Correcting History

[RJNorton]

What was Rathbone's mindset prior to the assassination? Mallon indicates Rathbone already had "feelings" about the Lincolns as early as 1862. Is this true?

Although he made up the letter, in March 1862, he has Henry writing Clara:

[Seward]

Although the above article is an excellent one, the author fails to mention that Senator Ira Harris had another son, Ira D. Harris, a graduate of the US Naval Academy and ensign in the navy during the Civil War.
Also GW Pope is Gustavus Wiiliam Pope, a New Yorker, who was a homopathic doctor. He also wrote fiction and non fiction. His futuristic books, Journey to Mars and Journey to Venus were well received. He also wrote a book about William Shakespeare.
Having tried for many years, I have been unable to locate a likeness of Dr. Pope. Does anyone on this site know of any?

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I personally have never come upon anything historically, to show that Henry had any of the feelings Mallon portrays.

[LincolnMan]

Wow, there are some interesting posts! Any known reason why the Rathbones moved to Germany? Did the Rathbones speak German?

[J. Beckert]

Also, if JWB entered the box through door 8, not door 7, there was no door to open...right? Wasn't the door to Box 8 left open?

I think that's correct, Roger. Although I don't think even if the door was closed, it would've mattered much. One thing I'm curious about was the lighting. I've read that darkening the theater before a performance was a 20th. century innovation. Could Ford's have been lit up the whole time?

[Craig Hipkins]

Also, if JWB entered the box through door 8, not door 7, there was no door to open...right? Wasn't the door to Box 8 left open?

I think that's correct, Roger. Although I don't think even if the door was closed, it would've mattered much. One thing I'm curious about was the lighting. I've read that darkening the theater before a performance was a 20th. century innovation. Could Ford's have been lit up the whole time?

Joe, I believe you are correct. Didn't Booth want to recruit Spangler for the express purpose of dimming the gas lights? Or am I mistaken?

Craig

[Seward]

According to my findings the principle reason for the Rathbone's going to Germany was twofold. One was for the children's education and the other was Henry's deteriorating health! Henry spoke French. Perhaps owing to the many testimonies by which Henry hoped to secure a consul position in Germany, he indeed spoke German. It is a reasonable consideration!

[J. Beckert]

Also, if JWB entered the box through door 8, not door 7, there was no door to open...right? Wasn't the door to Box 8 left open?

I think that's correct, Roger. Although I don't think even if the door was closed, it would've mattered much. One thing I'm curious about was the lighting. I've read that darkening the theater before a performance was a 20th. century innovation. Could Ford's have been lit up the whole time?

Joe, I believe you are correct. Didn't Booth want to recruit Spangler for the express purpose of dimming the gas lights? Or am I mistaken?

Craig

I though it was Samuel Chester that Booth tried to recruit for killing the gas lights, but that was for the kidnapping plot, if I'm not mistaken. I'm sure the conspirator's would have wanted total darkness for that attempt, but I'm still wondering what the lighting at Ford's would have been like on April 14th. 

[Laurie Verge]

Tom Bogar is our theater expert on this forum. I'll nudge him...

[Laurie Verge]

The nudge worked! Tom responded back to my question about the gas lights at Ford's:

I uncovered no hard evidence to corroborate Withers' increasingly melodramatic accounts of Spangler's being near the gas valves (8" diameter valves, not "levers" or "knobs" as some have written), either for the abduction or the assassination. Booth's claim that "someone from the theatre would help by putting out the lights" may have been braggadocio on his part, or if there were someone, that person did not get near the valves.

The house lights would have remained at half during the entire performance, due to ever-present threat of fire. House lights were not extingusihed completely until the 1880s, when electric lights came into theatrical usage. As well, Gorman, the gas man, was by all indications alert by his station. He did bring the house lights up to full and extinguish the stage lights and footlights as soon as the audience began clambering up onto the stage. The stage lighting itself would have consisted of gas-jet "tormentors" (the hottest) lights from behind the left and right sides of the proscenium arch, and "teaser" lights above it. The most dependence for scenic illumination would have been on footlights, although they were known to cast garish shadows. Hope this helps some

BTW: Tom's book on the effects that the Lincoln assassination had on the players at Ford's is due out this fall. Tom will be speaking on it at the March conference, however, and promises us a lot of information that has never been seen in other books. His publisher has also changed the title of the book to Backstage at the Lincoln Assassination.

[J. Beckert]

Thanks Laurie. And thank you also, Tom. That was very interesting and I've been wondering about that for a while. I'm looking forward to your book.

[Jim Garrett]

One must remember that Mr. Mallon's book is a novel and many liberties were taken regarding historical accuracies.
I believe that Rathbone could not and did not see Booth until the shot was fired.
The ParK Service also has several coats and trousers that belonged to Henry.

The NPS has two of Rathbones uniforms. They also have two civilian vests, one white and the other black. The black vest is very much stained on the front left lining that could be blood...alot of blood. The NPS will never test the stains, so for now, it is conjecture, though good conjecture, that the black, shaw collared vest was worn of the 14th.

[RJNorton]

Jim, does Ford's have an opinion on how Rathbone was dressed that night? Bill Nash has probably forgotten this, but years ago, the topic was discussed on the ALO Friends of Lincoln Mailbag. Both Bill and I contacted Ford's at that time, and we both received the same response which was: "We are not sure if Rathbone was in civilian or military dress." Is that still their position today? (What you said in your post makes me think he was probably in civilian dress.)

[LincolnMan]

Roger, I had forgotten that we both contacted Ford's! I am interested to hear if the answer is still the same.

[Seward]

Roger, I believe Henry was dressed in his uniform the night of the 14th. He was still on active duty and I think he would have been proud to wear it. JWB remarked that he had grappled with a colonel. During the brief, violent struggle, certainly Booth did not have time to look at the shoulder strap for rank. However the same double breasted frock would have been worn by a major, lt. col. and full colonel. The only difference was the insignia on the shoulder strap.
Also, in Booth's trunk at the National Hotel, was a Federal colonel's frock coat. Booth was well acquainted with Federal rank and I believe he did notice that Henry was wearing a double breasted frock coat and assumed he was a colonel!

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If Henry was not wearing his uniform, what else could have prompted Booth to note in his diary,"A Col. was at his [Lincoln's] side." Certainly no one else among the four in the box wore a uniform. If Rathbone was wearing civilian clothes, why would Booth mention a colonel at all!!

[Jim Garrett]

Ford's takes no position one way or the other. Most of the staff personally lean towards civilian clothes. The testimony from James Ferguson (owner of the Greenback Saloon on the north side of the theatre) page 485, The Evidence, I was sitting in the dress circle right opposite the box occupied by the President, Mrs. Lincoln and one other lady whom I did know and a gentleman in citizen clothes." I think that Booth mentions the "colonel" well after the fact.