Assassination Trivia

[GARY POPOLO]

Bill, I think some trunks with "infected" clothing were sent to some cities where the clothing was to be distributed, but I do not recall anything specifically arriving at the White House. I may be wrong, however. I am going by a vague memory of an article Ed Steers wrote about 10+ years ago for North & South magazine. I have that magazine somewhere and will add specifics IF I can find it.

Rob, I believe that no clothing ended up at the white house because Hyams was afraid to take this <gift> to the white house. But he did finsh his mission by taking I believe five trunks through Boston to Washington to a auction house to dispose of the infected clothing

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I read something that goes along with Assisination attempts. Most of you I am sure already about this attempt but When I was reading Blood on the Moon I read about Dr. Blackburn and his plan to infect the north with yellow fever.Also hiring Godfrey Hyams and having him deliver a speical package of clothing infected with yellow fever to Lincoln at the white house in the hopes to give the president yellow fever. This has to be the earliest form of chemical warfare. Or as it was known at that time Black Flag Warfare. WOW!

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Gary, It was the introduction of germ warfare in the Civil War, but such tactics go back to the Middle Ages when corpses of people who died of typhus or the plague were hurled by catapult over castle walls in an effort to infect the population inside the walls. Blackburn became known after the war as the "Yellow Fever Feind." His Hippocratic Oath stopped short of the Virgina state line. Ed

Ed Thank you for the information on germ warfare. Hard to believe germ warfare was thought of even that far back in time. I Guess germ warfare has no ties to any time period. Thanks Gary