W. Martin Jones's Eyewitness Account of Assassination For Sale

[Linda Anderson]

"The most detailed eyewitness account of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in existence is set to go on sale 150 years after the former president was shot dead by John Wilkes Booth.
"The chilling note was penned by W. Martin Jones who, who had gone to Ford's Theatre in Washington D.C. on the night of April 14, 1865, to see a performance of Our American Cousin."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...z3PcJZTr6W
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[BettyO]

Fascinating! Thanks, Linda!

[Lincoln Wonk]

The auction is making news even overseas. What a wonderful letter: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...-sale.html

[Anita]

It is indeed a well written vivid description by an eye witness. I particularly noted that Mr. W. Martin Jones said Lincoln had no bodyguard with him. He also described how Laura Keene went to the box and cradled Lincoln's head in her lap. I doubt if he personally could have seen what was happening on the floor of the box. Is this something he could have read in the newspapers or heard repeated and so added it to his account? The letter is dated April 24, 18665.

[L Verge]

Anita - A friend alerted me to this auction piece a few days ago, thinking that the Surratt House might want to bid on it. As I read it, I get a sense that there may be definite sections of the report that probably came from newspaper accounts.

[RJNorton]

I noticed there is no mention of this in Tim Good's book about assassination eyewitnesses.

[STS Lincolnite]

Roger, I had the same thought and found nothing in Good's book. I then did a little more digging on Mr. Jones. Below is a portion of his obit that I found in an online book (it was published shortly after his death in May 1906). From what I have read it seems that, considering his employment and public service postings, he would have been a pretty credible witness.

"W. MARTIN JONES.
William Martin Jones was born in Manlius, New York, on
July 24, 1841. His father, Thomas P. Jones, was a native of
South Wales, and came of an old and highly respected family.
His mother, Lodoiska Butler, was born at Crown Point, New
York. She was a woman of strong personality and marked
ability. While Mr. Jones was very young, his parents moved to
Knowlesville, New York, where he spent his early youth.
Having been graduated from the Albion Academy, it was his
intention to attend Yale College, but at about the time he was
ready to enter this institution, the Civil War broke out, and,
becoming acquainted with Edwin D. Morgan, the war
governor of New York, he acted for two years as his private
secretary while Mr. Morgan was United States senator. In
1864 he filled the position for some time of private secretary
to William H. Seward, then Secretary of State, and to his
son, Frederick W. Seward. His efficiency in this position led
to his promotion to the position of chief clerk of the Consular
Bureau in the State Department.“ This position told heavily
on his health, as it was often necessary for him to remain at his
desk long after midnight writing dispatches containing instruc
tions to United States consuls who were stationed all over the
world, guarding the interests of the republic at a time when
many nations would have been only too glad to see its destruc
tion.
On the evening of Good Friday, 1865, he was present in
Ford’s theatre, sitting within twenty feet of President Lincoln,
when the latter was assassinated."

If anyone is interested, I can send the entire obit to Roger for him to post/link to. This man lead quite an interesting life. I also found a reference to an "Abraham Lincoln Address" that he delivered in Phoenix, NY on 30 May 1904. Would be interesting to check the local newspapers from that time to see what the topic of this address was and if the text survives.

[L Verge]

I think I'll take back some of my doubts about the originality of Mr. Jones's letter! Very impressive credentials.

Linda - Have you run across his name in your studies of the Sewards?

Scott - Would you please send the full details to sandra.walia@pgparks.com for downloading into Hall Center files? Just attach a note that I asked you to send it.

BTW: For those of you who have had occasion to deal with Sandra as our research librarian at Surratt House, I am sorry to announce that she will be leaving that position as of February 1 to enjoy some personal life. She will be very hard to replace having a Master's in Library Science as well as an addiction to Lincoln and also the assassination story. In the interim, Joan Chaconas and I will be "absorbing" some of her duties in order to continue to help the public.

[Linda Anderson]

I think I'll take back some of my doubts about the originality of Mr. Jones's letter! Very impressive credentials.

Linda - Have you run across his name in your studies of the Sewards?

Laurie, I don't remember seeing his name so I checked Seward's biographers and neither Van Deusen, Taylor nor Stahr mention him.

[Anita]

Interesting obit. I would like to have the link. And I'm curious about the address he gave in Phoenix. While W. Martin Jones is credible his account seems incomplete. What did he do after Booth jumped? How long did he stay in his seat? When did he leave the theater? Did he see them carry Lincoln out? As for Laura Keene, even at 20 ft unless he was in the box he couldn't see what was happening on the floor. And he doesn't actually say "I saw Laura Keene with blood on her dress."
IMO I think he was trying to give as accurate an account of what he saw combined with information from what he read or heard afterward so that if Mr. Clark published it, readers would have a more complete picture of what happened. I'll be curious as to the price it fetches at auction.

[RJNorton]

Hi Anita. Go here and keep clicking "Next Page" for the entire obituary.

[Anita]

Hi Anita. Go here and keep clicking "Next Page" for the entire obituary.

Thanks Roger.

---

Here's the link to text of the address W. Martin Jones gave in Phoenix May 30, 1904. Haven't read it yet. Anita

https://archive.org/stream/abrahamlincol...0/mode/2up

[STS Lincolnite]

Hi Anita. Go here and keep clicking "Next Page" for the entire obituary.

Thanks Roger.

---

Here's the link to text of the address W. Martin Jones gave in Phoenix May 30, 1904. Haven't read it yet. Anita

https://archive.org/stream/abrahamlincol...0/mode/2up

Anita, you beat me to the punch. I just found this as well and was going to post the link. I have not read it yet either.

[STS Lincolnite]

Read Jones speech. In regards to the assassination, he states that he was sitting in a front row seat in the dress circle. Not sure what he wrote in the letter that's for sale. He may have been more or less detailed.

[Anita]

In the letter Jones wrote he says 'I occupied a front seat in the first section from the private box fitted up for the Presidential company."

In his speech he doesn't give the detailed eye witness account he wrote in the letter. He does stress his surprise that Lincoln was unguarded given that Cabinet Ministers had on their desks letters from foreign countries (some of which he had seen) warning of danger to the President. I wonder what countries he's referring to.

Not mentioned in the letter but in the speech he states that a scant after an hour after Lincoln entered the box he saw the President's body born away to the house across the street.