Booth's mistress, Ella Starr, and other "unknown" Booth ladies!

[Susan Higginbotham]

(05-07-2018 03:32 PM)Jenny Wrote:  

(05-07-2018 03:28 PM)Steve Wrote:  I don't know where this other Ella note first appeared, but it's quoted in this book from 1992:

https://books.google.com/books?id=obm_DA...9D&f=false

Ooh, THANK YOU, Steve! This “second note” is actually referred to as being from the mysterious “Etta,” NOT Ella Starr, yet it is signed “N?” I will look into this - I don’t have a copy of The Evidence on me but I know there’s something about an Etta in there.

EDIT: It looks like this second note is part of the one from the alleged “Etta” who was keeping herself “secluded as a nun” for Booth. Abel left out part of the letter completely (and I guess he tried to pass it off as being from Ella Starr because he needed a good chapter title? Heh, I don’t know). Is the “Etta” letter still around? Didn’t “Etta” write this in New York (I don’t remember)?

I guess I will snoop around on fold3 and see if that letter is in there since that’s the place I found the copy of Ella’s “my darling boy” letter. At least we could compare handwriting.

If anyone has access to the Etta letter text in The Evidence, please post it if you have a moment! Would be greatly appreciated.

---

Looking at Abel’s book again, he absolutely acknowledges the “Etta” letter that was written from New York on April 12... the SAME letter that contains the quote he’s trying to pass off as Ella Starr’s. This really irritates me. There’s no way he couldn’t know the letter was from Etta yet he tried to pass it off as Starr’s note.

*sigh* I know it’s a small thing that most people could care less about but I do. I understand he was probably just trying to make his Ella Starr chapter more interesting... but this kind of thing just demonstrates how easy it can be for someone to use misuse information for their own purposes and start getting facts screwed up for others.

This was what I was talking about when I mentioned “sketchy” information in the other thread. Who is to say there aren’t other issues like this in the rest of the book?

I will shut up now.

The "anything that please you" letter is on pp. 622-23 of "The Evidence"

Enclosures to Gurley's letter [sent to Stanton from W. H. F. Gurley, reporting the contents of the theatrical trunks Booth had had shipped]
Friday evening
6 pm

Wilkes,

I know imperative business kept you away today. Would you please try & come down tomorrow as soon after two as possible. You can dine privately with me. I do not mind your drive. I trust you are feeling better today. Be very good until I see you. Bring my ring tomorrow. Anything that please you will be acceptable. God bless you my precious friend & believe me, devotedly your friend

N

One smack little kiss

PS Mollie S. was here. Pretty also bring with my ring ____ if you cannot come please send me word.

---

Abel suggests that the note was sent in 1865, but Gurley's report of it being found in Booth's theatrical trunks, shipped in the fall of 1864, would preclude that.