Booth's Words

[J. Beckert]

Although it contains some fluff, I can't dismiss all of Booth's own words in his diary..

"Until today nothing was ever thought of sacrificing to our country's wrongs. For six months we had worked to capture, but our cause being almost lost, something decisive and great must be done."

"I can never repent it, though we hated to kill."

[Wild Bill]

Excellent, Joe! Better than the ones I was talking to Laurie about.

[BettyO]

Although it contains some fluff, I can't dismiss all of Booth's own words in his diary..

"Until today nothing was ever thought of sacrificing to our country's wrongs. For six months we had worked to capture, but our cause being almost lost, something decisive and great must be done."

"I can never repent it, though we hated to kill."

Excellent indeed - and spoken in true, Victorian flowery language. Although stilted to 21st Century mindsets and ears; our 19th Century brethren had a language all their own, just as Laurie said. Pure Victorian and pure Booth....

[L Verge]

We just put out a used book for sale on our special table at Surratt House. It is a 1943 edition of Sam Arnold's Defence of a Lincoln Conspirator (only 199 printed, and this is #66). In a statement made before W.H. Gleason in December of 1867, Arnold had this to say about the kidnap of Lincoln:

Question: How was it proposed to capture the President upon the 17th of March?

Answer: To seize him and his Carriage was the intention, and to drive him round by way of Bladensburg to Surrattsville or T.B., there to meet Herold and convey him to the Potomac. It had been decided for the first attempt that ropes were to be stretched across the road for the purpose of tripping up the horses in case of pursuit. This was only in my first conversation with Booth at Barnum's Hotel.

Further on, this is said: Question: When you saw Booth on the 31st March did he give you to understand that Surratt would consult with the authorities at Richmond and ascertain how they felt towards the abduction scheme?

Answer: He said nothing in regard to it, but said the whole scheme was abandoned.

Question: What did Atzerodt say about the abduction when you met him at the depot on the 31st March?

Answer: I saw Atzerodt but a few moments. He said that Booth had procured a box at the Theatre and that the abduction would come off that night. That is all that passed between us.

Reference also made about Weichmann - Arnold said that Booth said "he had learned through Weichman the number of prisoners that there were on both sides. I think he said the excess held by the U.S. amounted to Twenty five or Thirty Thousand." This fits with a previous posting on prisoner release.

[Pamela]

I' d love to buy it if someone else hasn't beaten me to it!

[L Verge]

I' d love to buy it if someone else hasn't beaten me to it!

I pulled it from the table after posting this - just to make sure we have a copy in our research center. I can check tomorrow, and it's yours if we don't need it. We put a price of $15 on it.

If anyone is looking for Theodore Roscoe's Web of Conspiracy, we have a good copy of that also. I think it's priced at $15 also. It is still one of my favorites, despite being published about sixty years ago. One of my all-time least favorite books is in the lot also - Vaughn Shelton's imaginative Mask for Treason and its sequel View from Eternity (not sure that's the exact title), but his wife lent her clairvoyant properties to the writing of this one. Can't remember the prices, but probably $5-10 on each.

laurie.verge@pgparks.com

[Pamela]

Oh good, I hope you don't need it!

[L Verge]

Pamela - Our Hall Research Center did have a copy, but I switched with the donated one that was in better shape. The one now being offered is still in good shape, but we lowered the price a tad because of the switch. It is now $12. Email me at laurie.verge@pgparks.com, if you are still interested.

[Pamela]

Pamela - Our Hall Research Center did have a copy, but I switched with the donated one that was in better shape. The one now being offered is still in good shape, but we lowered the price a tad because of the switch. It is now $12. Email me at laurie.verge@pgparks.com, if you are still interested.

Thanks, I will.

[Gene C]

We just put out a used book for sale on our special table at Surratt House. It is a 1943 edition of Sam Arnold's Defence of a Lincoln Conspirator (only 199 printed, and this is #66). In a statement made before W.H. Gleason in December of 1867, Arnold had this to say about the kidnap of Lincoln:

Is this the same as Memoirs of a Lincoln Conspirator?

What other neat items have you got?
At one time a few months ago you mentioned a local lady that had a story book and little dolls about Mary Surratt ??

Roscoe's "Web of Conspriacy" is an interesting book for those of you who do not have a copy

[BettyO]

Web of Conspiracy for all it's errors, remains one of my favorite as well....I read the whole 1000-plus pages in less than a week, way back a hundred years ago! It's a "must have" for any assassination library..... my other favorites are Oldroyd's book and Clara Laughlin's Death of Lincoln.