Booth's crutch

[L Verge]

I'm sure that Rich Smyth can give a much more detailed description, but Miss Maude Motley used to meet our John Wilkes Booth Escape Route tour buses every time in Bowling Green, Virginia, beside what used to be the location of the Star Hotel. She brought with her a three-inch or so sliver of what was supposed to be the crutch. She had attached an engraved silver plaque on it for identification.

Miss Maude knew Lucinda Holloway and heard the stories of Booth from Garretts that she grew up with. I cannot remember the full provenance of how she acquired the sliver, but the story was that someone retrieved a portion of the charred crutch from the barn and then would slice off pieces to give to girlfriends. Rich, please fill in the blanks.

When Miss Maude passed away about two decades ago, the sliver went to a nephew in southern Virginia. Surratt House was interested in acquiring it, but the gentleman was not interested at that time.