(04-24-2013 03:32 PM)Rhatkinson Wrote:  Which photo is that? Ive only seen the photos showing the front of the gallows. The building in the upper left-hand portion of Heath's photo seems to be behind the back-left (south) side of the gallows.

I think this is the photo that Barry referenced:


[/quote]

Thanks Heath. Great photo. Haven't seen it before.

All:

I always wanted to know where the gallows was located. Thanks. I can't imagine walking to the gallows and looking at the pine box where you will be buried. Talk about rubber legs.

Mike Gambuzza

You have to zoom in to see more detail in the rooftop photo. In the attached photo, it looks to me as if the pine boxes have been moved under the condemned.

Kate, you are correct in this view -

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I have used this before I think....but up against the wall, near the gallows and next to the graves are the white convolvulus (Morning glories) which Powell picked and pressed into his Bible - (See Insets)

I wonder what other plants grew in the prison yard....

Hadn't seen that close-up with the flowers, Betty. That's impressive. I REALLY need to read "Alias Paine" again.

Quote:I was kicked out of the Mudd house years ago for spouting my opinion - as were Ed Steers and Mr. Hall! So I was in good company.....HA!

I know you wrote that quote last year, but I just have to thank you for making me smile today when I read it again. I can just visualize all of you getting kicked out of the Mudd house!!

(04-25-2013 11:23 AM)mgambuzza Wrote:  All:

I always wanted to know where the gallows was located. Thanks. I can't imagine walking to the gallows and looking at the pine box where you will be buried. Talk about rubber legs.

Mike Gambuzza

They all had rubber legs... except for Powell. That was one gutsy kid.

(04-25-2013 02:25 PM)MaddieM Wrote:  They all had rubber legs... except for Powell. That was one gutsy kid.

I agree with that. Of all the conspirators, I think he had the most fortitude of any of them.
What a tragedy!
Makes you realize how fortunate we are to live now, how important true friends are, and how easy it is to take the wrong path to ruin.

Most of these conspirators don't seem to be bad people, they just got influenced by the wrong people, with tragic results.

(04-25-2013 03:34 PM)Gene C Wrote:  

(04-25-2013 02:25 PM)MaddieM Wrote:  They all had rubber legs... except for Powell. That was one gutsy kid.

I agree with that. Of all the conspirators, I think he had the most fortitude of any of them.
What a tragedy!
Makes you realize how fortunate we are to live now, how important true friends are, and how easy it is to take the wrong path to ruin.

Most of these conspirators don't seem to be bad people, they just got influenced by the wrong people, with tragic results.

I agree. It's easy to look at it and say "I never would have done that". For a lot of people that's true, but there are also a lot of us who might very well have gotten ourselves wrapped up in the same mess, had we been in those shoes. The times they lived in and the scars of war cannot be ignored.

Quote:They all had rubber legs... except for Powell. That was one gutsy kid.

Agreed! I don't know if it were sheer bravado or just plain dignity.... more or less a bit of both -

(04-25-2013 04:05 PM)jonathan Wrote:  

(04-25-2013 03:34 PM)Gene C Wrote:  

(04-25-2013 02:25 PM)MaddieM Wrote:  They all had rubber legs... except for Powell. That was one gutsy kid.

I agree with that. Of all the conspirators, I think he had the most fortitude of any of them.
What a tragedy!
Makes you realize how fortunate we are to live now, how important true friends are, and how easy it is to take the wrong path to ruin.

Most of these conspirators don't seem to be bad people, they just got influenced by the wrong people, with tragic results.

I agree. It's easy to look at it and say "I never would have done that". For a lot of people that's true, but there are also a lot of us who might very well have gotten ourselves wrapped up in the same mess, had we been in those shoes. The times they lived in and the scars of war cannot be ignored.

I believe in the Swanson/Weinberg book they mentioned that the press noted that Davey Herold's bladder let loose. I don't think that was such as unusual occurance at evecutions. I think now the condemned wear a depends.

I think the press wanted to show the indignity.

Years ago, when I did the school tours at Surratt House, I would sit the children on the floor in front of our electric map and go over the assassination story with them. Then I would let the map tell about the escape. After a q&a session with the students, we would focus on the word "conspiracy." Since we deal mainly with grades 4-8, very few of the kids would get the gist of what a conspiracy entails.

However, they all knew/know what the word "gang" means. We would then go into the term "vicarious liability," using them as role models in a mock bank robbery where a teller is shot and killed. They all understood that the person who pulled the trigger was guilty, but they got a little shaky when it came to the second robber in the bank -- and then really shaky when it came to the third man waiting outside at the wheel of the get-away car. They were amazed that all three could be tried for what we now term "felony murder."

My parting words to them were to alert them that they were at the age where they might be asked to join a gang (we seem to have them in every neighborhood down here) and that they better think twice because they could be found liable for whatever any member of that gang might do. It would get very quiet in the room. One day, I actually had a vice principal who had accompanied a group of fifth graders come over and hug me for making that lesson clear to them.

I don't want to sound smug here, but I used to conduct mock trials of the conspirators in my eighth grade classes when I was a teacher, and I know that Roger did too. These are the types of techniques that teachers should be using today to teach modern lessons to live by at the same time you are teaching the past. Unfortunately, in this area, social studies has replaced good old U.S. history and it seems to be a bunch of gobbledy-goop.

(04-25-2013 04:17 PM)BettyO Wrote:  

Quote:They all had rubber legs... except for Powell. That was one gutsy kid.

Agreed! I don't know if it were sheer bravado or just plain dignity.... more or less a bit of both -

Dignity and resignation and inherent courage.

Was going through all of my newspaper reports of the trial and execution pursuant to working on my other book when I found a statement that the gallows was only "20 feet" from the door that the prisoners came out of! -

Like Laurie had said, they could have stumbled out of the door and hit the darn thing! Only 20 feet....I keep thinking of that "long mile" that Redford filmed in The Conspirator! So much for historic license and dramatic effect!

(04-25-2013 04:05 PM)jonathan Wrote:  

(04-25-2013 03:34 PM)Gene C Wrote:  

(04-25-2013 02:25 PM)MaddieM Wrote:  They all had rubber legs... except for Powell. That was one gutsy kid.

I agree with that. Of all the conspirators, I think he had the most fortitude of any of them.
What a tragedy!
Makes you realize how fortunate we are to live now, how important true friends are, and how easy it is to take the wrong path to ruin.

Most of these conspirators don't seem to be bad people, they just got influenced by the wrong people, with tragic results.

I agree. It's easy to look at it and say "I never would have done that". For a lot of people that's true, but there are also a lot of us who might very well have gotten ourselves wrapped up in the same mess, had we been in those shoes. The times they lived in and the scars of war cannot be ignored.

I doubt very many, if any, of us would have been influenced enough by anyone or anything and walked into Seward's house and inflicted that kind of mayhem on that family.

(04-28-2013 09:13 AM)wsanto Wrote:  

(04-25-2013 04:05 PM)jonathan Wrote:  

(04-25-2013 03:34 PM)Gene C Wrote:  

(04-25-2013 02:25 PM)MaddieM Wrote:  They all had rubber legs... except for Powell. That was one gutsy kid.

I agree with that. Of all the conspirators, I think he had the most fortitude of any of them.
What a tragedy!
Makes you realize how fortunate we are to live now, how important true friends are, and how easy it is to take the wrong path to ruin.

Most of these conspirators don't seem to be bad people, they just got influenced by the wrong people, with tragic results.

I agree. It's easy to look at it and say "I never would have done that". For a lot of people that's true, but there are also a lot of us who might very well have gotten ourselves wrapped up in the same mess, had we been in those shoes. The times they lived in and the scars of war cannot be ignored.

I doubt very many, if any, of us would have been influenced enough by anyone or anything and walked into Seward's house and inflicted that kind of mayhem on that family.

I believe most of us, if not all, just do not know how we'd react in certain situations. I think we'd all like to believe the above, I know I would. But who knows. Spend a few years in the thick of war, see a few horrors, get immured to killing, lose a few family members, and you may feel differently.