Now it can be told...demon whiskey was responsible for Lincoln's assassination!

[Rob Wick]

From Ida Tarbell's papers.

Best
Rob

[LincolnMan]

Rob: I never heard that one, have you until now?

[RJNorton]

Like Bill I never heard this one before. Rob, I was worried you were going to share more of Ida's writing. My eyes are still blurry from that one example you posted!

[Rob Wick]

It's a new one for me as well.

Tarbell was interested in Lincoln's assassination, especially in the formation of the Dramatic Oil Company between Booth, John Ellsler and Thomas Y. Mears, which, given her ties to Meadville, would make sense.

It's interesting, Roger, that of all the handwritten documents I've read, Tarbell's was certainly the worst, although toward the end of her life she suffered from Parkinson-like symptoms, so that explained a lot. Most of the material in her papers, even her notes, were typed. I would have hated to be her secretary, though.

Best
Rob

[LincolnMan]

Is this something that could possible go in your book? It represents one more theory of what was "behind the assassination"-of which there are maybe already a dozen others.

[Rob Wick]

Bill,

It's too early now to determine what will and what won't go in, although the assassination itself will definitely be a part of the story. As of now, I'm only in the "H's" in Tarbell's Lincoln-related papers. I've probably got about a month of research (if not longer) before I can really start to outline and determine what will be part of the story. Plus, I've got a book review to finish writing and make a determination as to whether I'm going to seriously revise a paper I submitted to the Indiana Magazine of History on James G. Randall. In addition, I've got to go through Tarbell's non-Lincoln related papers (which will take at least two more months) just to put everything into the proper perspective. After that, I've got to read her Life of Abraham Lincoln and other Lincoln-related books as well as her autobiography, All in the Day's Work. From there I've got to read the various secondary works out there.

Man, just reading over this, I'd better get busy.

Best
Rob