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J. Beckert · 03-21-2014, 07:13 PM

This went on the block in Maryland a few years ago and is purported to have been Booth's. Do you know anything about this, Jim?

Jim Garrett · 03-22-2014, 07:08 PM

Never been on my radar. Any provenance?

J. Beckert · (This post was last modified: 03-22-2014 08:49 PM by J. Beckert.)

Unknown. I just e-mailed the auction house that sold it prior in 2003. I haven't heard back from them. I'll let you know if I do.

Francis Farrell · 03-26-2014, 05:45 PM

The now missing field glasses would indeed be interesting but they are after all just glasses and we know why they would have been used and why Booth wanted them.

I would suggest, that for an item to be really valuable it would have to tell us a fact or corroborate previously unsubstantiated information,

Where are the letters Mrs. Surratt wrote to Nothey/ Lewis Weichman said he wrote them for her- surlely they would corroborate her reason for going to the Tavern. Where is the letter Mrs. Surratt wrote to Mr. Brawner on April 14th? What is the possible content? Was it abouot money owed for the boat ? Was it about something else?

A few other relics of interest- the letter to my neighbors Drs. Queen and Mudd, surely it was circumspect but...

What about the false whiskers used at Dr. Sam's house- where are they (if they existed).

The package brought by young Mr. Powell to the Seward residence , what happened to it? Maybe it even had a pharmacy label on it - would not young Davey have made it up as a subterfuge to gain admission?

The scenery from Fords- although long gone- deterioration, souvenier hunters during the Government occupation and the reconstruction of Fords to an office bldg.

One could also wish for the "Book" writtend and later burned by Mr. Surratt, but given his lectures that may have been very self-serving.

We in Charles Co. were supportive of the Late Governement in Richmond, and I for one would like to have been able to read about how Richmond ws involved from the files of Mr. Benjamin and Mr. Tucker, If they were involved it made life difficult for us. but the extent of thier cooporation in the killing of Mr. Lincoln is I fear not going to ever be able to be documanted. they did spend a lot of Gold though - 1 million if memory of Gen. Tidlwells book is correct . As you may have guessed I am not a young man any more and my memory is not what it used to be back then.

Rogerm · 03-26-2014, 06:09 PM

Did Benjamin take any files along with him into exile to England?

RJNorton · 03-27-2014, 04:01 AM

(03-26-2014 06:09 PM)Rogerm Wrote: Did Benjamin take any files along with him into exile to England?

Roger, I don't know how accurate it is, but there is a page on Benjamin's escape here. I've visited the Gamble Plantation a few times (one of the places along Benjamin's route) and once asked your question. The guide said she didn't know.

Quoting from the article cited above:

"Among his golden rule was to destroy any and all correspondence or anything that might aid or enlighten a person who shouldn't be enlightened.

In April 1883 Benjamin wrote,

"I have never kept a diary or retained any copy of a letter written by me. No letters addressed to me by others will be found among my papers when I die. With perhaps the exception of Mrs. Jefferson Davis, no one has many letters of mine; for I have read so many American biographies which reflected only the passions and prejudices of their writers, [for] that I do not want to leave behind my letters and documents to be used in such a work about myself"

Rsmyth · 03-27-2014, 07:04 AM

Roger, I love Ben's explanation. How sad (for us) yet true.

RJNorton · 03-27-2014, 07:23 AM

(03-27-2014 07:04 AM)Rsmyth Wrote: Roger, I love Ben's explanation. How sad (for us) yet true.

Rich, another "mystery" according to the Gamble Plantation guide is the reason Benjamin was expelled from Yale University. She said he was so brilliant that he entered the university at age 14, but then was expelled for "unknown reasons" when he was 16. Does anyone know what happened?

Eva Elisabeth · 03-27-2014, 07:44 AM

(03-27-2014 07:04 AM)Rsmyth Wrote: Roger, I love Ben's explanation. How sad (for us) yet true.

I agree. But very smart from his point of view (also the assumption women rather tend to keep letters), and pretty self-confident as he seemingly was convinced biographies would be written on him. Very interesting article, Roger, thanks for the link!

L Verge · 03-27-2014, 09:10 AM

Seems that it will forever be difficult to get a good, historical perspective of Mr. Benjamin without original source material straight from his own pen. A person's personal writings are the path to analyzing his character, imo.

Francis Farrell · 03-27-2014, 10:47 AM

(03-27-2014 09:10 AM)L Verge Wrote: Seems that it will forever be difficult to get a good, historical perspective of Mr. Benjamin without original source material straight from his own pen. A person's personal writings are the path to analyzing his character, imo.

Ms. Verge:

Original source material would be ideal, we have only some hints, and I believe we may well find more about Mr. Benjamin and Mr. tucker through gleaning of others material. Gen Tidwell and Mr. Hall and Dr. Gaddy did that , is it 30 years now in Come Retribution. I have not yet exhausted the material presented as well as his sequel in April 65. I believe that the enormity of the written material at the Archives and Museums still has tremendous potential to help us understand the events relative to the assassination and the Civil War.

L Verge · 03-27-2014, 11:42 AM

"I believe that the enormity of the written material at the Archives and Museums still has tremendous potential to help us understand the events relative to the assassination and the Civil War."

Well, time's awasting Mr. Farrell. Get thee busy on mining those materials...

Francis Farrell · 03-27-2014, 01:08 PM

(03-27-2014 11:42 AM)L Verge Wrote: "I believe that the enormity of the written material at the Archives and Museums still has tremendous potential to help us understand the events relative to the assassination and the Civil War."

Well, time's awasting Mr. Farrell. Get thee busy on mining those materials...

I am, every chance I get, including the Papers of Dr. Hall, and some long conversations I had with him.

Peter Taltavul · (This post was last modified: 04-13-2014 07:30 PM by Peter Taltavul.)

Having not been here for a long long time - and the subject probably covered in another area - there are so many relics that can be named. For me - though relic may be the wrong term to use - would be the death photo of JWB. It is taken on the order Stanton and then confiscated. Would he have it taken just to destroy it later? Being the eternal optimist that I am can't stop thinking that it may exist - packed away in some box - in some archives - unlabeled - just waiting for someone to find it.

Having jumped around in the forum it seems that my choice for the 'best relic" has been squashed. LV posted last month that the evidence is that no photo was taken of Booth's body. Glad to be corrected, but sure sad to be wrong.

L Verge · 04-13-2014, 07:50 PM

The jury is still out on that, Peter, but the excellent research conducted by John Elliott over the past few years is certainly leaning towards the fact that a photograph was never taken at the autopsy.