Your personal choice of "most tragic" character in the assassination story

[BettyO]

Hi Betty. The Florida Sentinel left out Gore's reference to Mr. Powell's drinking.

By 1871 Mr. Powell moved to Oviedo, a few miles from Orlando, to reorganize the the Bethel Baptist Church. From The Mask of Treason: "The outcome of this undertaking was described with as much compassion as Mr. W. H. Brack, the clerk, could manage and still tell the truth.

'Brother Powell was a good preacher and a very earnest Christian but addicted to whiskey.'"

If Mr. Brack is correct, Mr. Powell's drinking may have started after his son attacked William Seward. It would certainly be understandable.

I don't trust anything that Shelton wrote - as he said (quite literally!!) afterwards that it was all "ghost written!" This could be, but I have never found any other reference to it - or to the clerk! Could be true OR it could just be more defamation given to Lew Powell and his family....