Identification of Booth's body

[L Verge]

Sexton Weaver refers to John H. Weaver, who was sexton at Christ Church in Baltimore and an undertaker in the old Exeter Street neighborhood of the Booth family. President Andrew Johnson instructed the War Department in February of 1869 to turn over Booth's body to Weaver for reburial in Green Mount Cemetery. In turn, Weaver arranged with the Washington firm of Harvey and Marr to receive the body from the Arsenal and hold it until arrangements could be made to transport it to Baltimore.

Harvey and Marr's establishment was adjacent to Ford's Theatre, and ironically, the remains of Booth were stored in a shed in Baptist Alley that had once served as the stable for Booth's horse. Joseph Adrian Booth was present to oversee the D.C. portion of receiving and identifying the body and getting it shipped on to Baltimore.

In Baltimore, the body was met by John T. Ford, Mary Ann Booth, Rosalie Booth, Joseph Booth, Charles Bishop, John H. Weaver, and Harry Clay Ford -- all of them knew Wilkes intimately. The skull, hair, teeth, and legs were all examined closely. Even the old shoe on the broken leg and the matching high-riding boot to the one taken at Mudd's were included. Later that night, John T. Ford wired Edwin Booth in New York, "Successful and in our possession." That telegram was saved, and on the reverse are the penciled words "John's body." That telegram is now in the collection at Edwin's famous Players' Club in NYC.

Over the next few days, others who knew Booth were allowed to view the body. Ed Steers enumerates them in Blood on the Moon. A total of 19 people viewed the remains before its re-interment in Green Mount, and all agreed that it was Booth -- including Basil Moxley, who 34 years later would recant his positive identification, despite being a pallbearer on June 26, when the body of JWB was taken from the Weaver holding vault in Green Mount to the Booth plot that Mary Ann had bought for her husband and family.

The only reason for Moxley having changed his mind after so long period appears to be that it was 1903 when he decided to speak up and Finis Bates's book had just hit the American public. Several others who had viewed the body in 1869 spoke up to declare (in nice terms) that Moxley was lying. One of those was a Baltimore photographer, Joseph T. Lowery, who stated, "There was not the slightest doubt in my mind that the face of the dead man I looked upon was that of the actor, whom I had seen many times in life. The features were the same, although considerably sunken. His dark hair, which was remarkably thick and curly, was well preserved." It appears that Moxley wanted a little notoriety (and money) himself!?

In conclusion, in his research, Steers carefully examined Herold's account of what happened in the Garrett barn -- and points out that in the course of that examination, the fugitive specifically mentioned Booth by name nine times. "As I turned round, I heard a pistol shot, looked round and saw one corner of the barn in a light blaze. They jerked the barn door open. Booth was lying there." [Voluntary Statement of David E. Herold Made Before the Honorable John A. Bingham, Special Judge Advocate on the 27th Day of April, 1865 On Board the Monitor "Montauk" Lying Off the Navy Yard, Washington D.C. NARA, M-599, reel4, frames 0442-0485]

Further information is also given in Steers's summary of the stick pin from Dan Bryant found on Booth's underwear (and mentioned here with no response from Mr. Griffith) as well as the bank draft found on the body in the amount of 61 pounds, 12 shillings, 10 pence and made out to "John Wilkes Booth." This was subsequently identified at the Conspiracy Trial by Canadian banker, Robert Anson Campbell, who was the one who had personally handed the draft to Booth in 1864.

Thank you, Ed Steers, for making it easy to find the tools we need to keep speaking the truth in the face of non-believers.