Why was Mary Surratt not photographed after her arrest?

[Anita]

(09-13-2013 02:03 PM)Jim Garrett Wrote:  I think William's death was the result of mixing the laudanum with whiskey. So much for those warning labels on the sides of bottles, er sorry no warning labels back then. On a lighter note, while William's death may have been accidental, Anna's death was more likely a suicide.

Were their deaths related to Lincoln's dying in their home and subsequent barrage of people wanting to look at the death room, or were they troubled
individuals before this?

[Jim Garrett]

The Petersens were very industrious. The Petersens emigrated to America to find a better life, which they did...........for a while. The bought the last vacant lot on 10th St between E and F streets and built a handsome three bay federal style house, with the intent to use at least in part, as a boarding house. William was a successful tailor and when war erupted, he became a contract tailor making officer's uniforms. Along with the demand for uniforms, the need for rooms in Washington jumped up in 1861 due to the war effort. By 1865, the Petersens had almost four years of highly profitable years. In 1865, with the war over, the tailor business slowed, and government clerks were going home. The need for uniforms and rooms went way way down, besides not too many people wanted to live in the house where Lincoln died. I think the combination of financial distress, the death of the President in their home and the loss of two (?) daughters took a huge emotional toll. I think Williams death was probably accidental, Anna, don't know but the rumor of suicide could ring true.

[Anita]

Thanks Jim. So much sadness. I tried without success to find a bio on the Petersen family. Is there one?

[RJNorton]

Hi Anita. The one book I have is Lincoln's Last Battleground: A Tragic Night Recalled by Robert T. Bain. Bain is the great, great, great grandson of William Petersen. The book has no footnotes, and I do not know how much of it is historic truth and how much is "family lore." Here is what Bain writes about Anna's passing:

"Anna Petersen died exactly four months after her husband William. She had also been placed under great scrutiny for her role in the events of April 1865, and she felt she couldn't go on without William. The children understood this and were there by her bedside to the very last minute. The cause of her death remains a personal family matter."

I suppose it's possible to interpret that last sentence in more than one way, but personally I think I agree with Jim's opinion.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Thanks for any reply or info on the following questions. (Sorry, didn't find a more suitable thread.)

1. Why was Thomas Jones not tried for helping a murderer?

2.Did William Garrett receive at least a portion of the reward for locking the barn?

3. Was John Parker drinking at the saloon during the assassination or did he take a seat to watch the play? Is there any account on what he stated on this at the police or in the trial?

4. Was Booth's body embalmed (like A. Lincoln's)?

5. As for Booth's diary: Does any professional psychologist's comment exist on the probability Booth lied therein (regarding the leg break) under consideration of his personality and the external circumstances (constant fear of discovery, broken leg, lack of food, extreme conditions in the pine thicket etc. - how probable is it someone lies under such circumsatances?)

6. Regarding the trial I read "Death sentences required the votes of SIX members (of the nine-member commission). And: "FIVE of the nine Commission members recommend to the President...that he reduce Mary Surratt's punishment..." So, why is 6+5=9???

[Dave Taylor]

(09-14-2013 06:33 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Thanks for any reply or info on the following questions. (Sorry, didn't find a more suitable thread.)

1. Why was Thomas Jones not tried for helping a murderer?

2.Did William Garrett receive at least a portion of the reward for locking the barn?

6. Regarding the trial I read "Death sentences required the votes of SIX members (of the nine-member commission). And: "FIVE of the nine Commission members recommend to the President...that he reduce Mary Surratt's punishment..." So, why is 6+5=9???

Here are the ones I can answer off the top of my head.

1. Thomas Austin Jones was suspected to have helped Booth and was arrested, transported to Washington, and held in the Old Capitol Prison. This was Jones second time spending time in a D.C. prison, having previously been arrested during the war on suspicion of being a Confederate agent and part of the Confederate mail line (which he absolutely was). Both incarcerations ended the same - with Jones keeping his mouth shut until his eventual release. The only people who could tell what he had done were Booth (dead), Herold (wasn't going to give him up), and Cox (in jail himself on suspicion of helping Booth and Herold). It wasn't until many years later that Jones finally opened up to newspaperman George Alfred Townsend about his role.

2. None of the Garretts received any reward money. Both Jack and Will Garrett were arrested after Booth died and were taken to Washington with Herold and the body. The boys were imprisoned at the Navy Yard before being transferred to the Old Capitol Prison. From there they managed to get their released but they were required to stay in Washington and attend the trial in case they were called to testify. This never occurred and they were allowed to return home. A few years after the assassination, Jack became a fairly wealthy farmer on a nearby plantation, and this created the rumor that the Garretts received a share of the reward money, but this is not so. They applied to the government several times for restitution for the loss of their sizable barn, but were refused.

6. While the trial is not my area of expertise, I believe the rules laid out that a vote of guilty by 2/3 of the commission would be an automatic death sentence for the prisoner in question. Therefore, when Mary Surratt received a six out of nine vote for guilty, she would have been up for execution. However, not all of the commission members thought she should be executed even though she was found guilty by a 2/3 majority. So five of the commission members, some of whom voted guilty, signed the plea for clemency.

Connected to this, many people recount how Dr. Mudd was one vote away from being executed himself due to the 2/3 majority rule. While this is true, Dr. Mudd was also one vote away from being acquitted entirely. He received a guilty vote of 5 out of 9. One more guilty vote would have meant death, and one more not guilty vote would have set him free as there would no longer have been a majority for guilty (4 out of 9).

[Eva Elisabeth]

Dave, thank you for your elaborate reply.
Scary - just two votes between life in freedom and death! Was that the same rule in all cases, i. e. Arnold, Spangler and O'Laughlen all were voted guily by five members and one more vote would have meant death penalty?

[RJNorton]

Eva, I do not know all the votes, but I do not think Booth was ever embalmed. I have read the remains were in pretty poor shape by 1869 with the head having become detached. Also, I think all books I have read say Parker was either next door drinking or in Ford's in a seat where he could watch the play. As far as I know there is no known statement from him saying exactly where he was at the very moment the shot was fired.

Eva, I should add that some of the top historians feel Parker's assignment that night was more to accompany Lincoln to the theater, not to guard him during the play itself. Personally, I do not agree. My gut tells me Parker blew it.

[L Verge]

I can only add some tidbits to Dave's excellent synopsis: As Dave said, Jones had learned earlier to keep his mouth shut. When accused of supplying the boat and aiding in Booth's escape, I know of one historian who says that Jones replied by saying, "You are arresting me because someone stole my boat?" Jones's first wife (Thomas Harbin's sister) had died during his first incarceration, and he was the sole support of a large family. Thoughts of those children would certainly help convince him to stay quiet.

I don't ever remember anything ever being said about Booth being embalmed. Good question, but my first instinct is to say no, he was not. The body had begun to deteriorate rapidly, and I would imagine that would hinder embalming. Also, the purpose of embalming is often more for the sake of the kin folk than it is the corpse. It allows for an open coffin for viewing and also gives survivors the comforting thought that the "dust to dust" part will be somewhat delayed.

As for a psychological analysis of what Booth wrote in his diary, none has been ever done and published that I am aware of.

Mrs. Surratt's clemency plea that the Commissioners signed was based on her age and sex - not her degree of guilt. To me, it was their way of following the law based on the fact that she had been in cahoots with Booth up to within hours of the assassination while attempting to take some of the weight (i.e. public opinion) off of them for voting death in the first place.

I don't remember ever seeing the break-down of votes for the other three conspirators. I would suspect that Arnold and O'Laughlen received lesser guilty votes because they could not be tied to Booth once the kidnap plot was over with (even though some suspect that O'Laughlen was in D.C.). My guess would be that they and Spangler each got four out of nine guilty votes - but that is just a guess. Ed Steers's book on The Trial might give a breakdown of the vote, but I'm not certain, and my copy is at work.

[Anita]

(09-14-2013 04:22 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Hi Anita. The one book I have is Lincoln's Last Battleground: A Tragic Night Recalled by Robert T. Bain. Bain is the great, great, great grandson of William Petersen. The book has no footnotes, and I do not know how much of it is historic truth and how much is "family lore." Here is what Bain writes about Anna's passing:

"Anna Petersen died exactly four months after her husband William. She had also been placed under great scrutiny for her role in the events of April 1865, and she felt she couldn't go on without William. The children understood this and were there by her bedside to the very last minute. The cause of her death remains a personal family matter."

I suppose it's possible to interpret that last sentence in more than one way, but personally I think I agree with Jim's opinion.

Thanks Roger. Did any evidence turn up that Booth's accomplices were at the Petersen house at some point? Did the Petersens know Mary Surratt?

[Eva Elisabeth]

Roger and Laurie, thanks for your replies!

(09-14-2013 08:14 AM)Dave Taylor Wrote:  Dr. Mudd was also one vote away from being acquitted entirely. He received a guilty vote of 5 out of 9. One more guilty vote would have meant death, and one more not guilty vote would have set him free as there would no longer have been a majority for guilty (4 out of 9).

If Dr. Mudd would have gained acquittal by a guilty vote of four or less, shouldn't this have been the same for Spangler & Co?

(09-14-2013 08:14 AM)Dave Taylor Wrote:  So five of the commission members, some of whom voted guilty, signed the plea for clemency.

In case those commission members later seriously regretted the decision I could imagine they had felt guilty of causing her death for the rest of their lives.

Obviously a commission member that didn't want to vote for a death penalty nor for acquittal, but for imprisonment, had no option to secure the vote counted just therefor and represented solely this intention (whatever the total result was). That must have been an enormous pressure.
Were the members of the commission assigned without the option to deny?.

I forgot one question: Why was Booth's body exhumed in 1867 and reburied in the storeroom? (Strange place anyway!)

[L Verge]

Again, I am not certain as to whether the commission members had the option to deny their assignment. My guess would be no, unless there was found to be some kind of legal issue that would cause them to compromise the case. However, I also think that many of them felt duty bound to be the final avengers for Lincoln.

I don't remember Booth's body being exhumed in 1867. I thought the four others were exhumed and reburied in his storage space. I believe the reason for their removal was "re-landscaping" of the Arsenal grounds.

[Anita]

Laurie, "In 1867 the body was exhumed and reburied in a pine box in a locked storeroom in Warehouse I at the prison." http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln83.html

But it doesn't say why. Roger, do you know why?

[Jim Garrett]

(09-14-2013 06:33 AM)Eva Elisabeth Wrote:  Thanks for any reply or info on the following questions. (Sorry, didn't find a more suitable thread.)

1. Why was Thomas Jones not tried for helping a murderer?

2.Did William Garrett receive at least a portion of the reward for locking the barn?

3. Was John Parker drinking at the saloon during the assassination or did he take a seat to watch the play? Is there any account on what he stated on this at the police or in the trial?

4. Was Booth's body embalmed (like A. Lincoln's)?

5. As for Booth's diary: Does any professional psychologist's comment exist on the probability Booth lied therein (regarding the leg break) under consideration of his personality and the external circumstances (constant fear of discovery, broken leg, lack of food, extreme conditions in the pine thicket etc. - how probable is it someone lies under such circumsatances?)

6. Regarding the trial I read "Death sentences required the votes of SIX members (of the nine-member commission). And: "FIVE of the nine Commission members recommend to the President...that he reduce Mary Surratt's punishment..." So, why is 6+5=9???

Eva:

2: Dave provides excellent detail. two others that could certainly claim reward money were William Rollins and Willie Jett. I think that it would have been a cold day in Hell (pardon me) before Stanton was going to pay reward money to anyone from a state in the rebellion. All who were paid were good yankee men.

3. Sometime after the Lincoln's were seated and before Booth entered the box, John Parker, Charlie Forbes (valet) and Francis (Ned) Burke all went to the Star Saloon together for a drink. Forbes was back in the theatre shortly after, don't know if Parker and Burke stayed in the saloon for another round...or two....or three. Ned had a reputation for imbibing. I have wondered if the trio was in the Star when Booth came to fortify his nerve?

4. No account exists of an undertaker going aboard the ironclads. I think the last thing Stanton would have allowed was Booth's body preserved in any way.

[L Verge]

Anita,

Thanks for the correction. Proof again that the mind is failing. (Hope Troy doesn't see that admission!)