Who Can You Believe

[Linda Anderson]

(07-28-2014 08:05 PM)LincolnToddFan Wrote:  The Seward kids were ferociously devoted to their father. They all fought like mountain lions to protect him that night. Wasn't Augustus(Gus) Seward injured in the tussle with Payne at some point as well?

Several accounts I've read has Fanny pleading "Don't hurt him, please don't hurt him". I was always moved by the thought that it apparently didn't cross her mind that they might ALL be in mortal danger at the moment she saw Payne...she immediately tried to save her beloved father.

You're right about the Seward family, Toia. Mrs. Seward wrote to a friend afterwards that she had never seen children so devoted to their father.

Gus was sleeping in preparation for taking over the night shift from Fanny. He awoke to Fanny screaming and came running out of his room without his gun thinking that his father was delirious from the medicine he was taking as a result of his recent carriage accident.

Fanny wrote that after Powell's attack:

"I went into Augustus’ room_
he was lying on the bed _ & asked about Father _ (he came in
once or more to see him) he had five wounds on the
head- & one on the hand. He told me they were not
serious."

Fred didn't have a chance to fight Powell because Powell struck him over the head with his revolver before Fred could react to Powell's gun misfiring. What amazes me is that even with his skull fractured, Fred managed to get to his father's bedroom door at the same time as Powell so he could warn him.

Fanny describes seeing "two men came in, side by side. I was
close by the door, & the one nearest me, was Fred. The side
of his face was covered with blood, the rest very pale, his eyes
full of intense expression. I spoke to ask him what was
the matter,—he could not answer me."