Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet

[MaddieM]

(08-24-2012 05:51 AM)BettyO Wrote:  According to Dr. Gillette, Lew didn't eat or drink a thing on the morning of the hanging - for obvious reasons. Lew had been a soldier, he had seen men die on the battle and he knew what happened. He didn't want to disgrace himself further by losing his bowels, etc. Enough said.

Yes, in the gallows photos you can see that Lew seems like a tall, very skinny kid! I would bet that this boy lost at least 20-25 lbs in prison making his weight thus about 150 - 155 lbs. Very thin for a young man of his frame - he was apparently large boned. I think that this in effect may have been the reason he strangled instead of having his neck broken humanely. Apparently Rath did not take into consideration the weight of his victims and the drops assigned to each.....

The drop was what? 5 feet or so? And they all had the same drop. If you were to compare body weights with the others would his have been that much lighter if you take into account his height? Also, he was a foot higher than the others, so his actual drop would have been a foot more than the others. it just strikes me that he was merely unlucky. It must have yanked at the neck in the most terrible way. The fact that he took so long to die, must be almost certainly his youth, muscular neck and healthy body. Five minutes is a long long time to hang there, and still be alive. From what I've read, he wanted to die for what he'd done, was resigned to it, and went to his execution with a spiritual strength that earned the respect of all present. But when your body is so young and vibrant, it's not going to let go of life easily.

It must have been excruciating witnessing that. The photos are bad enough.

There was also mention of him staring up at the sky as he was awaiting the rope. I imagine his thoughts would have been firmly with his family at that moment and perhaps wondering what was waiting for him on the 'other side'.

One of the most poignant things is that none of his family were present to comfort him. He seemed to have had nobody at that darkest time. one would have thought Maggie Branson might have paid a visit, if only to say goodbye.

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(08-24-2012 12:13 PM)Natty Wrote:  

(08-24-2012 11:30 AM)BettyO Wrote:  I wondered about that myself, Natty! Powell had the reputation of being the "Terrible Lewis Powell". I don't know what they meant here other than this - from what I heard.

Lewis had, along with Syd Ferguson and Cab Maddox single handedly in close hand to hand combat, captured Captain Richard Blazer and took him to Richmond to Libby Prison. Powell, at the Conspiracy Trial was remembered being seen by another officer at Libby when he was there. This was also about the same time that he was more or less meeting with officials in Richmond regarding his induction into the kidnap plot. It was stated that after the Blazer affair, that Powell did not go on many raids (probably because he was being coached by the Confederate SS) - at any rate, this could be why he didn't go on a raid; but apparently he did go on this a couple of raids and participated boldly! It was said that he was very quiet and thoughtful when he returned from Richmond. Mike Kauffman claims in American Brutus] that he thought Lew Powell was possibly "love sick" over the Branson girls -- this could be quite true as well, because he sure turned up on their doorstep right after he left Mosby!

Ah, yes - that would make sense. If he was receiving special training from the SS, his comrades would have gotten used to the idea that he was not going to be fighting.
The only thing that irritates me is the timeline. Blazer was captured in November of 1864, whereas the Dranesville incident occurred in February earlier that year. How could Lewis have been training for the CSS at that time already? Was he? He had just joined the Rangers the fall of the previous year, if I recall correctly - was he already chosen for the CSS in February of 1864?

Oh! Lewis as lovesick! That is a particularly endearing prospect - is it possible that he might have been a bit "lovesick" when he first joined the Rangers, perhaps seeming a bit distant and initially lacking enthusiasm?

I've wondered if it might have been the gravity of this situation, rather than being love sick. Let's face it, romance would still be there at any time for him, but what he was involved in, or about to do, perhaps he was thinking about the impact that might have on his family, should they find out. And as it turned out, didn't he specifically say to one of his guards, 'Please don't tell my Mama what i've done. It would kill her.'

He may well have been pensive or introspective at that time, and I also suspect he was a deep thinker and quite sensitive. Had he been less so, I'm sure he would not have had the same deep level of regret at what he did later on.