Lincoln Discussion Symposium

Thank you! That is very interesting information, Dr. Greene; thanks for sharing. I too have always been fascinated by Doctor Blackburn. I believe he pursued a career in politics later in life, and eventually became Governor of Kentucky in the late 1870's. Blackburn always kept quiet about his connection to the yellow fever plot.

Yes, Dr. Blackburn pursued a career in politics years after returning from exile in Canada, seeking to become Governor of Kentucky. Immediately following the Kentucky Democratic Convention in May 1879, the Cincinnati Gazette resurrected the story of the "yellow fever plot," and the Gazette even opened a special office to run the investigation and the reporting. The saga had never been reported in detail by the Kentucky papers in the late 1860s, and many Kentuckians simply couldn't believe that Dr. Blackburn - dubbed "Dr. Black Vomit" after the cardinal symptom of yellow fever - could have done such a thing. Many Northern newspapers picked up the story, though Kentucky reporters were hesitant to cover the scandal, questioning if there could actually be two Dr. Blackburns, one an upright citizen and the other a diabolical fiend. Blackburn, being a skillful politician, simply refused to comment on the accusations, saying only that the entire story was “too preposterous for intelligent gentlemen to believe.” His tactics were successful, and he was elected Governor of Kentucky.

Many thanks to Dr. Blaine Houmes for sending this photo. What is this man's name?

Was he a doctor? Wild guess - at Fort Jefferson?

Good try, Eva, but he was not a doctor nor was he at Ft. Jefferson.

Hint #1: He made a claim that he did something. Others have also made the same claim.

Was he one of those who claimed to have helped carrying Abraham Lincoln to Peterson House?

Eva, that is an extremely logical guess, but he was not one of those men.

Hint #2: There has been previous mention of this man on the forum.

Is that the guy Laurie mentioned a while back that years ago, used to visit the Surratt House almost every week and flirt with her?

Trust me, Gene, the mystery man in Blaine's photo is much better looking that that old flirt... That will give you some idea of what I put up with for the sake of history.

Could it be one of the "missing Johns"?

Excellent thinking, Eva, but it's not one of those.

Hint #3: Three other men made the same claim as this man.

Hint #3.5: The person who once mentioned him on the forum was Kees.

One of those who claimed having been the last to see Abraham Lincoln('s body)?

Hint #4: Eva's last guess is on the right track.