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BettyO · 07-13-2012, 11:29 AM

I found, years ago, several references to Lew Powell being more or less as his father had described him; i.e. as being rather "kind and tender hearted" - not exactly the defiant, blood thirsty killer that the press attempted to make him out to be.

Yes, he was a professional soldier - and a well trained and very good one at that. Remember, he fought under Mosby, and as such, Powell would NOT have been even considered suitable Ranger material by the famed Gray Ghost had he been in any way an incompetent or disloyal military man....he was a boy, sure (and Mosby preferred boys in his unit as opposed to men), but he was also noted as being a strong fighter - referred to in one instance by a comrade as the "Terrible Lewis Powell".... but this "fighter" had an extremely soft side. According to another account, recorded by Clover Adams in her diary after she had attended the trial and spoke with one of Lew's guards, it was stated that Powell, while incarcerated in the Arsenal, was "impervious to threats and harshness, but was touched by kindness."

I have seen several references to this in various reports - but this one really surprised me when I first found it about 30 years ago....I've since seen it reprinted numerous times in many different papers and in different variations....this one by GATH (New York World, June 30, 1865)

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RJNorton · 07-13-2012, 12:04 PM

Thank you for posting this, Betty. I have been reading Lincoln assassination books since the 1960's, and getting inside Lewis Powell's brain has always been a huge challenge for me. I think you have helped us all who have wondered what he was like as a person, why he was so brutal at Seward's, and what his behavior was like after being arrested. I believe his punishment was just considering his actions, but you sure have helped me understand what made him tick. Thank you.

Laurie Verge · 07-13-2012, 01:03 PM

I wonder how many of the ladies who came to the trial developed somewhat of an "interest" in Lew? We hear so much today about women who form attachments to prisoners and correspond with - and even marry - them. Do you think Lew would have had such a following if he had been confined to prison instead of being executed?

Linda Anderson · 07-13-2012, 01:12 PM

Fanny Seward went with her brother Augustus to identify Powell on the Saugus the day after Powell was arrested at Mrs. Surratt's boarding house.

Dr. Verdi accompanied her. This is his account from the article "The Assassination of the Sewards," The Republic, Vol I, from March to December 1873. p. 289. Google Books.

"The scene was a solemn one-too solemn for man to utter a sound; a silence, broken only by the hissing wind and the surging waves, pervaded the whole ship. It was almost a weird transformation from a mysterious power.

"Miss Fanny was hanging on my arm. Did I feel a quiver? Probably I did, for I gently drew her from the painful scene. Conscientious even at this trying moment, she could not identify the man; her identification, she thought, might be his death. She had only seen him by a dim light as if a frightful vision. That is all she said."

Fanny wrote in her diary that she spoke to Powell just before he burst into the room.

"I did not stop to see if Father wakened thoroughly, but hastened to the door, opened it a very little, and found Fred standing close by
it, facing me. On his right hand, also close by the door, stood a very tall young man, in a light hat & long overcoat. I said 'Fred, Father is awake now.'
Something in Fred’s manner led me at once to think that he did not wish me to say so, and that I had better not have opened the door...The man seemed impatient, & addressing me in a tone that struck me at once as much more harsh & full of determination than such a simple question justified, asked 'Is the Secretary asleep.' I paused to look at my father, & replied 'Almost.' Then Fred drew the door shut very quickly."

She went on:

"The thought that such cruel & inhuman beings, as the man who had attacked my father & brothers, existed, made me wish myself dead, & out of such a world, anywhere seemed better."

I wonder what Fanny felt about Powell's execution. On July 7 Fanny was in Auburn. She had just buried her mother who had never recovered from Powell's attack and Fanny herself was weak and feverish. I've read her diary which she started up again in January 1866 until just before her death in October of that year but she never mentions Powell.

BettyO · (This post was last modified: 07-13-2012 03:27 PM by BettyO.)

(07-13-2012 12:04 PM)RJNorton Wrote: Thank you for posting this, Betty. I have been reading Lincoln assassination books since the 1960's, and getting inside Lewis Powell's brain has always been a huge challenge for me. I think you have helped us all who have wondered what he was like as a person, why he was so brutal at Seward's, and what his behavior was like after being arrested. I believe his punishment was just considering his actions, but you sure have helped me understand what made him tick. Thank you.

Thanks, Roger! This variance in Lew Powell's character is what initially intrigued me years ago....I think this was the "real" Lew Powell.... at Seward's he was following orders and panicked -- he realized his mistake after he committed the deed - according to what he told Gillette.

(07-13-2012 01:03 PM)Laurie Verge Wrote: I wonder how many of the ladies who came to the trial developed somewhat of an "interest" in Lew? We hear so much today about women who form attachments to prisoners and correspond with - and even marry - them. Do you think Lew would have had such a following if he had been confined to prison instead of being executed?

I've wondered that as well, Laurie. This lady supposedly had attended the trial, noticed him sweating in the prisoner's dock and sent him the handkerchief. Whether or not she had "ulterior motives" is unknown. She definitely also wanted to let him know that she was thinking about him and praying for him....

I have found quite a few reports of ladies attending the trial - some of whom seemingly came JUST to get a look at Powell.... I'll post some of them here. I agree that he did seem to have a "following" by the ladies during the trial - even the reporters noticed it.

According to one report, the ladies would push forward eagerly when he entered the courtroom and "ooohed and awed" over him to the extent that he would blush and hang his head. There are also reports that the Commission and guards had a hard time attempting to keep the ladies back when he entered! So he must have been somewhat of a "celebrity" in the courtroom....

(07-13-2012 01:12 PM)Linda Anderson Wrote: Fanny Seward went with her brother Augustus to identify Powell on the Saugus the day after Powell was arrested at Mrs. Surratt's boarding house.

Dr. Verdi accompanied her. This is his account from the article "The Assassination of the Sewards," The Republic, Vol I, from March to December 1873. p. 289. Google Books.

"The scene was a solemn one-too solemn for man to utter a sound; a silence, broken only by the hissing wind and the surging waves, pervaded the whole ship. It was almost a weird transformation from a mysterious power.

"Miss Fanny was hanging on my arm. Did I feel a quiver? Probably I did, for I gently drew her from the painful scene. Conscientious even at this trying moment, she could not identify the man; her identification, she thought, might be his death. She had only seen him by a dim light as if a frightful vision. That is all she said."

Fanny wrote in her diary that she spoke to Powell just before he burst into the room.

"I did not stop to see if Father wakened thoroughly, but hastened to the door, opened it a very little, and found Fred standing close by
it, facing me. On his right hand, also close by the door, stood a very tall young man, in a light hat & long overcoat. I said 'Fred, Father is awake now.'
Something in Fred’s manner led me at once to think that he did not wish me to say so, and that I had better not have opened the door...The man seemed impatient, & addressing me in a tone that struck me at once as much more harsh & full of determination than such a simple question justified, asked 'Is the Secretary asleep.' I paused to look at my father, & replied 'Almost.' Then Fred drew the door shut very quickly."

She went on:

"The thought that such cruel & inhuman beings, as the man who had attacked my father & brothers, existed, made me wish myself dead, & out of such a world, anywhere seemed better."

I wonder what Fanny felt about Powell's execution. On July 7 Fanny was in Auburn. She had just buried her mother who had never recovered from Powell's attack and Fanny herself was weak and feverish. I've read her diary which she started up again in January 1866 until just before her death in October of that year but she never mentions Powell.

Thanks, Linda! I'm sure that Fanny simply wanted to forget Powell. If she had any thoughts about him at all, I'm sure that they were not pleasant ones. She would more than likely wanted to blot him out of her mind. And after what she went through, I can't blame her.

Linda Anderson · 07-13-2012, 01:46 PM

Fanny recorded in her diary in January 1866 that a Mr. Peabody had told her "that I would meet very few - or none who had experienced what I did in being a witness. and said such a shock was quite sufficient to have killed a person instantly."

Fanny gave an interview "not many months" before her death:

"I could not stir, I could not scream with terror. He [Powell] sprang from the bed and rushed past me, out of the room, striking at everyone in his way except me.
""He afterward said he could not strike that young girl watching there by her father,' remarked Fred Seward."

"The Presidential Assassins-Mrs. Surratt-Booth-Fanny Seward's Story"
Chicago Tribune - 11/23/1873

BettyO · (This post was last modified: 07-13-2012 02:10 PM by BettyO.)

Apparently Powell did have quite a "following" by ladies attending the trial - I have repeated reports where they were quite interested in him - much to his embarrassment.

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Regarding the ladies' reactions to Lew in the prisoner's dock - I don't understand that either - not at that time period. One usually thinks of young ladies in the Victorian era as sedate and modest - yet here they are, swarming over the prisoners as they come and go into the courtroom, making comments about Powell and more or less some of the other prisoners as well.

Granted, Powell was clothed in simply a Navy issue undershirt. This in itself was considered quite scandalous for the time. The other boys in the dock were "respectfully" dressed and did not garner as much attention, apparently!
The ladies may have assumed that Powell's dress had a lot to do with his personality; not aware that his own clothing was being utilized as evidence. Although he was strikingly handsome, his "costume" could have been the main attraction for many a "young lady." I doubt Victorian women knew much about being "groupies"! Rolleyes

BettyO · 07-14-2012, 05:53 AM

(07-13-2012 01:46 PM)Linda Anderson Wrote: Fanny recorded in her diary in January 1866 that a Mr. Peabody had told her "that I would meet very few - or none who had experienced what I did in being a witness. and said such a shock was quite sufficient to have killed a person instantly."

Fanny gave an interview "not many months" before her death:

"I could not stir, I could not scream with terror. He [Powell] sprang from the bed and rushed past me, out of the room, striking at everyone in his way except me.
""He afterward said he could not strike that young girl watching there by her father,' remarked Fred Seward."

"The Presidential Assassins-Mrs. Surratt-Booth-Fanny Seward's Story"
Chicago Tribune - 11/23/1873

Thanks, Linda! I had never heard this particular story -- sounds right to me. There are so many conflicting stories that Powell injured Fanny. From what I've found, he never touched her other than perhaps shoving her out of the way. This confirms that...

JMadonna · 07-14-2012, 12:13 PM

Would like to know what Mosby said about him, if anything. Pretty sure Mosby recommended for the job and Powell briefly took his name as an alias.

BettyO · (This post was last modified: 07-14-2012 03:24 PM by BettyO.)

(07-14-2012 12:13 PM)JMadonna Wrote: Would like to know what Mosby said about him, if anything. Pretty sure Mosby recommended for the job and Powell briefly took his name as an alias.

Hey, Jerry!

As far as I have been able to discover, Mosby NEVER mentioned Powell. Others, however, within Mosby's command including John Munson, Ben Palmer, Syd Ferguson, John Alexander, John Stringfellow, et.al. all mentioned Powell - as well as General William H. Payne at whose home Powell boarded while serving with Mosby.

But the great Gray Ghost himself, whom Powell apparently idolized, never mentioned him as far as I know. No writings, recollections; Nada, nothing....

L Verge · 07-14-2012, 06:57 PM

I wasn't under the impression that Powell took "Mosby" as an alias. I thought it was nickname that others gave him? The alias of "Payne" was taken from the General's family wasn't it and was actually contrived by either reporters or authorities who tried to tie the Confederate general to the assassination?

BettyO · (This post was last modified: 07-14-2012 07:27 PM by BettyO.)

(07-14-2012 06:57 PM)L Verge Wrote: I wasn't under the impression that Powell took "Mosby" as an alias. I thought it was nickname that others gave him? The alias of "Payne" was taken from the General's family wasn't it and was actually contrived by either reporters or authorities who tried to tie the Confederate general to the assassination?

Lewis Powell never took the alias of "Mosby" - that was a nickname that Atzerodt had given him; apparently because Powell spoke so much about him. He DID use the names of others who rode with Mosby as aliases; to wit: Kincheloe at the Herndon House, and one or two others (one of which I just found out about recently and will reveal at the Conference)....

The name of "Payne" was taken by Powell from the name of his hosts, the family of General William H. Payne as he told Gillette that he took that name so that his parents would not know what he was involved in...." The press then attempted to tie him in with the Kentucky Payne brothers as well as the name being utilized in an attempt to defame General William H. Payne.

RJNorton · 07-15-2012, 04:30 AM

I have several questions for you folks who know much more than myself. The possible role of Mosby being somehow connected to the assassination is a very weak area (knowledge-wise for me).

Here are my questions:

1. Was it Mosby who sent Harney on his "explosives" mission?

2. Did Booth know of the failure of Harney's mission?

3. If he did, could this be considered another motivating factor in the timing of the assassination because the failure took place only a few days before Booth acted?

BettyO · 07-15-2012, 06:36 AM

(07-15-2012 04:30 AM)RJNorton Wrote: I have several questions for you folks who know much more than myself. The possible role of Mosby being somehow connected to the assassination is a very weak area (knowledge-wise for me).

Here are my questions:

1. Was it Mosby who sent Harney on his "explosives" mission?

2. Did Booth know of the failure of Harney's mission?

3. If he did, could this be considered another motivating factor in the timing of the assassination because the failure took place only a few days before Booth acted?

Great question, Roger!

According to Come Retribution:

"On 1 April, a small team, including Thomas E. 'Frank' Harney, an explosives expert, was sent to Colonel Mosby with instructions to infiltrate the team into Washington. Mosby organized a special task force to carry out this mission and sent the men to raid near Burke, Virginia, near Washington, as a cover for the infiltration. There on 10 April, 1865,
unaware that Lee had surrendered the day before, the force was surprised by Union cavalry and Harney was captured. The Mosby raid was so unusual that it was clear that Harney was intended for some very important assignment. One could surmise that it was something as important to the Confederacy as blowing up the White House during a meeting of war leaders."

To further quote Messrs. Hall, Tidwell and Gaddy:

"This surmise moreover, is supported by two pieces of evidence. Lewis Thornton Powell...had scouted the White House and its surroundings earlier in the year - clearly with a view to learning if action could be taken against President Lincoln. More important, however, it was learned that George Atzerodt...had made a statement that was preserved by his defense lawyer to the effect that the group had discussed blowing up the White House when a number of high officials were inside."

The authors surmised that apparently JWB DID not know that Harney had been captured and went on with HIS mission, as he saw it....

Ed Steers · (This post was last modified: 07-15-2012 01:34 PM by Ed Steers.)

(07-15-2012 06:36 AM)BettyO Wrote:
(07-15-2012 04:30 AM)RJNorton Wrote: I have several questions for you folks who know much more than myself. The possible role of Mosby being somehow connected to the assassination is a very weak area (knowledge-wise for me).

Here are my questions:

1. Was it Mosby who sent Harney on his "explosives" mission?

2. Did Booth know of the failure of Harney's mission?

3. If he did, could this be considered another motivating factor in the timing of the assassination because the failure took place only a few days before Booth acted?

Great question, Roger!

According to Come Retribution:

"On 1 April, a small team, including Thomas E. 'Frank' Harney, an explosives expert, was sent to Colonel Mosby with instructions to infiltrate the team into Washington. Mosby organized a special task force to carry out this mission and sent the men to raid near Burke, Virginia, near Washington, as a cover for the infiltration. There on 10 April, 1865,
unaware that Lee had surrendered the day before, the force was surprised by Union cavalry and Harney was captured. The Mosby raid was so unusual that it was clear that Harney was intended for some very important assignment. One could surmise that it was something as important to the Confederacy as blowing up the White House during a meeting of war leaders."

To further quote Messrs. Hall, Tidwell and Gaddy:

"This surmise moreover, is supported by two pieces of evidence. Lewis Thornton Powell...had scouted the White House and its surroundings earlier in the year - clearly with a view to learning if action could be taken against President Lincoln. More important, however, it was learned that George Atzerodt...had made a statement that was preserved by his defense lawyer to the effect that the group had discussed blowing up the White House when a number of high officials were inside."

The authors surmised that apparently JWB DID not know that Harney had been captured and went on with HIS mission, as he saw it....

Let's remember that one of the more crucial pieces of evidence in support of the Harney mission is the statement by Confederate Private Snyder who went to Colonel Edward Hastings the day after Richmond fell and told Hastings that an explosive expert had left the Torpedo Bureau on a mission to harm the President. Snyder worked at the Torpedo Bureau and certainly knew Harney although he did not give Hastings Harney's name as he wouldn't. Snyder felt the war was all but over and any such action would be unwarranted. It is Snyder's statement that most supports the theory that Harney was on his way to the White House. I think this is the crucial link to Harney and his supposed mission.

I'm still not sure how to post. That statement re Snyder was mine. Ed Steers