(01-11-2014 11:20 PM)Donna McCreary Wrote:  For Christmas, I received a copy of Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination. I plan to start reading it on Monday.

(01-12-2014 10:28 AM)Don1946 Wrote:  I just finished Blood on the Moon, by Edward Steers which some historians, including James McPherson, claim to be the best single book on the assassination. I learned a lot and found it a good read. He takes up arguments with past interpretations and demolishes misleading defenses of Dr. Mudd. I am interested in John Surratt and the whole Catholic conspiracy theory that gained a lot of attention for years after the assassination but is now almost forgotten by historians. John Surratt was protected by a Catholic priest in Canada, then fled to join the Papal Zouaves at the Vatican. There were other connections between the conspiracy to kidnap and assassinate the president and the Catholic Church, and of course it played to a lot of prejudices and fears at the time. I did not feel Steers paid sufficient attention to this aspect of the story. I recommend the book as a good informative read.

(01-12-2014 11:18 AM)L Verge Wrote:  Don,

I believe that many historians gave up trying to find ties between the Catholic Church and the assassination because there was nothing solid. One gentleman told me that Pope Pius IX had enough to deal with in protecting his church from the strife swirling around him in Italy at the time.

I can't remember if Andy Jampoler included thoughts on this in his The Last Lincoln Conspirator, and there is also a very good book by Kenneth Zanca on the subject of the church and Mary Surratt. Both men have been speakers at Surratt conferences and both like to share information - when they have time. I know that Andy is already working on another book, which is not assassination oriented.

(01-12-2014 10:52 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  It's a fascinating read, and it's causing me to consider re-thinking my position on Ned Spangler. For years I have felt he was totally innocent and a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tom's book includes some incriminating statements allegedly said by Spangler that were new to me and are causing me to take a second look at ol' Ned.

(01-12-2014 10:28 AM)Don1946 Wrote:  I just finished Blood on the Moon, by Edward Steers which some historians, including James McPherson, claim to be the best single book on the assassination. I learned a lot and found it a good read. He takes up arguments with past interpretations and demolishes misleading defenses of Dr. Mudd. I am interested in John Surratt and the whole Catholic conspiracy theory that gained a lot of attention for years after the assassination but is now almost forgotten by historians. John Surratt was protected by a Catholic priest in Canada, then fled to join the Papal Zouaves at the Vatican. There were other connections between the conspiracy to kidnap and assassinate the president and the Catholic Church, and of course it played to a lot of prejudices and fears at the time. I did not feel Steers paid sufficient attention to this aspect of the story. I recommend the book as a good informative read.

(01-12-2014 08:20 PM)Tom Bogar Wrote:  I don't think it was a matter of credibility, Eva. He provided what testimony he was encouraged/directed to give. He certainly asked enough questions and kept his eyes and ears open in the short time he was backstage at Ford's. To me, he is/was not credible, but he was able to twist/magnify what few things he picked up to provide testimony that made Ned Spangler look pretty guilty to those who needed someone to be held accountable.

(01-13-2014 09:59 AM)Ed Steers Wrote:  Dear Mr. Doyle, Not sure I am using the proper procedure to comment, but here goes. I did not consider the Catholic Conspiracy to have any validity at all, and felt Bill Hanchett covered it thoroughly ("Lincoln Murder Conspiracies"). ... I remember reading in the Rufus King papers (King was Lincoln's representative to the Papal States) that part of the negotiation to return John Surratt was that the U.S. reciprocate should the Papal States request extradition, AND that should the Republicans overrun the Papal States the U.S. would would grant asylum to the Pope. If true, it seems strange that the Pope would want to see Lincoln killed. In any event, the Catholic Conspiracy has long been demolished and Bill Hachett did a credible job. In addition to the two books already mentioned I suggest you also read Alfred Isacsson"s "The Travels. Arrest, and Trial of John Surratt." It is quite good.