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Booth's mistress, Ella Starr, and other "unknown" Booth ladies!
05-19-2015, 12:40 AM (This post was last modified: 05-19-2015 01:12 AM by Jenny.)
Post: #104
RE: Booth's mistress, Ella Starr, and other "unknown" Booth ladies!
Oh, Louise Wooster. I looked into her a while back and don't believe there is any evidence of an affair with Booth other than in her book called "Autobiography of a Magdalen" and a few interviews in the 1890s. Her autobiography seems to be very sensationalized (she claimed affairs with several famous men). She also seemed to think Booth escaped the barn.

Possible that she might have met JWB at one point or another, but what she said about him makes me doubt she knew him well if they ever did in fact meet up.

Here's some info on her here:
http://www.encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-1862

Here are some book quotes about Booth:

"Poor Wilkes had foolishly expressed himself in regard to the rebellion, and I felt very uneasy about him. He loved the union, though from his mad act the world would judge that he did not. I knew him better, yes, even better than his own family, and I know his love for the union was one of his strongest passions. . . .

"He came in hurriedly one evening, and said: 'I must go home tonight, or I can not get away at all. I will let you hear from me soon, . . .This thing cannot last longer than a few weeks, or a few months at the longest. Such a glorious country as ours can not be broken up by a few fanatics. . . .'

"John Willkes Booth loved the union, though many think he did not. I knew him and know that he did. . . . He was as bitter against secession as he was against abolition. The union he loved. Had he never committed that terrible act, he would have been the greatest tragedian the world has ever known.

"The terrible news of the assassination of our President, Abraham Lincoln, by John Wilkes Booth was a terrible blow to me. I know he was impulsive, erratic, but I never believed him capable of murder. I believe he was a victim of circumstances. I do not believe he ever intended murder. . . . He could be led like a child by those he thought were his friends, but he could never be forced or driven. Drink had a peculiar effect on him, and I can only believe his brain was crazed by drink when he committed that dreadful act."


... yeah.
I know I have another quote "from Booth" that she either wrote or said in an interview that involved Booth wanting to go live in the North. Will see if I can find it.

EDIT: I was surprised to see Dr. Alford mention Louise in Fortune's Fool. Maybe he has some evidence that the affair was real that I haven't found.
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RE: Booth's mistress, Ella Starr, and other "unknown" Booth ladies! - Jenny - 05-19-2015 12:40 AM

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