Musical chairs in the State Box?

[loetar44]

I’m so free to use the term “musical chairs" here, only as a metaphorical way of describing the fact that Abraham & Mary Lincoln, Henry Rathbone and Clara Harris repeatedly are shuffled among various locations in the State Box at contemprary sketches and more modern depictions.

My question: does someone know the exact seating? Perhaps this is earlier discussed in this group, but is there any consensus now?

Eyewitness James P. Ferguson (from the Greenback Saloon) testified that. Maj. Rathbone was sitting back at Clara’s left, with Clara almost in the corner of the box, as shown in this sketch (Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, April 29, 1865.)

   

And in this one

   

In above sketch we see Rathbone in uniform, carrying his saber ! Ferguson spoke of “the gentleman in citizen's clothes, whom I learned afterwards was Major Rathbone”. Was Rathbone indeed in uniform????

Here we see Rathbone sitting at Miss Harris’ left:

   

But here he is at Miss Harris’ right

   

As is shown here (screenshot “Birth of a nation”)

   

And here (a modern photomontage)

   

And what to think of this one?

   

[RJNorton]

Kees, this does not answer your question, but IMO most drawings show Booth approaching Lincoln either from directly behind or from Lincoln's left side. But I believe most historians feel Booth actually entered the box from Door #8 which means he'd really be approaching Lincoln somewhat more at an angle and more from Lincoln's right side than commonly seen in the existing artwork. If Lincoln were looking down and perhaps somewhat to his left then the bullet could still have entered on the left side of the head despite the angle of Booth's approach.

[Jim Garrett]

Roger is most likely correct on where Booth most likely was. The irregular shape of the box makes it diffucult to understand the seating arrangement. You really have to look at it that the Lincoln were sitting in the fron row of Box 7. There would be very little room behind them because most of the back half of Box 7 was eliminated by the vestibule or alcove that serviced both Box 7 and Box 8

Box 8 was occupied by Clara Harris, sitting in front on an uphostered chair, with Henry Rathbone sitting behind her on a matching uphostered sofa or love seat. These were from the set that the rocker belonged to. there were two rushed bottom wooden (spinnet style) chairs in the box. One was empy, the other occupied by Mary. There was a gap in the front just to the left side of the center column (looking at the boxes from the front. This is where Booth almost certainly leapt from.

Rathbone was almost certainly in civilian clothes. The NPS has in storage, two of Rathbones uniforms that show no sign of the wound inflicted. The NPS also has a black formal vest from Rathbone that has heavy staining of the white linen lining on the left side, as if someone may have bled profusely on that side.

IMO, none of the pictures are totally accurate, but some are better than others.

[Warren]

    And here, a poor sketch, probably Chicago Herald, showing a flying Booth, knife in hand, with all the box participants on Lincoln's right. This seems to be close to the one in Birth of a Nation.

[wsanto]

(09-23-2014 08:18 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Kees, this does not answer your question, but IMO most drawings show Booth approaching Lincoln either from directly behind or from Lincoln's left side. But I believe most historians feel Booth actually entered the box from Door #8 which means he'd really be approaching Lincoln somewhat more at an angle and more from Lincoln's right side than commonly seen in the existing artwork. If Lincoln were looking down and perhaps somewhat to his left then the bullet could still have entered on the left side of the head despite the angle of Booth's approach.

Roger,

After having my first opportunity to peer through the doorway of box #7 , I've begun to doubt that Booth entered from the doorway to Box #8. There seems to be plenty of room for an entry from the doorway of box #7 approaching Lincoln's rocker from the left. I couldn't get a sense of exactly where the doorway to Box #8 is in relation to the rocker but it seems awfully close to the settee and Rathbone's position.

The part that really makes it difficult for me to imagine Booth coming from the right is that the rocker has such a high back. If Lincoln was leaning forward in the rocker the back would have come to a near vertical and reached its highest point making it unlikely Booth could have shot over the top of it. That means Booth was forced to aim from the right side or the left side of the chair.

If Booth approached from the doorway to box 8, he would have had to slip by Rathbone's position on the settee that was essentially facing Lincoln's rocker. Rathbone would have been turned to give his attention to the stage but this would have been a very risky aproach. Booth would then have to approach Lincoln from the right and then have to reach around the right side of the high-back rocker. This approach would have been intimately close to Mary at this point with the report of the pistol being very close indeed to her face. There is nothing I know of indicating Booth and the pistol were this close to Mary at the time of the shot.

It seems more likely to me, from my brief view into the box, that Booth entered from the doorway of box #7 opposite of Rathbone's position, approached Lincoln from the left and fired from the left of Lincoln's high-back rocker opposite from Mary's position. Then, in all likelihood, made his escape around the back of the rocker meeting Rathbone in the center of the box head-on and leapt from the right of Mary's chair after he got past Rathbone.

Bill C

[RJNorton]

Does this NPS diagram seem accurate? If so, it looks like Booth would have been closer to Lincoln, not Rathbone, had he entered through door #8. Bill, it also looks like the angle I previously mentioned would essentially be quite small.

[wsanto]

(09-26-2014 05:01 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

Does this NPS diagram seem accurate? If so, it looks like Booth would have been closer to Lincoln, not Rathbone, had he entered through door #8. Bill, it also looks like the angle I previously mentioned would essentially be quite small.

It's hard to see how much room there is at the back of box 8 because your view is obstructed as you peer through the current glass door to box 7. The partitions are resting against the back wall of box 8 but you can't see that from the glass door. The settee seems very close as you peer in. In fact all the furniture seems pretty cramped into the two boxes so it doesn't seem like there is as much room as the diagram implies. It appear much more intimate in person.

There is plenty of room to enter through the door to box 7 and approach the rocker from the left. That is obvious when you look in. It just seems like entering through the doorway to box 8 puts you in the center of that intimate space where coming in through the doorway to box 7 would be more stealth and take you directly to your target opposite all the possible obstacles (Rathbone)

Assuming Booth scoped the scene through the peephole in the door to box 7 he would have seen Rathbone across the way basically facing him and the doorway to box 8 but turned a little looking at the stage. Perhaps the settee was positioned differently that night than it is currently and was facing more toward the stage. It is currently against the far diagonal wall of box 8 with Clara's chair more upstage toward the center of the space.

[loetar44]

sketch from Harper's Weekly

   

I = door to passage (blocked by Booth)
G = door to Box 7 (with peephole) and closed
F = door to Box 8 and open

Does that indicate that Booth went via F ?

[L Verge]

On page 43 of Olszewski's report on the restoration of Ford's Theatre, the description of the Presidential Box(es) 7&8 describes entry via a four-foot wide by about ten feet long vestibule. The doors into each box are described as 2 1/2 feet wide and 7 feet high, opening inward. The door to Box 7 was on the north side - Box 8 to the east. The partition measured about 7 feet high and 3 inches thick (which would take up additional space in Box 8 despite being removed and propped against the wall). Individual boxes usually accommodated four people each, but could hold up to six.

On occasions when the Presidential party attended, the door on the north side of the vestibule leading to Box 7 was customarily left locked because of the diverse angular construction of the box. Entry to the combined boxes was normally through the east door to Box 8. This description comes from H. Clay Ford's testimony as recorded in the Peterson transcripts of the trial. It is consistent with the traffic pattern I'm reading on these posts as used by the Lincolns, Rathbone and Harris, and Booth on the night of April 14, 1865. Can we assume that Booth would have been familiar with Box 7 being locked and entry necessary through the door to Box 8?

I may have known this before and forgotten, but Harry Ford's description of the box that night would be accurate because he placed the furniture that day because the staff member who normally was assigned such duties, Thomas J. Raybold, was ill. He placed three velvet-covered armchairs, a velvet-covered sofa, and six cane chairs, and Peanuts brought down the walnut rocker. I'm adding all this detail just to reinforce the idea of how cluttered with furniture and people that space of Boxes 7 and 8 must have been.

[loetar44]

I’ve tried to visualize the route via the (closed) door of box 7 and via the (easy to open) door of box 8. Lincoln's head was leaning slightly forward and turned somewhat to his left. I’ve pictured Lincoln as a black silhouette. IMO: if Booth took the route via 7 he was bumped into the rocker and could not see Lincoln. If Booth took the route via 8 he had a clear view of Lincoln, and was able to jump quicker across the railing (after fighting Rathbone). Did Booth push Mary aside when he passed her?

   

[L Verge]

The placement of the settee is critical to me. It has been years since I have gone up to view the boxes, but I have an image in my mind of the settee being a spare few feet behind both Mary's and Clara's chairs, but sort of straddling the two boxes with room for Booth to enter Box 8, walk behind the settee, and have a clear shot at Lincoln, who was bent sideways looking out over the balustrade.

In my mind, Booth would have walked a short, diagonal distance from Door 8 to fire the shot. Rathbone was sitting on the part of the settee farthest from Mary and closer to Clara. Booth would turn to exit the door he came in, but Rathbone was heading towards him. Booth would then slice Rathbone and leap from the balustrade for Box 8.

In going through the restoration book, however, the information is consistently given that Booth entered via Door 7, shot Lincoln, and leaped over the balustrade for Box 7. Of course, the book also says that Booth broke the tibia of his right leg... I'm sooo confused!

[wsanto]

(09-26-2014 03:02 PM)loetar44 Wrote:  I’ve tried to visualize the route via the (closed) door of box 7 and via the (easy to open) door of box 8. Lincoln's head was leaning slightly forward and turned somewhat to his left. I’ve pictured Lincoln as a black silhouette. IMO: if Booth took the route via 7 he was bumped into the rocker and could not see Lincoln. If Booth took the route via 8 he had a clear view of Lincoln, and was able to jump quicker across the railing (after fighting Rathbone). Did Booth push Mary aside when he passed her?

I've always been in the approach from doorway to box 8 until I was able to peer into the box from the doorway to box 7.

If I were planning the assassination of the person sitting in the rocker, knowing there was a military officer sitting on the settee, I would come in to the box via the doorway to box 7. That would allow me a better approach to my target and less chance that someone else could intervene before I reached my target.

If the door to box 7 was locked then I would be forced to go through the doorway to box 8 and take my chances. Also, if the door to box 8 was already open I could also enter the room more quietly and that has its advantages as well.

Looking into the box there is a lot of heavy, large pieces of furniture. This furniture takes up a lot of the room between the doorway to box 8 and the rocker.

If Lincoln was leaning far enough forward to look over the rail., his rocker would have tilted forward as well. Considering this and the height of the back of the rocker it seems to me that Booth would have had to shoot around the back of the rocker-- either from the left side approaching from the doorway to box 7 or from the right approaching from the doorway to box 8.

Considering Mary was sitting very close by Lincoln's right side, If Booth approached from the doorway to box 8 and shot around the right side back of the rocker he would have had to fire close by Mary's face between Mary and Mr. Lincoln. That's hard for me to wrap my head around md not having heard any report that the shot was fired in Mary's personal space.

I'm not sure what I believe at this point. Just trying to think outside the box.

Bill C

[L Verge]

I need Wes Harris to tell us about how far the gun shot residue would fly from a small gun like the derringer. Could it have reached Mary if she were within less than an arm's length of her husband (considering they had just been arm cuddling). It would seem that Booth would be closer to Lincoln than to Mary if he came from Door #7. Where is CSI or Bones when we need them?

[J. Beckert]

I think it's important to remember the notorious inaccuracy of the Deringer pistol, no matter what door Booth entered through. (I favor the Box # 8 door. Remember the rocker rungs) I believe Booth pointed the weapon very close, almost in contact with, Lincoln's head to insure the deed was completed. He could have easily pointed it over the back of the rocker and I'm sure he knew the weapons limitations.

[wsanto]

(09-26-2014 08:52 PM)J. Beckert Wrote:  I think it's important to remember the notorious inaccuracy of the Deringer pistol, no matter what door Booth entered through. (I favor the Box # 8 door. Remember the rocker rungs) I believe Booth pointed the weapon very close, almost in contact with, Lincoln's head to insure the deed was completed. He could have easily pointed it over the back of the rocker and I'm sure he knew the weapons limitations.

I agree. Booth shot at a very close range.

A very similar rocker circa 1860 is on sale on EBay. It is 24"wide and 48" deep and 44" high in it's normally slightly recumbent position. If you leaned the chair forward, I'm guessing, it is probably 48" or so inches high.

Booth was 68" tall. I guess he could have awkwardly reached over the top of the rocker. But he wouldn't have been able to reach over the top and get the pistol very close to Lincoln if Lincoln was leaning forward enough to move the flag aside and look into the crowd. The chair itself is 48" deep and if Lincoln's head was forward another foot that would be three feet or so from the back of the rocker.