Lewis Powell's Double

[Linda Anderson]

I found this article in the 2/17/1924 San Diego Union. Betty, what do you think of it?

"Double of Lewis Payne Tell of Narrow Escape: San Diego Resident Recalls Thrilling Experience in Washington When He Came Near Being Hanged as Assaulter of Secretary Seward."

"Being accused of having attempted to assassinate Secretary of War [should be Secretary of State] Seward of President Lincoln's cabinet, at the time of the assassination of Lincoln, and almost being hanged by an infuriated mob, is the experience passed through by Edgar A. Nichols, former Captain of C company, 11th Maine volunteer infantry during the Civil war and now a resident of San Diego.

"According to the narrative given to the Union the other day by Capt. Nichols, who is known to have enjoyed the personal friendship of the great emancipator, Capt. Nichols was a practicing attorney in Washington, D.C. at the time of the shooting of Lincoln and the attempt on the life of Seward by Lewis Payne, a co-conspirator of Wilkes Booth and had had an appointment with a former comrade of the northern army at a Washington hotel to assist in making out a claim against the government."

The morning after the assassination, Nichols was standing in the lobby of his hotel. "'I was meditating over the news of the terrible catastrophe of the murder of Abraham Lincoln when the young lieutenant called in two guards and told them to take me to the post commander, who was informed that I was Lewis Payne, wanted for the attempt on the life of Seward. There was a mob outside and the leader asked for someone who could identify Lewis Payne. Two young men came forth and said they knew Payne. They were taken into the room where I was standing and one of them identified as Payne while the other said he was positive I was not.'"

Fortunately Nichols had an alibi but, "'Ever since that day I have thought how near I had come to meeting a tragic death and in my misfortune of being a double of Payne.'"

[BettyO]

Interesting, Linda....

Never heard of this before - I believe it's completely spurious of course - unless the guy, Nichols, was young, tall dark and handsome with very bad teeth....

[Linda Anderson]

We'll have to find a photo of Capt. Nichols in his youth.

Mike Kauffman writes in American Brutus that when Weichmann "learned, on the morning of the 15th, that Seward's attacker was wearing a long gray coat, he resolved to tell authorities immediately that George Atzerodt must have been that man.

"Weichmann took his suspicions to police headquarters, and while there he also mentioned the large dark- haired man who had visited the Surratt boarding house. The man had used several names, but Weichmann had remembered him as 'Paine' and recalled that lately he had been staying at the Herndon House."

I found Capt. Nichols in Fold3. Not much information on him other than what we already know but at least we know now that he did exist! It's a beginning.

[BettyO]

I've found some info on him and am researching to see if we can find a photo taken of him when young in order to compare.....

Very interesting!

[Gene C]

Was it Vaughan Shelton that proposed the theory that Seward was attacked by Lewis Payne's cousin, who bore a strong resemblance to Lewis?

[BettyO]

Quote:Was it Vaughan Shelton that proposed the theory that Seward was attacked by Lewis Payne's cousin, who bore a strong resemblance to Lewis?

Yes - and a follow up book, "The View from Eternity" stated that his research for "Mask for Treason" was written though his wife, who channeled Lew Powell during a seance.