Boston Corbett

[BettyO]

Wonderful article on Corbett in the Washingtonian

http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/capit...-booth.php

   

Corbett's Baptism Record

[L Verge]

Call me stupid, but Corbett is one of those sidebars to history that I have always felt sorry for. Now, he's in the spotlight with this article as well as a full-length book, The Madman and the Assassin, all appearing on shelves within a one-month time span.

[maharba]

That's a lively article, and about certainly a bizarre little fellow,
Thomas Corbett aka Boston Corbett. He was born in england and his parents supposedly first show up with him in Troy,NY. The research I've tried on Thomas Corbett has not been productive. He was supposely married in or near Troy, Ny and his young wife died in childbirth with I suppose the child dying stillborn. I have never been able to find a marriage for him or a name of a wife, just the 'copy-over' listings telling us that this surely was the case. Yet, it seems odd that even his original Baptismal Certificate exists and is viewable online. Doesn't it seem to you that some reporter would have thought to ask about his wife, her name, her parents? When he became famous and was on a short term lecture circuit. I wonder what Abraham Lincoln himself would have thought about all this circus, and this clown Boston Corbett which followed his death: Lincoln's Avenger couldn't apparently phrase a sensible narrative but would burst out instead into yelling 'religious slogans'. I believe that (the atheist) Abraham Lincoln would have had a long enjoyable laugh at the turn of affairs. Some hypotheticals I am looking at here are: That the whole crew who went out to 'capture Booth' instead intended to kill Booth. And that by killing Booth they would 'lock in' the entire reward to their outfit. That is, in case they were ordered to hand over (a living John Wilkes Booth) to a superior Union outfit, then no one could claim to usurp the reward from them: Booth was already dead and the credit for killing him must go to them (via Boston Corbett). Another is that the rest of his life Boston Corbett was followed by threatening letters and some of them signed as John Wilkes Booth. (Nemesis is on your track. Nemesis is on your path, etc.) It would be fascinating to see the actual letters that Boston Corbett was receiving, and to know the various persons sending him the threatening letters. Another item is what did Boston Corbett receive for murdering Booth (or Boyd or whoever he shot)? I think it was $1,000 and that all of most of it was stolen from him by southern-sentiment soldiers. Another is that Corbett had claimed he would first proclaim "May God have mercy on your soul" before shooting. Did he say that, before he shot Booth in the back? Another item: did Boston Corbett escape the Ks Insane Asylum only to later die a horrifying death in the great Hinckley Fire of Pine County Minnesota in 1894? I think that Corbett was a survivor, he would have realized that he had many enemies in Kansas and would have headed towards Denver and the NorthWest.

[Gene C]

You should read the book "The Madman and the Assassin" and let us know what you think about it. I would guess many of your questions could be answered there.
http://www.amazon.com/Madman-Assassin-St...on+corbett

The book is mentioned on two different threads - The Madman and the Assassin

[L Verge]

There will be another book coming out this year entitled The Lincoln Assassination Riddle, and one of the chapters in it will discuss the Garrett farm patrol. The author of that chapter has done more research on Corbett than anyone else I have known of in the past fifty years. Watch for advertisements.

[maharba]

Another book. Did he say WHOM Thomas Corbett had married and where and when? I wonder how legit the 'wife died in childbirth' copy-over narrative really is. Did he mention any of Corbett's lesser known insanities like trying to murder a judge?

Thomas "Boston" Corbett would have done better to lower the tone and stridency level of his sermons and lectures. If Seward or Phillips had written a boilerplate oration or two which continued the deification of Lincoln and then have Corbett deliver these in churches and funerals, he might really have cleaned up some cash. Next would be to have someone (sane) ghostwrite an autobiography of himself, and first run it as a serial in a popular magazine. Instead, the religion that Boston Corbett had got --and worsened with-- was the stale 'gospel yelling' that Lincoln was so familiar with from Rev David Elkin, Peter Cartwright, etc.

[RJNorton]

(01-03-2016 06:17 AM)maharba Wrote:  Did he mention any of Corbett's lesser known insanities like trying to murder a judge?

Maharba, can you please post more information on this? Thanks. This was new to me as I had not heard of this previously.

[maharba]

Boston Corbett tried to assassinate the same man who notarized his Pension Application, Judge Brown. I'm guessing Boston Corbett would have shot him in the back by ambush, too. "The will of God telling him to do it", I suppose. I wonder if that sneak assassination technique was not something he used a time or two, in his strange enlistments in the Federal army? I also wonder if Boston Corbet was not signing up (multiple) as an "enlistment substitute" or "representative recruit" and getting paid the $300 bounty. He would go missing in action or 'go nuts' or act up with some contrived 'religious complaint', get cashiered out, and come back again for more $300 sign up money? A hatter he worked with in NY said that he recruited Boston Corbett to sign up, which makes me consider "representative recruit". Such a man would be very anxious to, later, go in search of a $100,000 bounty, and would be bitter at only receiving a small portion of it, for another murder. That I can see, he spent 5 months in Andersonville and drew a pittance of a pension of first $12 then $25 a month.

[RJNorton]

(01-05-2016 01:57 AM)maharba Wrote:  I wonder if that sneak assassination technique was not something he used a time or two, in his strange enlistments in the Federal army?

It is my personal opinion that Boston Corbett was definitely eccentric but not as "deranged" a person as you indicate.

[L Verge]

(01-05-2016 01:57 AM)maharba Wrote:  Boston Corbett tried to assassinate the same man who notarized his Pension Application, Judge Brown. I'm guessing Boston Corbett would have shot him in the back by ambush, too. "The will of God telling him to do it", I suppose. I wonder if that sneak assassination technique was not something he used a time or two, in his strange enlistments in the Federal army? I also wonder if Boston Corbet was not signing up (multiple) as an "enlistment substitute" or "representative recruit" and getting paid the $300 bounty. He would go missing in action or 'go nuts' or act up with some contrived 'religious complaint', get cashiered out, and come back again for more $300 sign up money? A hatter he worked with in NY said that he recruited Boston Corbett to sign up, which makes me consider "representative recruit". Such a man would be very anxious to, later, go in search of a $100,000 bounty, and would be bitter at only receiving a small portion of it, for another murder. That I can see, he spent 5 months in Andersonville and drew a pittance of a pension of first $12 then $25 a month.

Please cite your sources for this information, especially the attempt on the judge. I have worked with three of the best historians in the field, regarding Corbett and the entire Garrett patrol, over the past forty years, and I have never read any of this or heard them mention such incidents.

I have not read the newest book on the subject, The Madman and the Assassin, but I have heard no one complain about such spurious information in it. Please tell me where you get these comments.

[Craig Hipkins]

Laurie,
Here is an article that appeared in the Mountain Democrat (Placerville CA) on 21 February 1891. It relates the attempted killing of Judge Brown.

A Story of Boston Corbett

D.L. Brown of Concordia Kansas was at the Union Depot, says the Kansas City Star, on his way to the southeastern part of Kansas. It was in the latter part of December 1885 on a Union Pacific passenger train that an attempt was made by Boston Corbett the slayer of John Wilkes Booth to take Mr. Brown's life. Corbett was a superstitious sort of a fellow, and believing God had commissioned him to care for the spiritual welfare of the people of Cloud County they were harassed with his sermons depicting the horrors of the sulpheric regions and commanding everyone to flee from the wrath to come. Forbearance with these good people had ceased to be a virtue, and the feasibility of incarcerating Corbett in the state insane asylum was talked of.

At that time Mr. Brown was the probate judge of Cloud County and Corbett would necessarily have to be brought before him and his sanity determined by jury before he could be removed to the asylum. Corbett imagined that his oft-consulted friend was at the head of the movement and he resolved to kill him on sight. accordingly he made sure that his old army colt's pistol, the one he used in shooting Booth was in good trim and awaited his opportunity. About that time Corbett received notice from some of the Republican leaders of the state that if he presented himself at the opening of the legislature he would be given an appointment as doorkeeper. He boarded the train at Concordia one Monday morning for Topeka on the same day that Mr. Brown had decided to pay a visit to the capital. Corbett walked into the coach with his mammoth horse pistol strapped around his waist. Suddenly he saw Brown hurriedly coming down the sidewalk grip in hand, toward the train. Corbett was wild in an instant and vociferously announced his intentions of shooting as many leaden bullets into Mr. Brown's corpulent frame as it would hold. The latter stepped onto the platform of the train just as it was pulling out with not the least intimation of his danger. Corbett with his revolver in his hand stood in the center of the coach, his face livid with rage, waiting for his victim to turn the knob of the door and enter. The passengers in the car, not more than half a dozen including the news agent were greatly frightened at the impending danger. The latter, a boy of 18 years summoned up enough courage to pass Corbett and go out the front door and warn Brown. The latter entered the coach ahead and with a handsome but deadly looking double action revolver in hand awaited the attack from Corbett. The latter endeavored to force his way through the door, but the conductor appearing on the scene finally persuaded him to return to his seat. Corbett kept his hand on his revolver all the way on the journey. The excitement of the sessions of the Legislatures and his rehearsings of the killing of Booth almost completely unbalanced his mind. how he adjourned the Senate at the point of his revolver is well known.

---

The newspapers contained tons of these kind of stories about Corbett. Some of the details are obviously spurious, and are made for good reading! It appears that the article about the judge first appeared in the Kansas City Star, but I don't know this for certain.

---

Another interesting tidbit about Corbett that is not well known is that he was called to testify at the trial of Andersonville commandant Henry Wirz.

---

Also, per the 1855 New York State census, Corbett's wife was "Susan R. Corbit." She was listed as 36 years of age and born in New York. Corbett himself was listed as 23 years of age, from England, and working as a hat finisher.

[L Verge]

Thank you, Craig for providing the source for the Judge Brown story - and for edumacating me tonight. I was aware that Corbett was at the Wirz trial.

[Craig Hipkins]

You are welcome Laurie. I have a bunch of these old Corbett newspaper clippings and letters from various people including 19th century autograph seekers!! I'll put some of them on this forum. A lot of these stories are obviously embellished for the general public ,and it is hard for the historian to sift through them for the parts that are true.

[maharba]

I have worked with three of the best historians in the field, regarding Corbett and the entire Garrett patrol, over the past forty years, and I have never read any of this or heard them mention such incidents.

I have not read the newest book on the subject, The Madman and the Assassin, but I have heard no one complain about such spurious information in it. Please tell me where you get these comments.>


The Lincoln experts say it can not be so? and they all agree for 40 years? Always good to a have universal consensus from the best researchers in the business. I can just throw away my original research notes, crumbling scrapbooks and old newspaper clippings on Judge Brown, other topics.

I can't say that I've ever bought a book on amazon or online. So, I look for useful reviews and compare with my research notes. With my diminished or really no access to new books by Lincoln experts, maybe another Symposium member can tell me if Cloud County KS judge Brown is ever mentioned in any of the new or old books on Boston Corbett?
If in future books they do include this (assassination attempt on a judge), let's hope the Lincoln scholars do credit Roger and his Symposium
for bringing this lost information out, in open discussion.

That I can see, Brown figures in 3 or 4 different ways into the saga. And maybe somebody can tell me how to 'start a new thread'. How do you do that at this forum? I have several Lincoln articles which may contain novel information, and in time would like to start new threads. Thanks.

[RJNorton]

(01-07-2016 07:10 AM)maharba Wrote:  And maybe somebody can tell me how to 'start a new thread'. How do you do that at this forum? I have several Lincoln articles which may contain novel information, and in time would like to start new threads. Thanks.

maharba, to start a new thread please
(1) click on any of the main category topics on the front page
(2) click on the "NEW THREAD" button and
(3) fill in the "Thread Subject." You can then make the first post in the new thread that you started.