Identification of Booth's body

[L Verge]

(09-26-2018 06:16 PM)Susan Higginbotham Wrote:  I'm not aware of any government intervention against exhumation of Booth's body. According to the account here, the dispute was between some distant relations of Booth and Green-Mount Cemetery.

http://www.surrattmuseum.org/effort-to-e...ooths-body

Thanks for bringing that page on our website to attention, Susan, and thank you John Fazio for your clear statement of facts. I sat through the two days of the first case in Baltimore and listened to wonderful historical research and reasons why this ongoing theory that Booth escaped is ludicrous. You will never defeat those who are bent on proving conspiracy, however. There are none so deaf as those who do not want to hear.

Just a few points: The Booth relatives (who are pretty far out on a branch) were under constant poking and prodding evidently by the real instigators of this case -- one Nate Orlowek and the late-Dr. Arthur Ben Chitty, who referred to himself as a historiographer (look that one up). I first met Nate when he was quite young and quite proud of having his theory published in a national magazine - can't remember, but it might have been Rolling Stone. He later teamed up with Dr. Chitty.

Finally, they were able to convince the two Booth ladies and a young lawyer (Mark Zaid) to force a lawsuit into a Baltimore court. At that time, Mr. Zaid was known for only taking high-profile cases that would get him attention. I later heard that he was one who was involved in the cases surrounding the death of Princess Diana. Representing Green Mount was Frank Gorman, part of the cemetery's legal team, and he did a tremendous job. He's a quick learner and worked with the team of expert historians to make the facts known. Frank is a member of the Surratt Society, and I spoke with him about six months ago and found out that he is writing a book on the case. He's sure to be a speaker at a future Surratt conference.

We should recognize William Trimble who also spoke on behalf of the cemetery. He made very legitimate points as to why the cemetery opposed the exhumation, including the facts that the exact grave location is not recorded, the water problems in that area, the promise made to Mary Ann Booth, the fact that other remains were likely in the same grave and would be disturbed.

Mr. Trimble also pointed out that other families had loved ones in adjacent plots and that equipment could damage their areas -- not to mention the hordes of media and spectators that would descend upon that section once word got out that an exhumation would occur. Ironically, one of the nearby plots contains General Trimble of Civil War history and ancestor to Bill Trimble.

Other significant details about the body's identification in 1865 and 1869 should include references to the body being freckled. Go to your medical texts and you will find that this occurs in many fresh corpses, especially those that are not carefully transported. Blood and internal liquids flow to the lowest point and coagulate, causing the freckling effect. Remember that Booth was rolled into a blanket and thrown into the back of a rickety wagon to be taken to the ship. Who knows how this hated man was treated from that point on.

There was a photo comparison with the body done at Garrett's; the Booth family later provided dental records that showed Booth had a "plugged" tooth - something that few people could afford in those days; the body was identified by close to 100 people, according to Michael Kauffman, before being secretly buried at the Arsenal; and there's that noticeable scar on the body's neck that the doctor who performed the surgery identified. Finally, please consider the physical toll that being on the run, living outdoors, and nursing a broken leg would have on a person.

If you are still a doubter, I invite you to visit the James O. Hall Research Center at Surratt House Museum and view the documented files - including a very large notebook containing the 1991 Baltimore trial transcripts.

And John Stanton Slater, I think I'm shocked that you are still following the "Booth Escaped" theory.