Your guess: "angels" or "ages?"

[Anita]

Roger, thanks for the clarification re: Johnson. It's no wonder students get confused. Here's a site with 11 different deathbed depictions.
http://faculty.cua.edu/johnsong/lincoln/...d%202.html I like the one with the angels. Proves Stanton said angels!

   

Linda, thanks for tracking down O'beirne's papers. In his documentation for the reward he writes "...I remained near our beloved & lamented president until his death hour and in constant proximity to Mr. Stanton..." This was in written in Dec. 1865.

O'beirne on the other hand may have been there at the time of death. Since he wasn't family, a high ranking gov't. official, Senator, or physician he may have just stood in the doorway or back by the window out of the way. Because he was there in an official capacity reporting to Stanton, he may not have been depicted in lithographs because he wasn't a nationally know figure.