Drawing of Booth Body

[John E.]

(03-12-2014 10:09 AM)Linda Anderson Wrote:  Hi John,

This may have been covered before but is it possible that Lawrence Gardner was lying to cover up the fact that a photo was actually taken?
That was the story and he was sticking to it.

Also, Seaton Munroe, who was a witness for the military commission trying to establish Booth's identity which was being held below deck, wrote, "The handsome countenance was unmarred by the agony of his lingering death..."

So what did Booth look like on the Montauk anyway? Could his body have changed that quickly?

Hi Linda, its always possible that Lawrence Gardner was lying but why would he? The purpose of the Evening Star article had nothing to
do with whether Booth's photo was taken or not. Lawrence just wanted to state unequivocally that the man aboard the ship was Booth and that he was definitely dead.

The other information he volunteered (Booth's tattoo, meeting him at Grover's on the day of the assassination) was inconsequential at the time but very important to researchers.

There is a myth about Stanton and his attitude toward photographs being taken or secreted in some fashion. Hopefully I will be able to cover that in my presentation.

As for what Booth looked like the day of the autopsy, Seaton Munroe's description has always been a bit of a mystery to me. It contradicts what most people had to say about it. The only thing I can offer is speculation. Perhaps by "countenance", he was referring to Booth's high cheek bones and / or bone structure.

Livor mortis or lividity is when blood collects in the body and starts to pool because of lack of circulation. When Booth was moved from Virginia to Washington DC, he was most likely laying face-down which may have caused a discoloration and freckling.

Here is a description from a NY Times reporter who had a brief view of the body:

From a brief look upon the body, I find that BOOTH had cut off his moustache apparently with scissors, trimmed his hair, and allowed his beard to grow, thus altering his appearance materially. The lower part of his face is discolored by extravagation of blood. The ball which produced his death entered the base of the skull, in a position very similar to that which the fatal ball entered into the skull of President LINCOLN.