Seward Attack

[Gene C]

When did Booth decide and begin to plan that Seward needed to be assassinated? Does this have any bearing on when Booth decided to assassinate instead of kidnapp President Lincoln?

(see BettyO's post #5 of "Lew Powell's Frostbitten Feet")

[Linda Anderson]

According to George Atzerodt's confession published in From the Pages of the Surratt Courier, Vol One, Atzerodt overheard Booth tell Powell that he had visited a pretty chambermaid at Seward's house and he had "a great mind to give her his diamond pin." Another of Atzerodt's confessions which was published in the National Intelligencer, 7/9/1865, states that "one of Booth's plans to obtain an entrance to the Secretary of State's room was an invention which, if successful, would involve others in his foul acts. He had made the acquaintance of a woman of strong Southern feelings, living not far from Secretary's house, who was to make the acquaintance of a servant who was to be introduced to Booth, and by this means he would learn something of the location of the rooms---. As far as known it failed."

Atzerodt does not say when these meeting or meetings took place. George Robinson, Seward's nurse, told Seward's son Gus, who in turn sent a letter to Col. Welles, that he [Robinson] had seen a man looking like Powell come to Seward's dining room window on the mornings of the 13th and 14th of April asking about the health of the Secretary.

There is a footnote to Gus's letter to Col. Welles, which is published in The Evidence. The footnote states that, "The man who was seen talking with a Seward maid is believed to be Lewis Powell."

So it sounds like Booth had Seward in mind at the very latest on Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

[Gene C]

Seems odd Booth would be willing to give his diamond pin away to a chambermaid when he is planning an assassination and will have to leave town and never return. Maybe he's just running his mouth. What a classy guy!

[Laurie Verge]

At some point, Booth had to have learned from someone - or knew it anyhow - the political point that made killing Seward key to the whole idea of throwing the Union into chaos. The Secretary of State would be needed to call for the special election in the event of both Lincoln's and Johnson's deaths. Without Seward, it would delay getting leadership even longer, etc.

I just have to suspicion that at some point between it becoming obvious that Richmond could not be held and the final surrender, Booth was either instructed or knew to do it on his own to eliminate Lincoln, Johnson, and Seward -- and even Grant, who was still in charge of military forces. I would bet on Judah Benjamin or George Sanders having been Booth's political science instructor(s).

[Linda Anderson]

David Herold's April 27, 1865 statement from The Evidence:.

"I heard him [Booth] say the night before he was taken that his money was getting short. He says, 'I have a one hundred dollar note and sixty dollars in gold.' He says, 'I will divide this money with you in the morning.' I said, 'I don't want any of your money.' He said he had a diamond pin, of which he would make me a present, and I told him I would take it. He never saw morning.'"

The footnote says, "This stickpin was engraved 'Dan Bryant to J.W. Booth.' It was found on Booth's body by Everton Conger and served as proof that the body was that of John Wilkes Booth."

Does anyone know what happened to the stickpin?

[RJNorton]

Is there a major argument that Lincoln's April 11th speech was not the "trigger?" It seems to me that the plans changed after that speech. David Herold was sent into Charles County on April 13th (perhaps to alert the Confederate underground?). Powell began scouting Seward's home on about April 13th. And Atzerodt was told to get a room at the Kirkwood House.

Which happened first on April 11th? Lincoln's speech or Mary Surratt telling Lloyd to have the shooting irons ready? I think Lincoln's speech came later in the day(?), so I am wondering if kidnapping was still the plan until that speech.

[BettyO]

Good question, Linda! You would think that this pin would be utilized at the trial as evidence.

Hmmmm - now I'm wondering - let me check Hartranft's Letterbook!

On page 145 of the Letterbook (Steers and Holzer) - it list's Herold's effects - $15.00 in U.S. Bills
Gold Ring
Necktie

No mention of a stick pin -- wonder what happened to this effect? So - Herold didn't get it that morning....did Baker or Conger take it?

[Linda Anderson]

Conger took it off Booth's body.

I wonder what the chambermaid would have done with it if Booth had given it to her. After all, it was engraved "Dan Bryant to J.W. Booth." You might not want the Sewards to know about that.

[Laurie Verge]

That stickpin was holding Booth's torn undershirt together, I think. Could it have been left on his body until the autopsy?

Roger - Lincoln's speech on the 11th did come after Mrs. Surratt had made her trip to Surrattsville that day. I can't imagine that Booth still considered the kidnapping feasible - where would he take Lincoln once Richmond fell?

Wasn't Harney's mission to blow up the White House supposed to change the fate of Lincoln and his Cabinet? Somewhere there had to be a point where Plan B kicked in. Maybe Harney's capture made Booth think about murder and Lincoln's speech pushed him over the edge???

[RJNorton]

Agreed, Laurie. In my brain, anyway, that is as logical as any theory. Too bad we really don't have a source for the "Now, by God! I'll put him through. That is the last speech he will ever make" comment on April 11th. Didn't we we once look into those supposed words of Booth's and cannot find an original source for it?

[Gene C]

Booth had to realize how infeasable kidnapping was. Even Arnold and O'Laughlen figured that out. What if Booth talked about kidnapping, but he was planning assassination all the time because he assumed (correctly) that the other conspirators would go along with kidnapping but not assassination. Once Lincoln was assassinated, it's too late to change your mind, no matter what you you intended. (Isn't that what the conspirators found out in the end)

[Jim Garrett]

First the stick pin. I believe I saw references to it in the collection when under the control of the judge advocate. There are several letters about items in the collection being transferred to the National Museum (now Smithsonian). If Dave taylor is out there, he has seen the same documents. Dave, Am I correct? So far, I have not found a more modern (after 1890s) reference to it. I could have longago left the collection, or it could still be in the NPS collection along with the 13,000 plus other trinkets.

I agree with Roger. I believe that everything changed after Lincoln's speech on the White House lawn. To JWB, it went from a last ditch effort to save the South, to a retribution mission.....Sic Semper y'all>

[Dave Taylor]

Agreed, Laurie. In my brain, anyway, that is as logical as any theory. Too bad we really don't have a source for the "Now, by God! I'll put him through. That is the last speech he will ever make" comment on April 11th. Didn't we we once look into those supposed words of Booth's and cannot find an original source for it?

Roger,

These words come from two different sources. The line "Now, by God! I'll put him through" and was first published in GATH's Katy of Catoctin. GATH actually references this quote with the following, "Frederick Stone, counsel for Herold after Booth's death, told the author this was the occasion of the deliberate murder being resolved upon by Booth, and in the words above."

The "That is the last speech he will ever make" line comes from Thomas Eckert at Johnson's impeachment trial. At the trial, Eckert is recalling things that Powell said to him. He admitted to not writing a lot of it down and was recalling from memory. Eckert stated, "He knew in reference to the intention to assassinate the President, because Booth tried to get him to shoot the President the night of the celebration after the fall of Richmond. The President made a speech that nightfrom one of the windows of the White House, and he and Booth were in the grounds in front. Booth tried to persuade him to shoot the President while in the window, but he told Booth he would take no such risk; that he left then and walked around the square, and that Booth remarked, 'That is the last speech he will ever make'"

This account is at odds with with GATH as GATH places Davy with Booth that night and not Powell. It's hard to know which is correct, but they both have fairly legitimate stories behind them.

On an unrelated note, Eckert also says at Johnson's trial that Powell did not really care for Davy Herold. According to Eckert, Powell called him a, "little blab".

---

First the stick pin. I believe I saw references to it in the collection when under the control of the judge advocate. There are several letters about items in the collection being transferred to the National Museum (now Smithsonian). If Dave taylor is out there, he has seen the same documents. Dave, Am I correct? So far, I have not found a more modern (after 1890s) reference to it. I could have longago left the collection, or it could still be in the NPS collection along with the 13,000 plus other trinkets.

I'll have to check my files to see if I have anything about the diamond pin in more recent times (off hand nothing is coming to mind) but Eckert also talks about this item at Johnson's trial too:

"Q. Do you know anything of a diamond pin taken from Booth's body?
A. I do.
Q. What of it do you know?
A. I saw it yesterday.
Q. In whose possession?
A. General Townsend's; I hold his receipt for it. It is in exactly the same condition it was when I received it and when I turned it over to General Townsend. That pin was not given to me at the time I received the diary.
Q. From whom did you receive it?
A. I received it from General Baker."

Baker himself also mentions the pin. He stated at Johnson's trial that it was locked up with the elusive field glasses of Booth's so I have a feeling the pin and glasses shared the same fate.

[Linda Anderson]

Thanks, all. You never know where things may show up. I'm still hopeful about finding the floor plan and photographs of the Seward/Blaine mansion.

[L Verge]

The government was so intent on getting statements from other conspirators, I wonder why Eckert was lax in not writing down what Powell supposedly told him??? I would think taking statements from everyone would be standard procedure.

General Townsend's name pops up so much in the story. Why isn't there more in print about him?