The Bloody Pillow Case

[Eva Elisabeth]

Thanks, Roger, but when I click "Download", there just appears a message saying: "unrecognized url"!

[Anita]

Hi Eva,

Use the link in post #20. It's the same.

As for the overshoes, there was a light drizzle when Lincoln left for the theater. His valet could have already had them on the boots.

They were form fitting and I imagine he just kept them on in the theater. No reason to take them off.

After Lincoln was removed from the Petersen house, the rubbers were place with the pillow for storage and melted from the heat leaving the marks.

[RJNorton]

Thanks, Roger, but when I click "Download", there just appears a message saying: "unrecognized url"!

Eva, I am sending you the bigger images. Look in your email.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Thanks, Roger!

Anita, I'm sorry, I just can't imagine someone sitting in the theater with galoshes or rubber overshoes, the least the President, as careless as he might have been about clothing and outfit. (Actually this idea struck me that much that I didn't read on carefully - sorry, Anita, for my stupid fourth question). I also can't imagine Mary would have allowed this "etiquette faux-pas". Plus - I know it was cold inside as he put his overcoat on - but wouldn't it have been quite sweaty and uncomfortable over the time with those additional rubber boots? Yes, there was a light drizzle, but how many steps were there to go through mud (and what about the ladies' shoes and long skirts)? I would assume the coachman (Burke) dropped them almost on the threshold.

[Lincoln Wonk]

Warren, These are fascinating clippings. Is there anything that indicates the newspaper and the date? From what I know of the Petersens, it all makes sense and it is the only admission I've seen from a family member that the Petersens were sesech. I'm pretty certain they were, because a young next-door neighbor who visited Petersen's that night later told reporters that she and one of the Petersen children felt sorry for John Wilkes Booth, whom they both liked. As you probably know, there were many sesech families on Tenth Street and many who felt that Mary Surratt should not have been hanged. Kathy

[Warren]

Warren, These are fascinating clippings. Is there anything that indicates the newspaper and the date? From what I know of the Petersens, it all makes sense and it is the only admission I've seen from a family member that the Petersens were sesech. I'm pretty certain they were, because a young next-door neighbor who visited Petersen's that night later told reporters that she and one of the Petersen children felt sorry for John Wilkes Booth, whom they both liked. As you probably know, there were many sesech families on Tenth Street and many who felt that Mary Surratt should not have been hanged. Kathy

Kathy, all I know at this point is that the first page of this part of the "scrapbook" started with an editorial on January 1, 1882. At the end of the Peterson article, which was cut of in my photographs, she talks of how close they may have all come to being hanged because they knew Booth. At the very end, the article is attributed to the Chicago Herald, and I think it comes from a Texas paper ( probably Houston) in the 1880's to 1890's. In another place, the scrapper cut out "1898" and stuck it on a different article, so that gives us a date range.

This scrapbook has a wealth of articles on Lincoln that I have not seen before, but probably everyone else on this forum has. I'll try and photograph them and place them in appropriate threads for discussion.

I'll also do a quick index of the articles in this section. Warren

[Warren]

Working backwards, these are the titles of the newspaper clippings (my notes in parenthesis):
1. "John Wilkes Booth's Body" (story or interview about Louis Dietrich, and how he went on board at the time of the post mortem signed Washington Cor., Kansas City Times, no dateline).
2. Another Tale of Booth" - "A Texas Traveler Who Says Lincoln's Slayer is Still Alive" - "Formerly Lived in This State" (dateline of Pontotoc, Texas, April 2, no year, and signed John C. S. Baird).
3. "Is John Wilkes Booth The Slayer of Lincoln Alive?" - "The Remarkable Story of Christopher Ritter, Boon Companion of the Assassin, Related and Corroborated by Prof. Weichman." (dateline of Anderson, Indiana, January 30, no year).
4. "Another Booth Skeleton"- "A Fruitful Search Among Ancient Baltimore Archives" (about Junius Brutus Booth and how he lost a wife, separation and marriage. Quotes lots of county records about Junius Booth, some good geneology, dateline of Baltimore, May 3, no year.)
5. "John Wilkes Booth" - Pleasing Reminiscence of the Great Actor by One of the Finest Talks in Georgia" (about Hon. Albert R. Lamar's remembrances of a gentle Booth. Dateline of Atlanta, September 5, no year - from the New Orleans Democrat. Signed "S.C." at end of article).
6. A short pasted clipping of Boston Corbett's whereabouts and occupation (no dateline or attribution).
7. "John Wilkes Booth" - "The Forty-Eight Hours Preceding His Capture- His Arrival at the Garrett Farm, and His Bearing" (Very lengthy article with a lot of meat and quotes such as from Conger (dateline of Philadelphia, December 12, no year, from the Chicago Tribune).
8. "(missing heading, continuing-) "The Assassination." (short article, no dateline).
9. "The Death of Booth" - "An Interesting Story Told By Perhaps the Only Living Witness" (story about and quotes by Rev. Dr. R. B. Garrett of Austin, Texas, the teen who was with his father, Richard Garrett at Booth's death. Dateline of 1898 (cut and pasted on article) Baltimore Special to the Pittsburgh Dispatch).
10. "Wilkes Booth's A Natural Death" - "Woman Tells the Details of His Escape on the Mary Porter" - "Sailed for the Bahamas" (story about Booth's escape, giving ring to captain's wife, died in England, etc. Story about Mrs. J. W. Christ. Dateline Beloit, Wis., April 21, no year).
11. "Stories of Lincoln" (reminiscences of General Badeau. No date, but must be 1904 because it states, "Lincoln was born 84 years ago on February 12, 1820").
12. "Souvenirs of Uncle Abe" - "They Were Gathered Together By Osborn H. Oldroyd" (good description of his collection in the Peterson House. Do dateline, but signed by Gabrielle Marie Jacobs).
13. "Lincoln's Remains" - "They Are Taken From Their Temporary Grave And Laid Finally to Rest (dateline Springfield, Ill., April 15, no year, but must be 1887. Good description of the coffins.)
14. "Where Lincoln Died" - "Relics of the Place Where the Assassinated President Died" ( I posted pictures of this article. No dateline, but came from Chicago Herald).
15. "The Last of Earth" "Death Bed Scene as the Noble Soul Went Out From Life" and "Where Lincoln Died" (mainly copies of either woodcuts or engravings of the deathbed scene and the Peterson House. No dateline).

There are more articles, but these above are about the assassination, death and Booth. As I've said, I'm sure these are not new to you, but maybe there's a gem or two to be mined from them.

[Anita]

Warren, thank you so much for sharing this wonderful collection. Many articles hidden away in scrapbooks such as yours can shed a new a new light on Lincoln study topics. And I can assure you that many of us have not read all of these articles.

That's what's so great about the forum. You are providing an opportunity for learning by posting. You must have been excited when you found these.

[Lincoln Wonk]

Warren, This is wonderful stuff. Thank you. Kathy

[Rsmyth]

Concerning the "death pillow" there are two versions of the provenance:
The first was supplied to me by Gloria Swift, former curator of Ford's: This pillow was owned by the Petersen family and passed down to a great niece until her death. The relic then went to her husband who gave it to a women's college. When the women's college closed, it was given to Ford’s. That was in 1941.
The husband was D.S. Fraser who was married to the daughter (Frances Rector Fraser) of Louise Petersen Rector (William Petersen’s daughter. At the time Fraser was living in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Chicago History Museum has a notarized letter from him in their "Deathbed" file which states:
“After Lincoln had been removed from the house, some of the accessories in the room at the time of his death were divided up among members of the family, among them being the death-bed pillow now in the possession of my wife.”
The other provenance related is as follows:
The pillow belonged to the Petersen family and was on exhibition at the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair and at the Chicago Historical Society from September 19th 1934 to May 1945. It was a gift to the NPS at Fords Theater on 2/17/55 from Marjorie Webster of 7775 17th Street N.W., Washington, D.C.
This info was uncovered when Art Loux and Joan Chaconas were transcribing the acquisition books at "the vault" in Union Station.
Hope this helps.

[Warren]

Warren, thank you so much for sharing this wonderful collection. Many articles hidden away in scrapbooks such as yours can shed a new a new light on Lincoln study topics. And I can assure you that many of us have not read all of these articles.

That's what's so great about the forum. You are providing an opportunity for learning by posting. You must have been excited when you found these.

You are all very welcome and I hope I can continue to contribute things of value, meager as they may be.

Funny story about finding this scrap book. I search lots of estates sale and dig through many boxes. If I'm not covered in filth by noon on Saturdays, I don't feel like I've been doing my job. I like scrap books because of what may be hidden in them, especially the older ones. No one was paying attention to this particular book, but I could tell from age it was from turn of century or before. My thoughts were there might be some political campaign material in there. I opened it up and saw a story about Custer, another one of my collecting passions. That's where I got excited! Quickly closed it up, paid a nominal amount and left with it relishing a great, and perhaps a new story, about the battle. Instead, it was one of those flowery, late 19th century fillers about reporter who meets an old soldier and old soldier, who wasn't at the battle of course, tells what would have gone through Custer's mind prior to death. How he would have "gone down swinging his sword" (no sword at that battle) and that he would have "died with a smile on his face, thinking of Libby" (Sure.) Pure garbage. Then I noticed that a lot of the pages of this book were stuck together from age (and the unholy heat and humidity of Houston), and carefully began prying them apart and started seeing all the Lincoln articles.

I swear, it is the thrill of the hunt.

[L Verge]

Working backwards, these are the titles of the newspaper clippings (my notes in parenthesis):
1. "John Wilkes Booth's Body" (story or interview about Louis Dietrich, and how he went on board at the time of the post mortem signed Washington Cor., Kansas City Times, no dateline).
2. Another Tale of Booth" - "A Texas Traveler Who Says Lincoln's Slayer is Still Alive" - "Formerly Lived in This State" (dateline of Pontotoc, Texas, April 2, no year, and signed John C. S. Baird).
3. "Is John Wilkes Booth The Slayer of Lincoln Alive?" - "The Remarkable Story of Christopher Ritter, Boon Companion of the Assassin, Related and Corroborated by Prof. Weichman." (dateline of Anderson, Indiana, January 30, no year).
4. "Another Booth Skeleton"- "A Fruitful Search Among Ancient Baltimore Archives" (about Junius Brutus Booth and how he lost a wife, separation and marriage. Quotes lots of county records about Junius Booth, some good geneology, dateline of Baltimore, May 3, no year.)
5. "John Wilkes Booth" - Pleasing Reminiscence of the Great Actor by One of the Finest Talks in Georgia" (about Hon. Albert R. Lamar's remembrances of a gentle Booth. Dateline of Atlanta, September 5, no year - from the New Orleans Democrat. Signed "S.C." at end of article).
6. A short pasted clipping of Boston Corbett's whereabouts and occupation (no dateline or attribution).
7. "John Wilkes Booth" - "The Forty-Eight Hours Preceding His Capture- His Arrival at the Garrett Farm, and His Bearing" (Very lengthy article with a lot of meat and quotes such as from Conger (dateline of Philadelphia, December 12, no year, from the Chicago Tribune).
8. "(missing heading, continuing-) "The Assassination." (short article, no dateline).
9. "The Death of Booth" - "An Interesting Story Told By Perhaps the Only Living Witness" (story about and quotes by Rev. Dr. R. B. Garrett of Austin, Texas, the teen who was with his father, Richard Garrett at Booth's death. Dateline of 1898 (cut and pasted on article) Baltimore Special to the Pittsburgh Dispatch).
10. "Wilkes Booth's A Natural Death" - "Woman Tells the Details of His Escape on the Mary Porter" - "Sailed for the Bahamas" (story about Booth's escape, giving ring to captain's wife, died in England, etc. Story about Mrs. J. W. Christ. Dateline Beloit, Wis., April 21, no year).
11. "Stories of Lincoln" (reminiscences of General Badeau. No date, but must be 1904 because it states, "Lincoln was born 84 years ago on February 12, 1820").
12. "Souvenirs of Uncle Abe" - "They Were Gathered Together By Osborn H. Oldroyd" (good description of his collection in the Peterson House. Do dateline, but signed by Gabrielle Marie Jacobs).
13. "Lincoln's Remains" - "They Are Taken From Their Temporary Grave And Laid Finally to Rest (dateline Springfield, Ill., April 15, no year, but must be 1887. Good description of the coffins.)
14. "Where Lincoln Died" - "Relics of the Place Where the Assassinated President Died" ( I posted pictures of this article. No dateline, but came from Chicago Herald).
15. "The Last of Earth" "Death Bed Scene as the Noble Soul Went Out From Life" and "Where Lincoln Died" (mainly copies of either woodcuts or engravings of the deathbed scene and the Peterson House. No dateline).

There are more articles, but these above are about the assassination, death and Booth. As I've said, I'm sure these are not new to you, but maybe there's a gem or two to be mined from them.

Seeing mention of the names Christopher Ritter and Mrs. J.W. Christ in the list above brought back memories of when the Surratt Society, under the leadership of James O. Hall and Steven G. Miller, put together a booklet entitled The Body in the Barn in an attempt to separate good fact from murky lore regarding the possibility of Booth's escape. We still sell that booklet many years later.

Christopher Ritter and Mrs. Christ were two of the people whose stories were traced. If you want to see a full detail of Mrs. Christ's story, go here: http://www.beloithistoricalsociety.com/conspiracy.php

At that time, we had a Life Member of the Society who resided in Beloit and was active in the local historical society. Just for Eva - her name was Herta Krueger, and she had been one of the first German war brides to come to America after WWII. God bless her, she loved the history of her adopted country.

[Anita]

Warren, thank you so much for sharing this wonderful collection. Many articles hidden away in scrapbooks such as yours can shed a new a new light on Lincoln study topics. And I can assure you that many of us have not read all of these articles.

That's what's so great about the forum. You are providing an opportunity for learning by posting. You must have been excited when you found these.

You are all very welcome and I hope I can continue to contribute things of value, meager as they may be.

Funny story about finding this scrap book. I search lots of estates sale and dig through many boxes. If I'm not covered in filth by noon on Saturdays, I don't feel like I've been doing my job. I like scrap books because of what may be hidden in them, especially the older ones. No one was paying attention to this particular book, but I could tell from age it was from turn of century or before. My thoughts were there might be some political campaign material in there. I opened it up and saw a story about Custer, another one of my collecting passions. That's where I got excited! Quickly closed it up, paid a nominal amount and left with it relishing a great, and perhaps a new story, about the battle. Instead, it was one of those flowery, late 19th century fillers about reporter who meets an old soldier and old soldier, who wasn't at the battle of course, tells what would have gone through Custer's mind prior to death. How he would have "gone down swinging his sword" (no sword at that battle) and that he would have "died with a smile on his face, thinking of Libby" (Sure.) Pure garbage. Then I noticed that a lot of the pages of this book were stuck together from age (and the unholy heat and humidity of Houston), and carefully began prying them apart and started seeing all the Lincoln articles.

I swear, it is the thrill of the hunt.

Warren, Love your story about finding this treasure. I know just what you mean about the thrill of the hunt and agree with you about the treasures that can be found in scrapbooks. So much history would have been lost if not for scrapbooks. Here's a very informative video lecture on the history of scrapbooks by Helen Garvey, author of "Writing with Scissors" sponsored by the American Antiquarian Society on the history of scrapbooks.
http://www.c-span.org/video/?312791-1/hi...rapbooking

[Eva Elisabeth]

Is there more than one pillow case? Didn't they change the cases-especially in consideration of Lincoln's family when visiting the dying Abraham?

there were multiple pillows and linens. I believe Jim told us last week that they changed it each time Mrs. Lincoln came into the room. I think they were borrowing them from neighbors to make sure they had enough. Did I get that right Jim?

You are correct Josh.

Could y'all please help to refresh my memory and how many/which things exactly (dress fragments, flags, towels, pillows etc., I think Dr. Houmes also mentioned the rocker's upholstery) still exist that claim to be stained by Lincoln's blood?

Well, although I think I once stated that liquid, thus blood "spreads", and one could easily overestimate the actual amount when seeing soaked fabric I wonder a bit (also as the little wound always quickly re-clotted) why multiple towels AND pillows AND linens were needed to be exchanged, not just the towels. Plus changing a towel is done easily, for the pillow and linen much more ado and lifting of the head was (would have been) necessary.

[Jim Garrett]

There are lots of bloddy relics, some with better provenance than others. Rich Smyth has tracked down several pieces of Laura Leene's dress. The Smithsonian has a sleeve cuff from the dress which appears to have two small spots of what appears to be blood.

Linens and towels are out there. Every time that Mary wanted to see her husband, the doctors put down fresh towels, so she wouldn't she the blood. Many pieces of towels are out there, some have been cut down into smaller pieces.

One Petersen son took small pieces of paper and blotted up the blood in the hallway and sold them as relics of the fallen President, in reality it was probably Rathbones.

Flags, there is no better person to address that than Rich. He's tracked them down.