy Museum has been removed from their exhibits and no one seemed to know where it is. She suspects that it is sitting in a storage room somewhere.

And you keep trying to convince me that you have no influence...

When it comes to the bitter end for results from the higher-ups, I usually don't.