Ruggles. Bainbridge and Jett at the River

[SSlater]

(01-26-2017 06:26 PM)JMadonna Wrote:  

(01-26-2017 03:47 PM)SSlater Wrote:  Talking to Atzerodt is like talking to the "Town Crier". Your plans are all over town in an hour. (Was that what Booth's wanted?)
Booth had to go to Baltimore first (to visit relatives) and continue on to New York and Canada. The stop in Boston is my "unkown".
Did the people in Canada come to him?. Did he give up his mission?
or was he running so late that he gave up seeking reinstatement to the position as "number one assassin". ( There is a "cover story " available about his visit in Boston, to his Pharmacist Buddy.) That' Baloney! (Will we ever know it all?)

So are you saying there is a record of him in Canada or are you saying there is a record of him meeting his people from Canada, elsewhere?

I apologize for being so vague. (I was trying to be brief). Booth did not make it to Canada. He stopped off in Boston. The "cover story" was that he visited a Pharmacist friend and ordered photographs. This is really unbelievable. There is no record of him meeting any one from Canada. He was in Boston for 2 or more days, so there was time for a meeting, but there is no record of one.
PS. When the pics were delivered to Washington, they arrived at Ford's Theater. Booth picked them up. and heard about the President's impending visit to the play. The rest is history.

Why would Booth go all the way Boston - to order pictures? There had to be a better reason than that. I wish we knew.

[L Verge]

The romantic in me would like to suggest that he went to Boston to see Isabel Sumner (unbeknownst to Lucy Hale!). Otherwise, does anyone know where Edwin and Mrs. Booth were in April of 1865?

The logical answer, however, would be a clandestine meeting with Canadian operatives, but how easily could they slip across the border? They did not have the actor's traveling excuse to cover their actions in the U.S.

[SSlater]

(01-26-2017 07:50 PM)L Verge Wrote:  The romantic in me would like to suggest that he went to Boston to see Isabel Sumner (unbeknownst to Lucy Hale!). Otherwise, does anyone know where Edwin and Mrs. Booth were in April of 1865?

The logical answer, however, would be a clandestine meeting with Canadian operatives, but how easily could they slip across the border? They did not have the actor's traveling excuse to cover their actions in the U.S.

Laurie. Those Canadians he wanted to meet, would be Americans (Federal or Confederate ??????) with easy access.

[RJNorton]

(01-26-2017 07:50 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Otherwise, does anyone know where Edwin and Mrs. Booth were in April of 1865?

Art Loux has him in Boston on April 5th. JWB saw Edwin play Hamlet that day. Art also says JWB visited his brother at the theater in Boston on April 6th.

Art also adds that this was the time period when Mary Surratt visited Lewis Powell at his hotel (c. April 5th).

[JMadonna]

So the alternatives are:
1. Booth met with Canadian operatives in Boston and learned of the Harney plot - who learned of it through the messages delivered by Surratt and Slater.
- This would have coincided with Booth's shooting demonstration near the Parker House. Wonder if the same names were on the registry that were there during his recruitment the previous year.
2. Booth met with the 'New York Crowd' and heard about the plot second-handed.

Am I missing anything?

[Gene C]

If you are Richmond upper management, and you aren't comfortable with Booth, why tell him anything?

[L Verge]

(01-26-2017 10:51 PM)SSlater Wrote:  

(01-26-2017 07:50 PM)L Verge Wrote:  The romantic in me would like to suggest that he went to Boston to see Isabel Sumner (unbeknownst to Lucy Hale!). Otherwise, does anyone know where Edwin and Mrs. Booth were in April of 1865?

The logical answer, however, would be a clandestine meeting with Canadian operatives, but how easily could they slip across the border? They did not have the actor's traveling excuse to cover their actions in the U.S.

Laurie. Those Canadians he wanted to meet, would be Americans (Federal or Confederate ??????) with easy access.

Weren't they under suspicion by the Feds and their activities monitored for movement across the border. Judah Benjamin was on top of Jacob Thompson, I remember.

---

(01-27-2017 02:26 PM)Gene C Wrote:  If you are Richmond upper management, and you aren't comfortable with Booth, why tell him anything?

That's why I think the Confederate high command (and I choose Judah Benjamin) was in cahoots with Booth until the fall of Richmond. After that, they would have to depend on couriers and those still active in the Secret Line to get messages passed -- including to Canadian operatives.

[SSlater]

This reply will not address Ruggles, Bainbridge and Jett, but this is where it belongs.
We are now talking about Booth and Canada, OK?
I have a theory about the late months of the Confederate Commission in Canada, but I don't talk about it often because the subject matter is so iffy. But I am using facts, mostly from Jacob Thompson's memoirs. (he didn't keep a Diary but he dictated to his granddaughter and she wrote them up). So from the facts that are available, here are my thoughts.

In late 1864, this is what was going on in Canada. A problem developed between Canada and the Confederate Government. Canada accused the Bebel Gov. of formulating war plans in Canada. That's the Number 1 "No-No in a neutral country. I think we can safely accuse the Confederate Gov. of just that, and they even had more war plans in the making.
It all started with the St. Albans Raid. Jacob Thompson and Clement C. Clay were equal partners in the operation of the Commission. When the Raid was proposed - Thompson said NO!, and Clay said Yes! and the Raid was started. Thompson was than accused of making the plans. Canada wanted to close the Commission.
To appease Canada, Richmond sent a new man to run the Commission, Brig. Gen. Edwin G. Lee. He was the "biggest name" that the South could manage. That should have taken care of the uproar.
(Aside) The truth is - Lee was trying to raise an Army, which he would head, made up of escaped Prisoners of War, which is why the first thing he did in Canada was send Surratt and Slater to Elmira to "Case the Joint" as a source of fighting men.
Thompson was invited to return to Richmond for a new assignment.

There is much more to this story, but it does not apply to Booth's effort to talk to someone in Canada.
The Commission in Canada was in such a turmoil they didn't have time for him. The Confederate might have told Booth stay out of here, we can't do anything for you. So, he stopped in Boston, and apparently developed another plan. You know the rest.

[RJNorton]

(01-27-2017 12:34 PM)JMadonna Wrote:  Wonder if the same names were on the registry that were there during his recruitment the previous year.

This would be interesting to know. The aliases of the Confederate operatives whom Booth met at the Parker House in late July 1864 were Charles R. Hunter, A.J. Bursted, H.V. Clinton, and R.A. Leech. I do not think I have ever seen mention of the Parker House's register (if it even exists) for April 5th and April 6th, 1865 (the two nights Booth again stayed there).

[JMadonna]

(01-28-2017 10:16 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(01-27-2017 12:34 PM)JMadonna Wrote:  Wonder if the same names were on the registry that were there during his recruitment the previous year.

This would be interesting to know. The aliases of the Confederate operatives whom Booth met at the Parker House in late July 1864 were Charles R. Hunter, A.J. Bursted, H.V. Clinton, and R.A. Leech. I do not think I have ever seen mention of the Parker House's register (if it even exists) for April 5th and April 6th, 1865 (the two nights Booth again stayed there).

I'm sure the register was probably seized by Lafayette Baker. After that who knows?

[SSlater]

(01-28-2017 10:16 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(01-27-2017 12:34 PM)JMadonna Wrote:  Wonder if the same names were on the registry that were there during his recruitment the previous year.

This would be interesting to know. The aliases of the Confederate operatives whom Booth met at the Parker House in late July 1864 were Charles R. Hunter, A.J. Bursted, H.V. Clinton, and R.A. Leech. I do not think I have ever seen mention of the Parker House's register (if it even exists) for April 5th and April 6th, 1865 (the two nights Booth again stayed there).

You can find the "Omni Parker House" on Goggle. (Built 1855 Rebuilt 1927) They mention that Booth stayed there April 65. They also brag about their "Register". They show only 2016, but I'll bet they have the Register back to 1865.

If 1865 is available, you can find the 4 guys mentioned. If they are not shown with those names, then look for 4 names that all registered about the same time and/or show Canada as home.

I don't have time right now. If someone searches further, please let us know - so that we don't have to repeat what you already know.
Good Luck!

[JMadonna]

(01-26-2017 07:50 PM)L Verge Wrote:  The romantic in me would like to suggest that he went to Boston to see Isabel Sumner (unbeknownst to Lucy Hale!). Otherwise, does anyone know where Edwin and Mrs. Booth were in April of 1865?

I think Edward was between his first and second wife at that time.

In April, The Boston Daily Advertiser printed an advertisement for Edwin Booth’s scheduled matinee performance as “Hamlet” to conclude his successful three-week Boston engagement. Just three columns to the right was the report on the assassination the night before.

The show did not go on.

[L Verge]

(01-29-2017 06:57 PM)JMadonna Wrote:  

(01-26-2017 07:50 PM)L Verge Wrote:  The romantic in me would like to suggest that he went to Boston to see Isabel Sumner (unbeknownst to Lucy Hale!). Otherwise, does anyone know where Edwin and Mrs. Booth were in April of 1865?

I think Edward was between his first and second wife at that time.

In April, The Boston Daily Advertiser printed an advertisement for Edwin Booth’s scheduled matinee performance as “Hamlet” to conclude his successful three-week Boston engagement. Just three columns to the right was the report on the assassination the night before.

The show did not go on.

I should have clarified that I was referring to the Booths' mother, Mary Anne. I thought maybe she was traveling with her thespian son and JWB went to Boston to see her.

[JMadonna]

(01-28-2017 04:32 PM)SSlater Wrote:  

(01-28-2017 10:16 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(01-27-2017 12:34 PM)JMadonna Wrote:  Wonder if the same names were on the registry that were there during his recruitment the previous year.

This would be interesting to know. The aliases of the Confederate operatives whom Booth met at the Parker House in late July 1864 were Charles R. Hunter, A.J. Bursted, H.V. Clinton, and R.A. Leech. I do not think I have ever seen mention of the Parker House's register (if it even exists) for April 5th and April 6th, 1865 (the two nights Booth again stayed there).

You can find the "Omni Parker House" on Goggle. (Built 1855 Rebuilt 1927) They mention that Booth stayed there April 65. They also brag about their "Register". They show only 2016, but I'll bet they have the Register back to 1865.

If 1865 is available, you can find the 4 guys mentioned. If they are not shown with those names, then look for 4 names that all registered about the same time and/or show Canada as home.

I don't have time right now. If someone searches further, please let us know - so that we don't have to repeat what you already know.
Good Luck!

Wrote to Susan Wilson, Parker House historian for information. This is her reply:
Hi Jerry -- Sad to say that all those records have been lost over the decades -- succumbing to fires, a 1926 rebuild (where much was simply thrown out), and bad housecleaning in general.
It won't happen again under my watch, but we are constantly trying to recoup the past from other sources here.
I would love to see any of your research and writings on Booth and the company he kept at the Parker House in 1864 and '65.
Best, Susan

---

All Susan has is a claim by a bellhop that he saw Booth eating breakfast at the Parker House on April 6th, 1865 and a report in a Boston newspaper by an eyewitness who saw his shooting exhibition. Both reports came after the assassination and there is no confirmation of either account. Since Edwin never said he saw his brother on that trip, I guess its possible he was not in Boston at all.

[RJNorton]

Samuel Knapp Chester also said Booth had been in Boston.