Why was Mary Surratt not photographed after her arrest?

[Eva Elisabeth]

(09-14-2013 07:46 PM)Jim Garrett Wrote:  Stanton would have allowed was Booth's body preserved in any way.

Thanks for your comment, Jim. One of my simple brain's thoughts why it could have been done was my impression that (correct me if I'm wrong) it was the intention from the beginning to return the body to the family one day. I just can't imagine the "graves" in the prison were intended to be the final resting place for eternity. I would think they "deposited" the body there to have the "corpus delicti" available for some time and to shield it from public revenge. And a less deceased body would have made a further identification more agreable and easier, wouldn't it? But since, as Laurie said, the body did decease, embalming is indeed unlikely.

(09-14-2013 07:02 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Again, I am not certain as to whether the commission members had the option to deny their assignment. My guess would be no, unless there was found to be some kind of legal issue that would cause them to compromise the case. However, I also think that many of them felt duty bound to be the final avengers for Lincoln.

For me that would make it even more difficult. I wouldn't have wanted to vote them free, but I also believe it's not my right to send anyone to death. I'm not God. "You devil murdered
My dear wife! And you’re alive … Revenge be mine, says God." said the nobleman at the end of Conrad Ferdinand Meyer's "The feet in the fire" after hosting his wife's cruel murderer (who tortured the wife to find out the nobleman's whereabout) during a thunderstorm. A great ballad, worth reading:

http://www.moonfairye.com/library/feuer/fire.htm

But the commission members, of course, were military men.