JWB and his pipe!

[STS Lincolnite]

(01-24-2015 02:00 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Let me quiz Terry Alford as to whether or not he ran across verification of the Meerschaum pipe. I doubt that Booth carried this with him on a routine basis. In those days, many men carried the pipe "reeds" (stems) with them and depended on taverns, etc. to lend the bowls to their customers. Something as precious as a Meerschaum would seem to be a "luxury" item best enjoyed at home or in the hotel room.

Thanks Laurie. I wasn't familiar with the pipe being found on him at the time of his capture/death. I did find a reference to him owning several meerschaum pipes however. In the book Lust for Fame: The State Career of John Wilkes Booth, there is an account attributed to John A. Ellsler (one of Booth's partners in the Dramatic Oil Company) that states that among the things present in Booth's room while staying in Franklin, PA were 4 colorful meerschaum pipes. I do not have the book and was only able to get partial information online (one of those google book previews with pages missing).