Decapitation of the Union

[MajGenl.Meade]

(10-03-2015 09:40 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  Everyone:

I will address Major General Meade's comments later ("acquaintance", indeed!!), but for now I will repeat what Weichmann (a good source) has to say on the subject of the inscription:

In (August) Booth was playing a theatrical engagement at Meadville, Pennsylvania. He registered at the McHenry House...When (the performance) was over, Booth retired alone to his room. The following morning he left the city. When the servant...entered the room which had been occupied by the actor, an inscription was found on one of the windowpanes. It was written in a large, bold hand and was as follows: ABE LINCOLN departed...etc."...The signature of Booth entered August 13, 1864, was cut from the hotel register, and was pasted on the glass under the inscription...All the circumstances in relation to (the framed glass) and of the visit of Booth to Meadville at that time are certified to by Miss McHenry (the daughter of the proprietor) and other residents of Meadville...The handwriting on the windowpane when compared with the signature of Booth on the hotel register is found to be identically the same, and this fact is further verified and strengthened by a comparison with Booth's handwriting in his diary. There is not the slightest doubt that the writing on the pane of glass is that of Booth...

Sounds pretty good to me, especially when coupled with evidence of attempted poisoning of the President, probably with the complicity of the druggist's clerk whose name was Herold and whose place of employment was known to serve the Executive Mansion.

John

I claimed too much??? :-)

The problem with Weichmann's story is of course that it is complete and utter hearsay, written at a considerable time after the event. He did not relate what he himself had seen and known at the time (August 1864) but repeats a story he heard at a later date. As such, it is no more valuable than any "interwebs" repetition of a story, spurious or not. The test perhaps is, does the "writing" using a diamond against glass, truly match the "hand" writing of JWB? If so, does it also match the "hand" of an unknown number of other people's writings?