Lincoln's birthday

[Ed Steers]

(01-17-2017 06:01 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  Thanks, Ed. I have always found the "Minor affair" fascinating. Your book is terrific - I think my favorite character is "Coughdrop Joey" Ratto.

And thanks for finding that, Steve. I was curious who Parmenius Smallwood was as I had never heard of him. But I was surprised to find him, along with an old photo, in Find A Grave.
Hopefully folks with younger eyes than me can tell what Deborah Smallwood looked like.

Dear Roger, "Coughdrop Joey" Ratto is only one of several wonderful characters in the assassination story. When I joined the Lincoln Group of D.C. back in the 1970s a fine gentleman, named Elmer Stein, came up to me and shook my hand. He said, "You just shook the hand of the man who shook the hand of the man that held John Wilkes Booth's horse behind Ford's Theatre." Elmer was a retired D.C. fireman and worked out of a station house not far from Ford's. He told that on one very hot August night an elderly black man came into the station and asked if he could have a drink of water. Elmer said "of course" and showed him the water tap. After taking a long drink the fellow thanked Elmer. He then told Elmer he was the young boy that held Booth's horse the night of the assassination. He then leaned over and showed Elmer a noticeable scar on the top of his head where he said Booth hit him with the butt of his Bowie knife. He then shook Elmer's hand and wandered off into the D.C. night. Since that night when Elmer told me that story I have shaken the hands of dozens of people who shook the hand of someone associated with Abraham Lincoln. Always enjoyable.