Ladd at Deathbed?

[Steve]

Since the newspaper account appears a couple of decades later I'm going to have to be skeptical of the Wormley account for now unless some better evidence for it appears. If anybody's interested here's Burnett's 1892 speech in full if anybody is interested from when it was first published in 1906 (and probably why the typewritten copy was made):

https://books.google.com/books?id=Lg1ZAA...&q&f=false

There is one interesting passage that I thought is definitely worth highlighting. It occurs after Burnett's description of the assassination attempt on Seward:

On the evening of the 13th, a man appeared at Secretary Stanton's house where General Grant was that evening, had asked to have both General Grant and Secretary Stanton pointed out to him which was done. He did not speak to either of them, and lingered in the hall watching them and sat down on a step of the front steps until he was driven away. This was the sum of what was actually and positively known of the facts as to the assassination of the President, the attempted assassination of Secretary Seward, and the movements of the conspirators on the 19th.

[RJNorton]

(02-14-2021 06:58 AM)Steve Wrote:  There is one interesting passage that I thought is definitely worth highlighting. It occurs after Burnett's description of the assassination attempt on Seward:

On the evening of the 13th, a man appeared at Secretary Stanton's house where General Grant was that evening, had asked to have both General Grant and Secretary Stanton pointed out to him which was done. He did not speak to either of them, and lingered in the hall watching them and sat down on a step of the front steps until he was driven away. This was the sum of what was actually and positively known of the facts as to the assassination of the President, the attempted assassination of Secretary Seward, and the movements of the conspirators on the 19th.

During the conspiracy trial the government tried to prove this man was Michael O'Laughlen.

[Steve Whitlock]

(02-14-2021 05:33 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Thanks to Steve W. for sending this article. It's from page 1 of the April 16, 1865, edition of the New York Herald. It mentions Gen. Todd being at the side of Lincoln on his death bed.

Thank you to Steve Williams for the great article! In addition to errors he pointed out there is another, I believe. Dr C. D. Hatch should be C. D. Gatch (Charles Davenport Gatch) who was named in an earlier Evening Star account at the time. That is, unless someone knows of a Dr. C. D. Hatch being present at Lincoln's deathbed. That said, there remain problems with the Gatch brothers account of their involvement. For example, the brother of C. D. Gatch, who wrote the account many years later, claimed they were given the cuffs that Lincoln wore the night of his assassination, and that they were stolen 15 years before his account, but the cuffs were actually given to Dr. Leale, and are in a collection now.

[Steve Whitlock]

(02-14-2021 05:34 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Thanks to both Steves for looking into Ladd.

I have another one. Absolutely none of my Lincoln assassination books list James Wormley being present at Lincoln's deathbed. But I include a newspaper article that says he was there at the Petersen House the night Lincoln died.

Was he really there?

Wormley was the owner of Wormley's Hotel in Washington.

The article is from The Morning News, Wilmington, Delaware, December 25, 1884.

Roger,

A statement by Dr. Charles Sabin Taft mentions a hospital steward from Lincoln Hospital being of great service for Lincoln at the Peterson home. Dr Leale in his statement also mentions the steward both in the box and at the Peterson home. Who was the steward? Could that have been James Wormley by any chance? He seems to have been called for some high profile cases during his life.

We already have the clip for Dr. Taft posted, but I'm including it here for reference. It's part 2 from article 14 Apr 1961, Fri, Pg17, The Record, Hackensack, NJ. Third paragraph down under "Bleeding Started" header.

[RJNorton]

Steve, I do not know, but I am skeptical it was Wormley. The Wikipedia article on Wormley says, "He was reported in 1865 to have been at the bedside of Abraham Lincoln when he died, but that claim has been widely disputed."

The footnote for that sentence reads, "Miller, Cheryl. "Francis Donates Wormley Portrait". Washington History. 4:2 (Fall/Winter 1992/1993), pp. 88–90, 88.

Can Chery Miller's article be posted?

[Steve Whitlock]

(02-15-2021 05:01 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Steve, I do not know, but I am skeptical it was Wormley. The Wikipedia article on Wormley says, "He was reported in 1865 to have been at the bedside of Abraham Lincoln when he died, but that claim has been widely disputed."

The footnote for that sentence reads, "Miller, Cheryl. "Francis Donates Wormley Portrait". Washington History. 4:2 (Fall/Winter 1992/1993), pp. 88–90, 88.

Can Chery Miller's article be posted?

Roger,

I have the 3 pages for the Cheryl Miller article. Can we post JSTOR images?

[RJNorton]

Steve, I am not a lawyer. Very generally speaking, we've allowed all sorts of information to be posted as long as credit is given to the source. If we are asked to take it down, we would do so forthwith.

[RJNorton]

Many thanks to Steve W. for sending the JSTOR article on Wormley.

[Steve Whitlock]

(02-15-2021 02:23 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Many thanks to Steve W. for sending the JSTOR article on Wormley.

The article on pg88 mentions a picture with the Ulke brothers in it from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, drawn by Albert Berghaus.

Title
The Dying Moments of President Lincoln, at Washington, Saturday Morning, April 15
Date Created
1865-04-01
Creator/Contributor
Berghaus, Albert, active 1869-1880
Frank Leslie's illustrated newspaper
Note
Illustration of President Abraham Lincoln lying in his deathbed at the Peterson House, where he was taken after being shot at Ford's Theatre the evening of April 14, 1865 and where he died early the next morning. Doctors Rufus F. Andrews and Robert K. Stone sit in chairs in front of the bed attending to the President. The other side of the bed is surrounded by onlookers identified (left to right) as Julius Ulke, Henry Ulke, William Petersen Jr., Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles, Representative John F. Farnsworth, Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase, Representative Schuyler Colfax, Postmaster Wiliam Dennison, Thomas Proctor, William Petersen, Senator Charles Sumner, Robert Todd Lincoln, General George G. Meade, Dr. Charles H. Crane, General Henry W. Halleck, Henry Safford, Secretary of War ¬-Edwin Stanton, as well as unnamed others.
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper artist Albert Berghaus entered the Petersen House on April 15, 1865. The illustration is an inaccurate representation of how many men could fit in the death room at one time but does include many men who visited the Peterson House the night of the assassination and is based on the recollections of the house's residents
Image was stitched together in photoshop from two scans of the right and left sides of this oversized illustration
This item was digitized as part of Ford's Theater Remembering Lincoln project
City
Washington, D.C.
Neighborhood
Penn Quarter, Washington, D.C.
516 10th Street NW
Source
Original version: Newspaper
Historical Image Collection, Oversized, Civil War
******************************************
Behind Julius Ulke, standing on left, is an unnamed individual who appears a shade darker than everyone else. Perhaps that was James Wormley; although, I have no photos/drawings of him with a moustache. Strictly speculation, obviously, but if someone wanted to include him, and avoid racial issues, not naming him might do the trick.

[RJNorton]

Steve, here is Kees' research on the Berghaus print:

https://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussi...s#pid37600

Also, kudos to Dave Taylor who did a ton of research on the topic:

https://lincolnconspirators.com/2012/09/...-deathbed/

[Steve Whitlock]

(02-16-2021 01:50 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Steve, here is Kees' research on the Berghaus print:

https://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussi...s#pid37600

Also, kudos to Dave Taylor who did a ton of research on the topic:

https://lincolnconspirators.com/2012/09/...-deathbed/

Roger,

Thank you for the better information. The picture Kees and Dave Taylor have shows the shadow for the Ulke brother's face, rather than facial pigmentation. As for the difference in naming those in the photo it appears that the reference I used might benefit from your sources, as have I.

It was not James Wormley in the picture, as I mistakenly theorized. Thank you for the correction.

[RJNorton]

Thanks, Steve. IMO, it is an interesting topic. One of the members of this forum is a direct descendant of James Wormley. He feels there is a possibility Wormley was present. You can read his thoughts here:

http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...l#pid53605

[Steve Whitlock]

(02-16-2021 06:04 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  Thanks, Steve. IMO, it is an interesting topic. One of the members of this forum is a direct descendant of James Wormley. He feels there is a possibility Wormley was present. You can read his thoughts here:

http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...l#pid53605

Roger,

Thanks, I already went to that thread previously, but neglected to check the Symposium for the lithograph after learning more about James Wormley and Donet's entries. It was partly because of Donet's posts that I thought the Ulke brother might be James Wormley, as I tried to find proof for his presence at Lincoln's deathbed. Good intentions, poor research on my part.

[Steve]

This Washington Post opinion piece from 1994 says the accounts of Wormley at the deathbed of Lincoln are conflating it with Wormley's presence at the bedside of President Garfield after he had been shot, before Garfield was moved to New Jersey. Wormley prepared foods that were hoped to help nourish Garfield back to health and provided instructions on their preparation after Garfield was moved to New Jersey:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/o...08bd3ad9b/

[Steve Whitlock]

(02-16-2021 07:00 PM)Steve Wrote:  This Washington Post opinion piece from 1994 says the accounts of Wormley at the deathbed of Lincoln are conflating it with Wormley's presence at the bedside of President Garfield after he had been shot, before Garfield was moved to New Jersey. Wormley prepared foods that were hoped to help nourish Garfield back to health and provided instructions on their preparation after Garfield was moved to New Jersey:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/o...08bd3ad9b/

Steve,

Thank you! I have in my working file for James Wormley a bit more re: James Garfield, Charles Sumner, and James Wormley. Henry Ulke also gets a mention for a portrait of Sumner.

Streets of Washington

Stories and images of historic Washington, D.C.
September 10, 2012
The Talented Mr. James Wormley
In addition to the big hotels like the Willard and the Arlington, smaller boutique hotels were very popular among the rich and powerful in late 19th-century Washington, both as places to stay and for their elegant dining rooms. One of the most notable of these was run by James Wormley (1819-1884), an African American who was truly an exceptional individual in the city's history. Wormley had an unusual dexterity in navigating the disconnected worlds of whites and blacks in 19th century Washington. He opened his first catering business in the 1500 block of I Street NW in the 1850s and rapidly became very successful. The English writer Anthony Trollope stayed at Wormley’s in 1861 and offered these observations on Wormley’s skills as a host:

I put up at one of the lodging houses of Mr. Wormley, a colored man, in H Street, to whose attention I can recommend any Englishman who may chance to want quarters in Washington…. My landlord told me that he was sorry I was going. Would I not remain? Would I come back to him? Had I been comfortable? Only for so and so or so and so, he would have done better for me. No white American citizen, occupying the position of landlord, would have condescended to such confortable words. I knew the man did not in truth want me to stay, as a lady and gentleman were waiting to go in the moment I went out, but I did not the less value the assurance.

Wormley’s growing reputation soon gained him a spot as the head steward of the Metropolitan Club on nearby Lafayette Square, where he attracted the attention of wealthy statesman Reverdy Johnson (1796-1876). When Johnson was named minister to England in 1868, he chose Wormley to accompany him overseas as his personal chef. Wormley brought live terrapins with him on the transatlantic voyage and greatly impressed the British with his delicious terrapin stew. It was on the heels of this triumph that Wormley returned to Washington to open a five-story hotel and restaurant on the southwest corner of 15th and H Streets NW in 1871.

James Wormley (Source: BlackPast.org)
Wormley was widely celebrated as a sophisticated caterer and restaurateur, and his hostelry was frequented by the rich and powerful. In later years the Evening Star called him “one of the most widely known stewards and hotel proprietors in the country.” The Boston Herald observed that his hotel “while not the largest, was the most strictly aristocratic of any in the city, its quiet elegance and high prices attracting a very select circle of patronage.”

Wormley opened his hotel at 15th and H at about the same time as John Welcker’s elegant hotel was started just down the street. After New York impresario John Chamberlin opened his own establishment a block to the north in 1880, this stretch of 15th Street, so close to the White House and the elite residents of Lafayette Square, became Washington’s most exclusive enclave for fine dining and hospitality.

A fervent supporter of the cause of racial equality, Wormley was close friends with Massachusetts senator Charles Sumner (1811-1874), who had steadfastly championed the rights of African Americans both before and after emancipation. One of Wormley's prize possessions was a portrait of Charles Sumner painted by Henry Ulke and originally intended for the Charles Sumner School on M Street NW. The state of Massachusetts reportedly offered to purchase the Sumner portrait from Wormley, but he refused. “Never shall any one say that I parted with the picture of the man who befriended me and my race, for any money consideration,” he was quoted as saying. He later decided to donate the portrait to Massachusetts rather than sell it.

When President James Garfield was fatally shot in 1881, Wormley was chosen to prepare special meals for him. According to an article in the New York Herald-Tribune, Wormley had a “patented method” of making beef tea (beef broth), which he prepared for the wounded Garfield as he had previously done for the stricken Charles Sumner. The special tea “was made by broiling the tenderloin of a porterhouse steak, and while the meat was yet smoking putting it into an iron receiver heated for the purpose. A crank was then turned which brought hundreds of pounds of pressure on the steaming steak, causing every particle of its juice to stream forth. A little seasoning and the tea was ready. There was no water about it, and it was the pure juice of the beef.” Wormley also prepared chicken broth for Garfield, using the chickens grown on his farm out in the suburbs near Tenleytown. Garfield, of course, did not recover from his wounds but not for any shortcomings in the food sent him by James Wormley.

Probably the most famous historical event to occur at Wormley’s Hotel was the so-called “Wormley Conference,” which occurred in secret in February 1877. The conference was actually just an informal meeting among representatives of the Democratic and Republican parties regarding the outcome of the 1876 presidential election. The election had been held the previous November and the popular vote was very close but favored Samuel Tilden, the Democratic candidate. The electoral vote, however, hinged on the results in three southern states where massive irregularities in voting and vote counting had occurred, resulting in an impasse about how the election should be decided. In essence, over the course of several months, a deal emerged whereby Democratic congressmen agreed not to fight an electoral vote count that would put the Republican candidate, Rutherford B. Hayes, in office in exchange for the Republicans agreeing that the Reconstruction constraints they had previously imposed on the south (constraints that had protected the rights of African Americans) would be abandoned.


Supposedly this dirty deal was struck one February evening at the famous meeting or "conference" at Wormley’s hotel, where Democratic congressmen were staying. If true, it would indeed be ironic that a deal that ended federal reconstruction efforts supporting black rights in the South took place at a hotel owned and operated by an African American. However, as Carol Gelderman has pointed out in her book A Free Man Of Color and His Hotel, the deal had already been made by the time the Wormley Conference occurred. Wormley himself certainly did nothing to abet such deal making and surely would have done what he could to thwart it if it had been in his power.

Gelderman's short book ultimately focuses more on the politics of the rigged election of 1876 than it does on the life of James Wormley. Gelderman begins her book with absorbing details about Wormley's life, his career in Washington, and his aristocratic ancestry. She then moves into the politics of the Grant administration and the myriad scandals that made people yearn for a new political order. Change was in the air, especially after the Supreme Court issued crucial decisions that paved the way for jim-crow segregation in the South. Gelderman describes how the 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia—a perfect opportunity to highlight the strides that had been made in social equality since the Civil War—instead turned out to be the signpost of a harsh new political order when the exposition included no exhibits dedicated to African Americans. When Frederick Douglass, the most famous black man in the country, showed up with his ticket, he was refused admission to the special platform for dignitaries, according to Gelderman.

Gelderman's point is that the handwriting was on the wall. She goes on to explain in fascinating detail the outrageous shenanigans that accompanied the election of 1876 and the fact that the Republican party, with leaders like Sumner gone, had lost its fervor for championing civil rights. The result was a giant step backward for civil rights that would take many decades to reverse. Gelderman closes with a compelling run-down of the similarities between the 1876 election and the election of 2000.

And what became of Mr. Wormley? He continued to renovate and expand his posh hotel in the early 1880s but unfortunately became afflicted with kidney stones and died in Boston in 1884 after an operation to remove them. His passing was mourned across the country. He had been an ardent supporter of education for African Americans, chairing the building committee that oversaw construction of the Sumner School in 1872, and at the request of his son, a new elementary school for black children on Prospect Street in Georgetown was named after him in 1885.

Another son, James T. Wormley, who had been sent to Paris by his father early in his career to learn the culinary arts, took over management of the Wormley Hotel after his father's death. However, the hotel did not do well under the younger Wormley’s care, and after he sold it in 1893 it soon closed. A sheriff’s auction was held in 1895 and all of the rare furnishings that Wormley had accumulated were sold at bargain basement prices to customers who seemed indifferent to their historical value. Two divans that had been owned by Charles Sumner sold for three dollars apiece. The 200-room building was soon completely cleared. It was razed in 1906 and replaced by the imposing neoclassical Union Trust Company building that stands on the site today.
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Labels: Books Hotels
Location: 1500 H St NW, Washington, DC 20005, USA
*****************************************
There are many comments, including from Donet Graves and a couple of other Wormley relatives, but this is long enough, unless someone wants to see them.