The Bloody Pillow Case

[Eva Elisabeth]

Many thanks, Jim!

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.

This sounds reasonable...do you know who reported this?

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.

Oh my...it all comes down to the green...

[Jim Garrett]

There was a huge demand for anything associated with the fallen President. The residents of the Petersen house would find strangers in the house trying to obtain a momento or two. Just look at all the relics today, doorknobs from both the Petersen house and the Surratt boarding house, trim from the Herndon/Lincoln law office, nails from everywhere, pieces of the gallows, rope from the hanging, you name it, it's been collected.

[BettyO]

Here's my question....

We've all seen "reputed" pieces of "Mrs. Surratt's" hair (wonder why it was cut in the first place?!) I say "reputed" because without DNA or a legit verifiable provenance, I don't know how it can be cited as what it is.... However, the male prisoners' hair was cut at least twice (once in June and once in July a few days before the hanging according to Hartranft's Letterbooks as well as the press) - so....why aren't there pieces of conspirator hair flitting around for sale on the internet? Was this simply swept up and away or did soldiers/guards vie for hunks of this? We do know the name of the prisoners' routine barber and he shaved the prisoners weekly; if not daily as well....did he garner any of the hair as souvenirs? One wonders.....

[Lincoln Wonk]

The doctors used the Petersens' cloth napkins too, to cover up the bloody pillows whenever Mary Lincoln came into the room. They used many napkins.
Fred Petersen made $1.12 in fewer than 10 minutes selling squares of paper dipped in blood -- probably Rathbone's blood because he was the one who was bleeding profusely all over the hallway floor.

[Anita]

Lots of small bits of wallpaper purported to be from the room where Lincoln died appear frequently on eBay. Amazing the Petersen house is still standing.

[Warren]

Reminds me of all those old museums I visited in Europe. John the Baptist must have had over a thousand teeth in his skull, and I saw enough slivers of the True Cross to build Noah's Ark.

[LincolnToddFan]

The doctors used the Petersens' cloth napkins too, to cover up the bloody pillows whenever Mary Lincoln came into the room. They used many napkins.
Fred Petersen made $1.12 in fewer than 10 minutes selling squares of paper dipped in blood -- probably Rathbone's blood because he was the one who was bleeding profusely all over the hallway floor.

I think there are quite a few Lincoln collectors out there who believe they own a relic with AL's blood...but it's in fact Henry Rathbone's!

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Reminds me of all those old museums I visited in Europe. John the Baptist must have had over a thousand teeth in his skull, and I saw enough slivers of the True Cross to build Noah's Ark.

Sooo true!!