Assassination Trivia

[Dave Taylor]

A person who is part of the Lincoln assassination saga became quite ill at this location. Who was he or she?

Is this the asylum that Major Rathbone was committed to in Germany?

[RJNorton]

Excellent guess, Dave, but that's not it.

[Eva Elisabeth]

Doesn't really look European to me - however, John Surratt?

[L Verge]

I'm pretty sure that is The Castle portion of the original Smithsonian Institution in D.C., but I have no idea who got sick there. A wild guess (without Kathy's book to help me) is site of Mr. Petersen's death?

[RJNorton]

Excellent guess, Eva, but Laurie is correct. Kudos, Laurie. It was on the grounds of the Smithsonian where William Petersen ingested too much laudanum during a drinking spree. The police found him and took him to a guardhouse. Two doctors tried to save his life but failed. This was on Saturday night, June 17, 1871. An inquest was held, and the verdict was that William Petersen died of an "overdose of laudanum taken through mistake." However, the New York Times deemed it a suicide.

Thanks to Kathy's book for the above information.

Laurie, you win best wishes for a nice weekend.

[RJNorton]

It seems that numerous folks in the Lincoln assassination saga did some drinking on April 14th, 1865.

One of the folks drank so much that another person said this person was "full as a tick?"

Who was described as being "full as a tick?"

[STS Lincolnite]

It seems that numerous folks in the Lincoln assassination saga did some drinking on April 14th, 1865.

One of the folks drank so much that another person said this person was "full as a tick?"

Who was described as being "full as a tick?"

Was it Atzerodt?

[RJNorton]

Scott, that is certainly a logical guess, but it's not Atzerodt who was so described by another person.

[STS Lincolnite]

Laura Keene. I came across the description by chance just now while paging through "Lincoln's Final Hours".

[RJNorton]

Kudos, Scott! That is correct. And you used the same source I did. Callboy/actor Will Ferguson said Laura Keene was "Full as a tick."

You win best wishes for a nice weekend (and a drink of your choice).

[STS Lincolnite]

Thanks Roger. I think, after my recent visit to Lincoln, IL, my drink of choice will be watermelon juice.

[RJNorton]

Ned Spangler was found guilty of aiding Booth's escape from Ford's Theatre. What was the commission's vote in finding Spangler guilty of this?

[Anita]

Five voted for hanging and four voted life in prison at hard labor.

[RJNorton]

Anita, the book I used (Tony Pitch's) only says the vote was 5-4 in finding Spangler guilty of aiding and abetting Booth's escape. So I wasn't sure if this was the same situation Mudd was in (his vote was also 5-4 with a 2/3 majority needed to hang him). So, you found that Spangler also missed hanging by one vote? (I had assumed by the way Pitch worded it that 5 had voted for the 6-year hard labor sentence, not hanging, for Spangler). Hopefully, we can clarify.

[L Verge]

I would love to know how to confirm Tony's information. I have been searching books and online ever since you posted the question to find a definite answer. The trial transcripts, of course, don't give you the vote make-up. So far, the closest I have come was Kauffman's American Brutus, where he specifically gives the votes against Arnold, O'Laughlen, and Mudd as 5-4 and those involving the death penalty as two-thirds majority. In the case of Spangler, however (like everyone else!), Mike just says, "He received a six-year sentence."

My guess is that, if you were guilty of anything, the vote was 5-4. If you deserved to die, it was 6-3. If by any slim chance there had been someone declared innocent, the vote would have been 4-5 or less???