History Channel - Booth's Pistol

[Wesley Harris]

I received a call today from a producer for the History Channel show "Lost History." They are doing an episode on Booth's Deringer, specifically on the story I related at the Surratt Conference two years ago regarding supposed theft of the pistol from Ford's Theater.

The story was that a burglary ring broke into Ford's sometime in the 60s or 70s and switched the pistol on display with a fake. The National Park Service took it seriously enough to send their pistol to the FBI Lab for analysis, including comparison to early photos. Needless to say, the FBI determined Ford's still has the pistol photographed long before the purported burglary.

I don't know that I helped her much since her focus is on the burglary and the details on where that information originated (somewhere in the Northeast) has been lost with turnover of personnel at NPS and U.S. Park Police.

[Jim Garrett]

kinda interesting that "lost History" wants to do a segment on omething that didn't happen. I believe the original story is........lost.

[Rsmyth]

Didn't the brother of the supposed burglar find incriminating evidence in their mother's home when he was cleaning it out after her death? At that point the burglar, had either died or was in prison on an unrelated charge.
I have to get a lesson from Roger on filing my computer files. He is able to reference and find information instantaneously.

[RJNorton]

Hi Rich. I simply use the search box in Windows 7.

For example, if I type "Hutchinson's Cemetery" into the search box, an email you sent me on Monday, February 11, 2008, comes up first in the results. You were asking about Eddie Lincoln's initial burial.

[Rsmyth]

The date we first made contact!

[Jim Garrett]

An episode of "Lost History" featuring the pistol that wasn't stolen is kinda like Seinfield pitching a show about nothing.

[wsanto]

An episode of "Lost History" featuring the pistol that wasn't stolen is kinda like Seinfield pitching a show about nothing.

It worked out pretty well for Seinfeld, maybe "Lost History" can make a burglery caper where nothing was stolen work too.

[STS Lincolnite]

I think a much better lost history show might be on the topic of Ford's Theatre displaying the wrong "Booth Knife". Thanks again to Wesley and Dave Taylor for bringing that to our attention.

[Jim Garrett]

Ah....the knife! Forget trial testimony, lets go with the prettier knife.

[BettyO]

Ah....the knife! Forget trial testimony, lets go with the prettier knife.

I think Lattimer's Powell knife has to be one of the most beautiful (if not authentic) I've ever seen....it'd win a beauty contest hands down.

How about a documentary on all the fictitious or spurious Lincoln assassination relics? That would be interesting.....

[Gene C]

Was it Ford's Theater that had the wrong photo of Clara Harris?

[BettyO]

Yes -

[L Verge]

But many authors had also used the wrong photo of Clara. Another reason for taking nothing for granted.

[STS Lincolnite]

I was watching an older documentary on the Lincoln Assasination this weekend (btw, I saw some wonderfully familiar faces of people on this forum!) and it too used the wrong photo for Clara Harris. That photo was (and in most circles still is) used almost exclusively to represent Miss Harris. Hopefully that will now change with the word getting out.

In retrospect, knowing what we know now from all the work that was done to reveal that photo as incorrect, it seems hard to believe it was misidentified in the first place. From the article Dave Taylor posted on his website:
http://boothiebarn.com/2014/08/14/photos...-identity/

the orginal writing on back said "Mrs. Harris". As Dave stated, Clara never was "Mrs. Harris". She was "MISS Harris" or "Mrs. RATHBONE". Someone probably wanted it to be her and in this case it became her for many years.

[Dave Taylor]

The Clara Harris picture will likely never go away completely. The internet has spread it around so much and so many people believe it to be Clara despite it having no supporting documentation. Perhaps if the Archives removed the annotation completely sites like Wikipedia would stop using it and then it could slowly fall out of favor, but I doubt that would happen.

The knife on the other hand, WILL get changed *he says confidently but with nothing substantial to back it up*. I truly believe that eventually, all the pestering Ford's Theatre (both the Society and the NPS) gets, will force someone to make the switch. It's just about finding the person who will take the authority and do it. I know Jim, Wes, and I are certainly trying.

One of these days, I'll post my in depth article that I wrote for the Courier on my blog. Perhaps that will help the message get a wider reach. Also I know a few of the higher ups at the Ford's Theatre Society read my blog and it might help motivate them to contact the NPS about it.