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calebj123 · 07-03-2013, 06:54 AM

(07-03-2013 04:31 AM)RJNorton Wrote: Caleb, prior to your joining the forum, I suggested the possibility that Rathbone actually caught a glimpse of Booth as he entered the box and headed toward Lincoln. In truth I agree with the other folks who posted that this was unlikely. Rathbone himself said his back was to the door when he heard the discharge of a pistol. Yet, at that moment in time, if Rathbone just happened to be looking somewhat to his left, and Booth entered through Box 8 and not Box 7, I would think Rathbone could have seen movement in the corner of his eye. I am just curious if you have an opinion on this possibility, however remote.

Roger, I'm very much in agreement with you. I detail the specifics in my book to give it some credence, because it is such a diversion from the normal. While, as you mentioned, Rathbone stated his back was to the door and he was watching the play, there are a few other statements that Rathbone encountered Booth at the door, but Booth pushed past Henry to kill Lincoln. The location of Rathbone's seat was parallel with Booth's entry, and as you state any movement could have been noticed. The other important item is that his seat was in the back of the State box. He could barely see the stage. I've read that Mary Todd Lincoln stated this as they sat down. It's been noted that the view from the State box was never really a good view of the plays, and putting the President there was also a way for the audience to see him. So what this means is Rathbone had the worst seat in an already bad spot. To me this makes it even more likely that his attention could have been elsewhere and he would notice Booth enter. Without giving too many more details away, I do agree with you Roger. Like many of the events that night, the facts are up for debate. While Rathbone's statement makes perfect sense, it's also very plausible that he was trying to save face for letting an actor get past him and kill the president.

Also, it looks likes someone posted the press release for my book. I don't want to push it too much on here, but there are some great Lincoln Assassination/Rathbone documents I'm giving away to raise money for book marketing. I've compiled some of the most interesting research and some of the documents I've acquired.

Laurie Verge · 07-03-2013, 08:00 AM

I am also excited to announce that Caleb has accepted my offer to be a speaker at the Surratt Conference, March 14-16, 2014, in Clinton, Maryland. Conference information packets will be mailed out in November to all Surratt Society members. If you are not (yet) a member and wish to be on the mailing list to receive a packet, please let me know at laurie.verge@pgparks.com.

I am waiting for one more speaker to confirm, and then I will announce the line-up on this forum.

P.S. Caleb, I love the title of your book -- Worst Seat in the House.

Gene C · 07-03-2013, 08:51 AM

I like the title too!
Look forward to your book.

calebj123 · 07-03-2013, 08:54 AM

Thanks Laurie and Gene!

BettyO · 07-03-2013, 09:10 AM

I too like the title! Am really looking forward to the book!

My Name Is Kate · 07-03-2013, 02:01 PM

If the link in post #76 shows an accurate depiction of the setting, I don't know how Rathbone could have failed to see Booth enter the box.

It seems Rathbone should have been committed a long time before he did his deed. I recall reading somewhere that, to the end, Rathbone was a "distinguished-looking gentleman". I wonder if that wasn't part of the reason he wasn't, whereas Mary Lincoln, who committed no crime but was involuntarily put away, was overweight and not very good-looking (IMO), and had a personality that rubbed alot of people the wrong way.

Eva Elisabeth · (This post was last modified: 07-18-2013 08:37 PM by Eva Elisabeth.)

Today I received the entire articles from the "Hannoverscher Courier", Dec. 24+25, 1883. There are still some very interesting new (to me at least) details in them.

I’ve already posted a comment on most of the article dated Dec. 24. Not in the former clipping respectively post were the statements that Rathbone was rich, well-educated and happily married. His physicians had sent him to Germany. He had been injured so seriously due to the deed that at first it was impossible to move him to a hospital.

The other article (of Dec. 25) states as follows:
Since June 6 the 45-year old former major Rathbone had lived, together with his wife, her sister, a governess and three kids (9,10 and 14) in an appartement in Heinrichstrasse.
[Now you have to rewrite history:] According to his sister-in-law he had sustained severe head injuries during the assassination of President Lincoln in a theater in New York. [Good it was not from “Der Spiegel”…]
The deed is more or less described as in the other article, additional details are the following:
Rathbone knocked at the door to the children’s bedroom demanding to see them, Clara –from behind - advised the governess to lock the door and led him back into their bedroom. When the sister and the governess broke the door open after the deed, Clara lay blood-covered on her bed whereas Rathbone, bleeding out of five wounds, at first lay on the floor besides the stove. He managed to rise and reach his bed, then he lost consciousness.
He had fired three shots from a new revolver, the dagger knife had also been new.

(07-02-2013 09:54 PM)calebj123 Wrote: There are no books about the couple, other than Thomas Mallon's "Henry and Clara" which we all know takes a lot of liberties and must fill in the holes with fiction.

Caleb –Idon’t know wether this is interesting to you. I just finished reading “Henry and Clara”. As to the fiction – the directors of the hospital during Rathbone’s stay there were Dr. Ludwig Snell (from 1856 – 1892, he let a telephone system and gas lighting be installed) and Dr. Erich Gerstenberg (1892 – 1915). From what I read in the Mönkemöller booklet I sent you I personally doubt Rathbone had his own apartement. (I know,the NYT article of Oct.31,1910 states it differently, but they also asserted he was a consul. And the Courier states Lincoln was asssassinated in NYC.) A consul assigned to Braunschweig (Brunswick) indeed existed, I remember reading that in the Stadtarchiv Hannover (but didn’t pay further attention because I focused on Rathbone). What I also doubt (my personal opinion) is that Rathbone planned to leave Han(n)over soon as the book suggests. He was listed in Hannover’s 1884 directory (this and the Courier article also suggest the family rented a seperate appartment, not some rooms in a boarding house). The entry was voluntary. You had to apply therefor the previous year. So for the 1884 entry Rathbone had to apply until April 1883.
(Sorry, I know in English I should correctly spell Hannover with a single “n”, but it looks so very odd to me.)

May I ask the following: Is “asylum” an official, serious term for such kind of institution? I always thought that in this context “asylum” has a negative connotation like “nuthouse” or “bedlam” or is at least colloquial. The former German name of the institution was “Heil- und Pflegeanstalt.” Although “Heilanstalt” is a bit obsolete (it has been replaced by “Psychatriche Klinik”, “psychatric hospital”) it was always an official term (not a colloquial one) without any negative connotation. Since the institution was most serious and prestigious and the treatments were most modern in those days a colloquial or negative expression IMO would be inadequate.

RJNorton · 07-20-2013, 10:12 AM

Eva, in the home I grew up in "asylum" was used by my family, and I don't think there was a negative connotation. Oftentimes the adjective "insane" was used in conjunction with the noun "asylum." If there was ever a negative connotation I do not remember it; it was considered a proper term for use. Maybe others will feel differently.

I think what is "politically correct" may vary greatly. Several years ago my wife and I always watched the show Cold Case on Sunday nights. The male lead, whose name I've long forgotten, had a girlfriend who was mentally ill. The man would say she was in the puzzle house. I took notice and asked my wife if she felt the term "puzzle house" was politically correct. She agreed with me that it wasn't. However, the man used it on numerous occasions so apparently the show's writers felt it was an acceptable term to use. Vicki and I were surprised; it didn't seem right to us. I guess people react differently to the various names for these places.

L Verge · 07-20-2013, 12:48 PM

Eva, I was raised much like Roger, where the term "asylum" did not have a negative connotation. If the word "insane" was added in front of it, it was merely to designate what type of asylum. I believe the general definition of "asylum" is "a place of safety or protection." Washington, D.C. had a German Orphan Asylum from post-World War I up until about 1970. Churches and diplomatic headquarters across the world can offer "asylum" or sanctuary to anyone in distress.

A similar word, that is sometimes used in place of "insane," however, disturbs me - "lunatic."

Eva Elisabeth · (This post was last modified: 07-20-2013 08:25 PM by Eva Elisabeth.)

Thank you so much! I've been thinking about this for some time now, in my dictionaries I found "Irrenhaus", which is definitely negative, as (the) one meaning in this context. That's what we were taught as well. Laurie, we use almost the same word for exactly what you defined (Asyl=place for victims of political persecution), but not for anything else. It's good to know "asylum" has no negative connotation.

Seward · (This post was last modified: 08-29-2013 10:11 PM by Seward.)

(06-27-2013 04:20 PM)calebj123 Wrote: Hi Eva,
I'm new to this forum, but I came across your cemetery information on the Rathbones and I was hoping I could reference your research in a book I have coming out in November. The book is examination of Henry Rathbone, his life both before and after the assassination. I would love to include your information on the cemetary plot, as I also thought the remains were disposed of. Please let me know if this is okay. Thanks!

Also, in regard to Henry's position as US Consul, my research is similar to that of Chris'. It seems as though the newspapers of the day mixed up Henry with his brother Jared. The reference of Henry in Hanover as a US Consul doesn't show up until later reports of his death. The initial reports of Clara's murder only note that the family was there for Henry's health. Henry attempted to visit the Carlsbad hot springs for their healing properties. Unfortunately, his dyspepsia was most likely a result of his Post Traumatic Stress. He may also have had anxiety and paranoia issues stemming from events even earlier than the assassination.

I hope to solidify the answer to his US consul position next week. The National Archives in College Park has the following document, "Records of the Foreign Service Posts of the Department of State" It lists all posts from 1790-1963. So hopefully I'll find the answer to this question once and for all.

Thanks,
Caleb

The US State Department says that Henry never held any consul post nor any other post through the State Department.

Seward R. Osborne

chrishunter · 08-30-2013, 07:36 PM

This is another great find Eva!

(07-18-2013 07:16 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote: Today I received the entire articles from the "Hannoverscher Courier", Dec. 24+25, 1883. There are still some very interesting new (to me at least) details in them.

I’ve already posted a comment on most of the article dated Dec. 24. Not in the former clipping respectively post were the statements that Rathbone was rich, well-educated and happily married. His physicians had sent him to Germany. He had been injured so seriously due to the deed that at first it was impossible to move him to a hospital.

The other article (of Dec. 25) states as follows:
Since June 6 the 45-year old former major Rathbone had lived, together with his wife, her sister, a governess and three kids (9,10 and 14) in an appartement in Heinrichstrasse.
[Now you have to rewrite history:] According to his sister-in-law he had sustained severe head injuries during the assassination of President Lincoln in a theater in New York. [Good it was not from “Der Spiegel”…]
The deed is more or less described as in the other article, additional details are the following:
Rathbone knocked at the door to the children’s bedroom demanding to see them, Clara –from behind - advised the governess to lock the door and led him back into their bedroom. When the sister and the governess broke the door open after the deed, Clara lay blood-covered on her bed whereas Rathbone, bleeding out of five wounds, at first lay on the floor besides the stove. He managed to rise and reach his bed, then he lost consciousness.
He had fired three shots from a new revolver, the dagger knife had also been new.

(07-02-2013 09:54 PM)calebj123 Wrote: There are no books about the couple, other than Thomas Mallon's "Henry and Clara" which we all know takes a lot of liberties and must fill in the holes with fiction.
Caleb –Idon’t know wether this is interesting to you. I just finished reading “Henry and Clara”. As to the fiction – the directors of the hospital during Rathbone’s stay there were Dr. Ludwig Snell (from 1856 – 1892, he let a telephone system and gas lighting be installed) and Dr. Erich Gerstenberg (1892 – 1915). From what I read in the Mönkemöller booklet I sent you I personally doubt Rathbone had his own apartement. (I know,the NYT article of Oct.31,1910 states it differently, but they also asserted he was a consul. And the Courier states Lincoln was asssassinated in NYC.) A consul assigned to Braunschweig (Brunswick) indeed existed, I remember reading that in the Stadtarchiv Hannover (but didn’t pay further attention because I focused on Rathbone). What I also doubt (my personal opinion) is that Rathbone planned to leave Han(n)over soon as the book suggests. He was listed in Hannover’s 1884 directory (this and the Courier article also suggest the family rented a seperate appartment, not some rooms in a boarding house). The entry was voluntary. You had to apply therefor the previous year. So for the 1884 entry Rathbone had to apply until April 1883.
(Sorry, I know in English I should correctly spell Hannover with a single “n”, but it looks so very odd to me.)

May I ask the following: Is “asylum” an official, serious term for such kind of institution? I always thought that in this context “asylum” has a negative connotation like “nuthouse” or “bedlam” or is at least colloquial. The former German name of the institution was “Heil- und Pflegeanstalt.” Although “Heilanstalt” is a bit obsolete (it has been replaced by “Psychatriche Klinik”, “psychatric hospital”) it was always an official term (not a colloquial one) without any negative connotation. Since the institution was most serious and prestigious and the treatments were most modern in those days a colloquial or negative expression IMO would be inadequate.

Eva Elisabeth · (This post was last modified: 10-05-2013 06:10 PM by Eva Elisabeth.)

Last week I was asked for literal translation of the two articles above. Just in case anyone else is interested, voilà.

If you think the outcome sounds odd- so does the German original. I tried to stick to the original wording and sentence structure as far as possible. Many words were used totally different in meaning than nowadays, and the sentences are Virginia-Woolf-like.

Hannoverscher Courier, Dec.24, 1883, 3rd column („Ein grauenvolles Ereigniß…)

A gruesome event of harrowing tragedy happened here last night. A top-ranking officer, member of the army of the United States of Northamerica, rich, happily married, father of several children, has been living in Hannover for some time (now). The said had been present at the assassination of President Lincoln and since has had bouts of profound, despairing melancholy. In order to ban (cure) these and to (re-) strengthen this felicitous, well-educated gentleman's mind, doctors had sent him to Germany. He moved here and lived happily until last night. Just during the previous days the said, in a good temper (and) toghether with his wife, had done some Christmas shopping for the children. Last night a sudden relapse regarding his mental disoreder must have occurred, which at once evolved into madness (insanity). At dead of night, the unfortunate (man) had arisen and tried to enter the bedroom, in which his children and the governess slept; the latter woke up and became suspicious due to the gentleman's words; she managed to keep him from entering the room. Due to the lively verbal exchange, the spouse awoke, and, suspecting the worst, thwarted him. She managed to lead her husband into the living-room. Here, the dreadful catastrophy commenced, the course of which no one will be able to testify. The unfortunate had locked the door (behind him). Shots were to be heared, then it got silent. When the door was broke open by (other) tenants, the unfortunate's wife was found dead already. She had been killed from revolvershots (gunshots) and dagger thrusts. The man (her husband) lay next to her, severely wounded, too. In his pockets, sufficient ammunition was found to get the impression, he had planned to kill his entire family. The unfortunate's wounds are so severe that he is (still) not transportable and thus it has yet not been possible to take him to hospital. Also a questioning of the said could not be held.

Hannoverscher Courier, Dec.25,1883, column 1+2 („Ein Familiendrama")

(A family tragedy.) On the part of other sources (~ from official quarters) we received, regarding the gruesome event reported in yesterday's evening edition, the following further details: Since June,6., the former American major Henry Rathtbone, 45 years old, born in Albany, toghether with his family, consisting of his wife and three children, age 9, 10 and 14, Mrs. R.'s sister, and a governess, has occupied (rented) an appartment in Heinrichstraße. Rathbone, who, according to his sister, in the course of President Lincoln's assassination in a theater in New York (2nd column, l. 6!!), had sustained a head injury (!!), is said to have henceforward occasionally suffered from (periods/bouts of) insanity, and, yesterday morning about 6 AM, doubtlessly in such a fit, he killed his wife with a revolver shot that entered her chest, and a stab into the middle of her chest, and then he caused himself five perilous stabs in the chest with a dagger. Mrs. R. died shortly after receiving the injury, whereas the murderer, although still alive, did not regain consciousness. Since the dramatis personae were only by themselves during the cruel drama, just the following respective information was to be gathered: About 6 AM, Mr. R. appeared outside the bedroom, in which the governess and the three children slept, knocked (at the door) and demanded to see the children; though almost at the same moment, Mrs. R. appeared, asking the governess to lock the door, and, with soothing words, (she) lead her husban

L Verge · 09-07-2013, 01:29 PM

This up close and personal sort of article sure brings the tragedy even closer - much more detailed and horrific than authors have made their "summations" of the event. I also believe that this is the first time that I ever saw the ages of the Rathbone children at the time.
Thank, Eva.

calebj123 · (This post was last modified: 10-04-2013 10:02 AM by calebj123.)

Eva thanks so much for the translation. The act was so horrific and there are even more details that flesh out the actions of that early morning. Henry had been sleeping with a loaded gun under his pillow for the few weeks before the murder. His post traumatic stress and depression was worsening. The night before the murder he actually sat in a family room "staring blankly and picking at a handkerchief". There's no doubt his ruminations and paranoia was at its height. Clara herself mentioned to her sister that "the end was not far off", however she assumed he was going to commit suicide. The neighbors around their home stated that Henry was wary of "strange people" and "shy of human beings".

He went for the children first and after his sister-in-law refuted his entrance, Clara came into the hallway told Louise to "lock the door and save the children; there is going to be dreadful work." There's no doubt Clara was aware the end was near. After screams from the bedroom, two gunshots rang out and Louise busted into their locked room. There she found her sister and Clara's last words to her were "He has killed us both at last." She died within five minutes.

Henry however was delirious and covered in his own blood from the five stab wounds he inflicted on himself, one deep into his lung. Henry actually started calling out for Clara, not aware of what he had done. "Who could have done this? I have no enemies!" he cried out. when the German police arrived Henry was adament there were men hiding behind the paintings.

There is a little more detail to the story, but I don't want to give too much of my book away so early. I've also attached an amazing drawing depicting the act from the National Police Gazette, 1/10/1884.