Though his store was in Rochester, NY, Peter "Rattlesnake Pete" Gruber was born in Oil City, PA. This is in Venango County, PA and about 8-9 miles from where Booth, Ellsler and the Dramatic Oil Company had their well in Franklin, PA. With Ellsler's account of Booth's "4 colorful meerschaum pipes" present there in PA at the time, who knows, maybe Pete did get his hands on one of those pipes.

http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008680389/

The LOC description reads: "Photograph showing portrait of John Wilkes Booth, seated, holding pipe". (I had always thought it was a cane...)

(01-24-2015 07:10 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008680389/

The LOC description reads: "Photograph showing portrait of John Wilkes Booth, seated, holding pipe". (I had always thought it was a cane...)

I think that description is wrong. It looks like a cane or walking stick to me. In fact, I think Dave Taylor has a blog post on this in the boothiebarn site. There is a letter from Booth requesting copies of the photo which he describes sitting and holding a cane.

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Found Dave's blog post. It starts out with a quote from the letter I spoke of.

http://boothiebarn.com/2014/02/15/new-ga...otographs/

Many thanks, Scott. Once more I'm amazed - once more the forum members turn out to be the true experts...

(01-24-2015 07:10 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/2008680389/

The LOC description reads: "Photograph showing portrait of John Wilkes Booth, seated, holding pipe". (I had always thought it was a cane...)

It is a walking stick, and I have seen the original, I believe. It was brought along on one of our Booth tours by a Booth descendant in the 1980s.

Thanks STS Lincolnite for the research of Rattlesnake Pete.Maybe he did have Booth's pipe in his collection.Maybe the legend is now true,and,Who knows what else in history[legend] is true?[Booth at Canandaigua Lake+Dr.Mary Walker at the execution of the Lincoln Conspirators etc].

(01-24-2015 09:01 PM)L Verge Wrote:  It is a walking stick, and I have seen the original, I believe. It was brought along on one of our Booth tours by a Booth descendant in the 1980s.

Wow Laurie! That's incredible. I find myself wondering where that walking stick is now.

That is a walking stick in the CDV.

Dr. Lattimer owned the original, if I'm correct. Here is Mike Kauffman holding the Cane at a social we had in Laurel, Maryland in 1983. That's Dr. Lattimer standing beside him.

I, too have held the cane....

   

Thanks for sharing this wonderful photo, Betty! How fragile this cane looks! Cool you held it, too! That was sure a thrilling experience!

When you really peruse the photo of this walking stick, you will note how tiny and slim it is. Walking sticks were more for affectation by the "dandies" of the day. They were not meant to bear one's weight. The larger and sturdier canes served better for this. Walking sticks might make a barking dog think twice about getting close, but they really were more for show. I have seen a few walking sticks where the top knob lifts off and is attached to a small knife (a rapier?).

This reminds me of Abraham Lincoln's favorite walking cane Mary sent to Frederick Douglass. I can't help it but I cannot imagine Abraham Lincoln voluntarily walking with a "dandy" cane (and it must have been an extraordinary long one). I wonder if this cane, or a photo of it, still exists? Douglass wrote: "She [MTL] sent it to me at Rochester, and I have it in my house today, and expect to keep it there as long as I live."

Thanks BettyO.I have a Civil War[Hickory]cane to help me walk now!

(01-25-2015 12:05 PM)BettyO Wrote:  That is a walking stick in the CDV.

Dr. Lattimer owned the original, if I'm correct. Here is Mike Kauffman holding the Cane at a social we had in Laurel, Maryland in 1983. That's Dr. Lattimer standing beside him.

I, too have held the cane....

Betty thanks for sharing the info and the photo. Now to get the LOC to amend/correct their description!

Quote:When you really peruse the photo of this walking stick, you will note how tiny and slim it is. Walking sticks were more for affectation by the "dandies" of the day. They were not meant to bear one's weight. The larger and sturdier canes served better for this. Walking sticks might make a barking dog think twice about getting close, but they really were more for show. I have seen a few walking sticks where the top knob lifts off and is attached to a small knife (a rapier?).

Laurie - You are very correct as to how slim and fragile these canes were. One like this, particularly because of the horses "hock" handle, makes me think that it could and would also be utilized as a riding crop.

(01-25-2015 12:58 PM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  This reminds me of Abraham Lincoln's favorite walking cane Mary sent to Frederick Douglass. I can't help it but I cannot imagine Abraham Lincoln voluntarily walking with a "dandy" cane (and it must have been an extraordinary long one). I wonder if this cane, or a photo of it, still exists? Douglass wrote: "She [MTL] sent it to me at Rochester, and I have it in my house today, and expect to keep it there as long as I live."

Frederick Douglass' wonderful home, Cedar Hill, still stands in Anacostia today and is maintained by the National Park Service. It is filled with many of Douglass' things. A check with the site might tell us if they still have the Lincoln cane. When I have time, I'll try to check on it -- or Jim Garrett can feel free to contact Cedar Hill (hint, hint).