Just Trivia

[David Lockmiller]

(12-22-2020 09:07 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Yes, Crook was not the bodyguard at the theater (although he was one of several policemen assigned to White House duty). Rather it was John F. Parker, another White House guard, who went to Ford's. Indeed Crook was critical of the way Parker handled his duties.

It was White House policeman/doorman, Tom Pendel, who comforted Tad back at the White House after Booth shot the President. Earlier Tad was with Alphonso Donn, another of the group of Metropolitan Washington police officers assigned to the White House, at Grover's Theatre watching Aladdin or The Wonderful Lamp.

As I write this my mind is blank regarding Mrs. Lincoln firing someone and Crook getting a promotion. Can you kindly expound on that and maybe my memory will come back. Thanks.

In the fall of 1864 it was decided that a detail of the Washington Metropolitan Police force would be assigned to protect the President. This was at the request of Ward Hill Lamon, United States Marshall for the District of Columbia and a close friend of Lincoln's. Lamon had become increasingly fearful for the President's life. On November 3, 1864, the initial detail was composed of John R. Cronin, Alphonso Donn, Thomas F. Pendel, and Alexander (or Andrew) C. Smith. Changes were occasionally made, although the detail was never more than 5 officers at any one time. Other officers who served in the detail included William S. Lewis, William H. Crook, George W. McElfresh, Thomas T. Hurdle, Joseph Shelton, John F. Parker, and D. Hopkins. Parker was assigned to the detail sometime between late February and early April, 1865.

Tom Pendel wrote, "Previous to starting for the theatre, I said to John Parker, who had taken my place, to accompany Mr. Lincoln, "John, are you prepared?" I meant by this to ask if he had his revolver and everything all ready to protect the President in case of an assault. Alfonso Donn, my old companion at the door, spoke up and said, "Oh, Tommy, there is no' danger." I said, "Donn, you don't know what
might happen." Because I had traveled a good deal in my life, and had seen much of human nature, I said, "Parker, now you start down to the theatre, to be ready for the President when he reaches there. And you see him safe inside." He started off immediately, and did see Mr. Lincoln all safe inside the theatre, and Mrs. Lincoln, Major Rathbone and Miss Harris also reached the building in safety."

You are absolutely right, Roger. I got the two names confused.

I could not recall the name that I was seeking. I actually wanted to find the quote which you posted: ""John, are you prepared?" I meant by this to ask if he had his revolver and everything all ready to protect the President in case of an assault."

I am really glad to find out about my mistake. Thank you, Roger. I was really disheartened to find out that Lincoln scholars had a very low opinion of Pendel's (my mistake) credibility. Roger wrote: "(I will note that some historians feel Crook's memories fall more into the myth category than fact category.)"

As I said, I wondered what would have happened if the very conscientious Pendel had been President Lincoln's bodyguard that night. [Parker] "did see Mr. Lincoln all safe inside the theatre, and Mrs. Lincoln, Major Rathbone and Miss Harris also reached the building in safety." Pendel might have stayed with President Lincoln that night outside the door in the hallway. And, the initial confrontation might have been between Pendel and John Wilkes Booth.

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In doing research, I found this post by Laurie and my response:

RE: S.O.S
(11-04-2019 09:46 PM)David Lockmiller Wrote:
(11-04-2019 08:23 PM)L Verge Wrote:
Help - I may need a short version of the story that I have heard over the years of Mr. Lincoln tricking a companion into eating a persimmon that had not been sweetened by a hard frost. I'm doing a Facebook snippet on a 19th-century Persimmon Pudding recipe and an accompanying Persimmon Beer one. If there is space, I would like to include the Lincoln legend.

Laurie, you may be thinking of the following story:

On one occasion, President Lincoln, when riding near the Soldiers’ Home, said to his footman, named Charles Forbes, who had but recently come from Ireland, “What kind of fruit do you have in Ireland, Charles?” To which Charles replied, “Mr. President, we have a good many kinds of fruit: gooseberries, pears, apples, and the like.” The president then asked, “Have you tasted any of our American fruits?”

Charles said he had not, and the president told Burke, the coachman, to drive under a persimmon tree by the roadside. Standing up in the open carriage, he pulled off some of the green (unripe) fruit, giving some of it to Burke and some to Charles, with the advice that the latter try some of it. Charles, taking some of the green fruit in his hand, commenced to eat, when to his astonishment he found that he could hardly open his mouth. Trying his best to spit it out, he yelled, “Mr. President, I am poisoned! I am poisoned!” Mr. Lincoln fairly fell back in his carriage and rolled with laughter.

Story source is from "Lincoln and the Irish: The Untold Story of How the Irish Helped Abraham Lincoln . . .” by Niall O’Dowd

Laurie, you better be careful about using this source. This same story was also printed on page 650 of "Lincoln Talks, A Biography in Anecdote," which itself has been proven to be an unreliable source for Lincoln stories. Perhaps Niall O'Dowd used this Emanuel Hertz story for his book quoted above.

L Verge Wrote:
Thank you, David, this is just what I was looking for -- and I already planned on introducing it as one of many anecdotes about Lincoln that may or may not be true.

And, then, Dave Taylor provided confirming information with the name Pendel as the source:

This story is true. Dave Taylor wrote in his post (while I was working on mine):

"The story comes from Thomas Pendel's book, Thirty Six Years in the White House. The unfortunate gentleman tricked by Lincoln is none other than Charles Forbes who later sat outside the Presidential box at Ford's Theatre."

Thank you, Dave Taylor, for providing a link to this book passage in your post. On the night of Lincoln's assassination, it was Thomas Pendel who took care of Tad after receiving the news of his father's death (touching to read).