Article about Edman Spangler at Fort Jefferson

[Dave Taylor]

Thanks to Carolyn Mitchell for alerting me to this nice article about Edman Spangler's time at Fort Jefferson:

http://www.ydr.com/history/ci_27565416/j...e-prisoner

[L Verge]

Thanks to Carolyn Mitchell for alerting me to this nice article about Edman Spangler's time at Fort Jefferson:

http://www.ydr.com/history/ci_27565416/j...e-prisoner

I remember reading Spangler's missives years ago and being impressed with his use of the English language. Except for a few cases here where he uses singular tense verbs when it should be otherwise, it is obvious that he was fairly well-educated.

[RJNorton]

Dave, many thanks for posting this.

Over 2 years ago we had a discussion regarding Spangler and his letters here.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Thanks, Dave and Roger, for both the links! (Interesting discussion and thread - posted before I joined, so it was new to me!) Are Spangler's letters (from Fort Jefferson) compiled somewhere online or in a book?

[John E.]

I am extremely dubious that Spangler's letters came from his own pen. If anything, he had someone else (perhaps Sam Arnold) write for him. If you ever get the chance to read his original writings located in the Maryland Historical Society, you may agree. I believe they are located in the Ford papers.

[BettyO]

I agree, John. I've seen some of Spangler's letters and the man's education certainly seemed limited; with phonetic spelling much like a rural Civil War soldier.

[L Verge]

Thanks for letting me know that. I have not seen the originals, but I suspect they are what I originally thought they would be.

[Craig Hipkins]

I read somewhere that Dr. Mudd wrote much of Spangler's correspondence. I wish that I can remember where I read that, but it escapes me at the moment.

[Tom Bogar]

I am extremely dubious that Spangler's letters came from his own pen. If anything, he had someone else (perhaps Sam Arnold) write for him. If you ever get the chance to read his original writings located in the Maryland Historical Society, you may agree. I believe they are located in the Ford papers.

Having viewed the originals of both (sharply contrasting) styles of Spangler's letters at the Maryland Historical Society and the Ford and Butler papers at the Library of Congress, I agree with you, John, that the syntax, plus Arnold's job at Ft. Jefferson being that of a scribe, plus the melodramatic flourishes, strongly suggest that it was Arnold who penned them for Spangler, likely as a quid pro quo for all the carpentry tasks Spangler performed for them.

[John E.]

I am extremely dubious that Spangler's letters came from his own pen. If anything, he had someone else (perhaps Sam Arnold) write for him. If you ever get the chance to read his original writings located in the Maryland Historical Society, you may agree. I believe they are located in the Ford papers.

Having viewed the originals of both (sharply contrasting) styles of Spangler's letters at the Maryland Historical Society and the Ford and Butler papers at the Library of Congress, I agree with you, John, that the syntax, plus Arnold's job at Ft. Jefferson being that of a scribe, plus the melodramatic flourishes, strongly suggest that it was Arnold who penned them for Spangler, likely as a quid pro quo for all the carpentry tasks Spangler performed for them.

Tom, slightly off topic but do you believe Spangler knew what Booth was going to do that night? It seems to me JWB could hardly hold his enthusiasm before, during and after the assassination.

I'm almost certain Spangler had no idea what Booth was up to until that afternoon - but that he knew Booth was going to do something. It just seems he took his circumstances a little too well.

[Tom Bogar]

John, I agree with you. I believe that Spangler was vaguely aware that something was going to happen, but had no idea it would be an assassination--posssibly only the ill-fated kidnapping plot. By all indications, esp. his rushing out in the rain looking for Booth for an explanation, I'm convinced he was caught off guard as much as anyone else. But he had said he would help Booth all he could, as Booth would have asked for, yet had no clear idea what that would entail. He's just such a poor befuddled sad sack.