Part 1 Of My New Paper

[Thomas Kearney]

Here is part one of my reflections of attending "The Lincoln Tribute". Hope you enjoy! Part 2 coming next week.

The Lincoln Tribute: Recollections from A Man Who Was There All Night
By Thomas Kearney
On April 14th 2015, Ford’s Theater National Historic Site remembered the 150th anniversary of the Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. I was fortunate enough to attend after months of lobbying to my parents for an extra Senior Ditch Day. The long night began when I arrived via car and went to Shake Shack, a New York City burger joint across the street from the site of the Herndon Boarding House. I ordered a double cheeseburger and a chocolate malt shake. I made my way over to the theater campus and my long night began.

I read on Boothie Barn, a blog dedicated to the Lincoln conspiracy, that blogger Dave Taylor had two extra tickets he was giving away. The first person to find Dave and fellow researcher Kate Ramirez on Baptist Alley won the tickets. When the tweet was released I began running to Baptist Alley. By the time I reached the alley I was panting out of breath as I made a reference to John Wilkes Booth handing off his horse. Dave apologized and said I barely missed a lady who already secured the tickets. He later took to Twitter to apologize (apology accepted). While waiting for the tweet, I mingled with reenactors such as Jennie Gourlay Struthers, an actress in the play the night Lincoln was shot, and Effie Germon, an actress who was playing Aladdin at Grover’s Theater and a friend of Booth’s. I had a hard time explaining troubled pop star Justin Bieber, who is my best comparison to the fame of John Wilkes Booth before he killed Lincoln. Lindsey Horn, collections manager at the Surratt House in nearby Clinton, MD, told CNN that Booth would have been as famous as Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt if he were alive today. Guess Bieber didn’t cross the Surratt Society’s minds. So, I walked over to the Portrait Gallery a ticketless man.
My mother, who made the trip with me, sat down in the courtyard to watch the remainder of the free showing of “Lincoln” while I purchased drinks in the Courtyard Café. I only had enough for an Honest Kids Juice Pouch (I wanted to save for new Lincolniana items). We watched the Lincoln Commemoration until 9:45 and then headed over to 10th Street for 10:13 to hit. I staked out a spot on the front steps of Bistro d’oC where I met a reenactor who was playing a reporter. When it was 10:12 I recited the last few lines of “Our American Cousin” for the reporter and a few bystanders. When I reached “You Sockdologizing Old Mantrap” I felt a chill as my phone clock struck 10:13 PM 150 years to the moment.
When that moment hit, I felt as if I was on 10th Street when the Theater was emptied. I pictured the President being carried out by the six soldiers and Dr. Charles Leale struggling to find a place to go while repeatedly clearing the fatal blood clot from our dying president’s head. General Colin Powell, a participant in the show at Ford’s was walking in the area I was standing and shaking people’s hands. When he came closer to me, I reached my hand out to shake Powell’s hand, introduced myself, and said it was an honor to meet him. I was still letting that experience sink in when Actress Thembi Duncan provided a “You are there” experience of the moment Lincoln was shot on the steps of the Petersen House. After the eyewitness testimony of Laura Keane, a reenactor portraying Dr. Ezra W. Abbot gave the 11 PM half hour update on the president’s condition. Abbot would be out every half hour until the same reenactor announced Lincoln’s death, but playing Leale. As the lone bugler played “Taps” I felt a single tear roll down my left cheek. I was able to shake it off and grab photos of celebs such as Judy Collins and Opera singer Alyson Cambridge walk into the bar.