Assassination Trivia

[L Verge]

(01-31-2015 04:35 PM)Thomas Kearney Wrote:  I was referring to Dr. Abbott so you are correct. Ding!

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Who carried the Spencer Carbine on display in the Lincoln Museum? Hint: it ain't who you think it is.

Thomas - I don't want to appear contrary, but I don't want to be credited with giving a correct answer because I believe you are still confusing two Dr. Abbotts -- one who was white and attended Lincoln at the Petersen House, Dr. Ezra Abbott -- and another who was indeed black, but did not assist Dr. Leale at Ford's (and it is questionable as to whether or not he was at Petersen's).

That second Dr. Abbott is the Canadian Dr. Anderson Ruffin Abbott. There is one rumor that this black officer is the one who accompanied Elizabeth Keckly to Petersen's that night. The problem with even that is that Mrs. Keckly could not be located until the wee small hours of the morning, so even if Dr. Anderson Abbott made it inside the home, it is very questionable as to whether he was involved in the death scene.

Therefore, the only thing that I am right on is that Dr. Ezra Abbott was a white man and may have assisted after Lincoln left the theater. Dr. Anderson Abbott was a black man, but there is no indication that he assisted Dr. Leale either at the theater or at the death bed.

The truest answer to your original trivia question would be that no African American assisted Dr. Leale in trying to revive Mr. Lincoln.

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I forgot to take a stab at your second question about who carried the Spencer carbine that is now on display at Ford's. One would need to know if any historical differentiation was made in 1865 as to which carbine was with the fugitives on their escape and which was chopped from the dining room wall at Surratt House.

If it is known that the carbine came from the Surratt wall, then the correct answer would be that it was last carried by either David Herold, John Surratt, George Atzerodt, or tavern keeper John Lloyd when hidden in said wall on March 18, 1865, OR by Detective Cottingham who ordered its retrieval from said wall, or Andrew Kaldenbach who chopped it from the wall.

If referring to the carbine that went along for the escape - and assuming you mean which conspirator carried the carbine - the answer would be David Herold?

The last I knew, both carbines are in the possession of the NPS. Back in the 1970s, Surratt House requested loan of one of the carbines since the history is closely related to our museum. Guess what the answer was...