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Can You Spot the Historical Inaccuracies?
07-05-2014, 09:06 AM (This post was last modified: 07-05-2014 10:43 AM by BettyO.)
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RE: Can You Spot the Historical Inaccuracies?
Correct, Roger!

Here's what I spotted -

1) The gallows was only approximately 32-36 feet from the doorway and there was only 1 to 2 steps.

2) Powell was the last one out. In the movie, he's right behind Mary.

3) Mary isn't wearing a veil.

4) Powell is wearing a slouch hat. He was actually wearing a straw sailor's boater which Dr. Gillette procured for him. This hat blew off his head on the gallows and Powell told Dr. Gillette not to bother about retrieving it as he "Would not need it much longer." Therefore, he was not wearing a hat when he was hooded on the gallows.

5) Atzerodt was wearing a white handkerchief on his head - not a hat.

6) In the movie, the boys are wearing boots once they walk up the steps to the gallows. All of the men were wearing slippers except Powell who was in his stocking feet. No boots were pulled off on the gallows.

7) In the movie, the prayers of the spiritual advisors on the gallows are completely left out. Hartranft reads the death warrent and HE signals for the drop to fall; not Rath.

8) In the movie, the nooses are placed on the conspirators first, then the hoods. In reality, the hoods were placed on first - then the nooses.

I, too LOVE this movie - one of my favorites..... but can anyone else spot thing which seemed "out of kilter?"

"The Past is a foreign country...they do things differently there" - L. P. Hartley
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RE: Can You Spot the Historical Inaccuracies? - BettyO - 07-05-2014 09:06 AM

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