Booth autopsy

[RJNorton]

Ashley, IMO Laurie and Dr. Houmes are absolutely correct.

Some of the folklore that has circulated over the years is bizarre. Among my favorites are the reminiscences of John Wally. Here are a few of the things Mr. Wally "remembered:"

DISPOSAL OF BOOTH'S BODY

One of the blood points in the history of those days has been as to what became of the body of John Wilkes Booth, the hate-brained fanatical actor, whose murderous bullet ended Lincoln's benevolent life. Booth was shot to death in a barn about 10 miles from Washington where he had hidden after escaping from the theatre, and where he was followed and surrounded. He had taken a boy into the barn with him, but the boy came out and surrendered and was taken to Washington. The body of Booth was brought back to the city and was placed by the cellar of the Capital prison, mentioned above, pending an autopsy. The autopsy was delayed until the condition of the body took such a proceeding out of the question, and then a man was hired for $10 to take it out and sink it in the Potomac river.

Mrs. Surratt, who had held the horse outside the theatre for Booth while he was shooting Lincoln, who helped him mount and escape, and at whose house the conspiracy was hatched, was arrested and placed in the Capital prison, with the boy above mentioned, and the conspirators who made the futile attempt to slay Secretary Seward at the same time Lincoln was shot. These three persons, Mr. Wally, with a detail of 30 men, was responsible for on every alternate day from the time of their arrest until they were led out to be shot.

When the Judge sentenced Mrs. Surratt, Mr. Wally was in the room, and he remembers that the woman asked, "What for?" when the Judge told her she must die.