The Spangler Connection

[Cliff Roberts]

How about two chief reasons for your belief, Cliff? P.S. I agree with you. I also agree with Eva's assessment that Booth picked up the wood shavings after quickly drilling the hole and put them in his pocket where they stayed for the next twelve days simply because there were so few of them that he just forgot about dumping them. The gimlet would have been tangible evidence of the deed - the shavings were not.

Hi Laurie! I'll give you a few reasons: One, Rhodes says he was in the theater within half an hour of noon; Booth himself didn't learn Lincoln would attend the theater until noon, leaving hardly enough time to recruit Surratt or anyone else to prepare a bar of wood and to be caught in the act by Rhodes; Two, Surratt wasn't even in town; Three, why would Booth pick Surratt to do the job anyway, when he could have asked Spangler, and Spangler looks nothing like Surratt; Four, the idea that a stranger (Rhodes) would be allowed to enter the theater, roam around at will and just happen to catch a conspirator in the act . . . well, you can see where that's going. Frankly, I don't think Rhodes' testimony was a case of mistaken identity; I think he deliberately perjured himself, like the notorious liars exposed in the conspiracy trial. Personally, I think Booth himself prepared both the hole in the door and the wooden bar. I don't know where the shavings came from, but I doubt Booth would carry them around in his pocket for twelve days. I think it more likely he whittled his little stash of kindling somewhere in the woods of Maryland or Virginia. What I found most interesting in the testimony of Gifford was the amount of detail he was able to provide about the hole, including the fact that it was bored by a left-turning bit! Expert testimony from a journeyman carpenter.

[L Verge]

I agree with your assessment of Rhodes - especially the first reason and the strong possibility that he perjured himself. As for carrying the shavings around in his pocket, he could be like me -- I love putting a jacket on in the fall and finding that I left money in the pocket when I put it away in the spring! Frankly, I doubt that Booth and Herold ever started a fire while on their escape.

[L Verge]

I also meant to add that I think James Gifford was a bit more than a journeyman carpenter. He was the builder of Tudor Hall until he became disgruntled with Mr. Booth, and John Ford had him working at several of his theaters over the years. Good carpenters are like general practitioners in medicine - they know quite a bit about all aspects of their work.

[J. Beckert]

I've seen Gifford referred to as an architect. He was in charge of the total reconstruction of Ford's when it was gutted by fire in 1862. He supposedly was also involved in the Gov'ts remodeling in 1865 and quit in disgust over the shoddy methods that were being used. It sounds like he was quite a builder.

[Cliff Roberts]

I also meant to add that I think James Gifford was a bit more than a journeyman carpenter.

Laurie, "Journeyman" in no way implies anything less than an expert carpenter, one who has trained as an apprentice and reached a high level of proficiency in all areas of wood working. However, based on your information, I'd now like to amend my comment to read, "Expert testimony from a Super-Duper journeyman carpenter!

[L Verge]

Not sure Gifford qualifies as Super-Duper, Cliff, but I was going on what I learned way back in high school about journeymen. Here's what a current dictionary says that agrees with what I was taught:

jour•ney•man (ˈdʒɜr ni mən)

n., pl. -men.
1. a person who has served an apprenticeship at a trade and is certified to work at it under another person.
2. a competent but routine worker or performer.
3. a person hired to do work for another, usu. by the day.

I think Gifford was his own boss; he did not work under another, more skilled carpenter in the times that we are discussing. I guess it's just semantics...

[Cliff Roberts]

Not sure Gifford qualifies as Super-Duper, Cliff, but I was going on what I learned way back in high school about journeymen. Here's what a current dictionary says that agrees with what I was taught:
jour•ney•man (ˈdʒɜr ni mən) . . . .

Laurie, I was just pulling your leg with the "super-duper," but of course you knew that. Still, I'm glad my post gave you an opportunity to provide a little background on Mr. Gifford which some may not have known.

[Craig Hipkins]

This is a fascinating topic that brings up more speculation. I believe that at least two people who were in the theatre that night were aware of the hole in the door. If Booth was not aware of Lincoln's scheduled appearance until noon of that day (as Cliff states) he must have had a collaborator who supplied him with the tool used to make the hole. Booth was an actor, not a carpenter. The tool used to make the hole in the door would in all probability not have been among JWB's personal possessions. He therefore, in all likelihood borrowed it from one of Ford's carpenters. There is, of course, the possibility that he took the liberty of borrowing it without the knowledge of anyone, but this is unlikely.
According to Mr. Bogar, Booth had a drink with both Spangler and Gifford (both known Secessionists) at the Star Saloon. This was shortly before the theatre cleared out for supper. Was this when it was arranged for a hole to be drilled through the door? Knowing that the theatre would be practically empty it would be a perfect opportunity to do this. When else would Booth have been alone to accomplish this bit of devilish carpentry?
Somebody gave Booth the means and opportunity to do this. Prime suspects Spangler and Gifford.

Craig

[Eva Elisabeth]

I would like to ask for forum members' opinions on Frank Ford's 1962 letter stating the hole had been bored earlier on his father's behalf (and why the son "suddenly" came up with this after almost a century)?

[RJNorton]

Eva, I don't have a specific answer for your question. I am not sure. Craig, I am rethinking Spangler after reading Tom's book.

But I do have another question. Why did Booth need a peephole? I realize William H. Crook is not a reliable source, but in Through Five Administrations he maintains that John Buckingham, the Ford's doorkeeper, said that Booth was in and out of the theater five times checking out the situation before finally going ahead with his assassination plan. Maybe this was an embellishment, but let's assume Booth was in and out at least twice. Standing and moving about in the back of the theater couldn't Booth have pretty much seen what the situation was in the State Box? Certainly earlier in the day he knew he could check out the situation before proceeding. What advantage did the peephole really afford him?

[Eva Elisabeth]

It's difficult to say without knowing how much of the box exactly was visible through that hole, but I would assume that like an actor before entering the stage he might have liked to have a look at the current "situation" in the box before entering for the deed, e.g. to see exactly where (and that) all were seated - didn't Lincoln sometimes sit in the back of the box rather than at the rail? Also to check if there were other guests (men) replacing the Grants.

What I don't understand at all is JWB's choice of weapons. Why a derringer which he could only shoot once? What would he have done had Grant been there? And I consider it quite risky to "rely" on the knife.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Standing and moving about in the back of the theater couldn't Booth have pretty much seen what the situation was in the State Box?

Was he indeed able to see the state box from the places he was that night (during the performance)?

[L Verge]

Good point, Roger. But I think Booth entered from the rear and passed under the stage. I don't know how much time he had to reconnoiter there or even from the audiences' perspective if he was out front. Also, there was always the possibility that Mr. Lincoln could shift positions or even exit the box at some point while Booth was on the move from one spot to another. I guess we'll never know exactly why he thought it necessary to drill the hole, but I am one who believes that it was done by him.

[wsanto]

I like to believe the wood shavings found on Booth were from the door.

I agree with Laurie that it is more than plausible that he drilled the hole, collected the shavings, and pocketed them for obvious reasons. Assuming he was wearing the same pants the next twelve days, it seem likely that some of the shavings would still be in his pocket.

I doubt cleaning out his pockets was much on his mind during this time. He probably didn't even realize they were there.

[RJNorton]

I recall reading somewhere that Booth, after his late afternoon/early evening visit to Ford's, returned to his room at the National Hotel and changed clothes. Does anyone know if this is true? Did he have the same pants on during the day as he did when he shot the president?