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BettyO · (This post was last modified: 07-10-2012 06:54 AM by BettyO.)

We know that Eckert was more or less instructed by Edwin M. Stanton to interrogate Lew Powell. Seemingly at first, it was a hard "tussle" with Eckert attempting to pull information from the reticent youth. According to Bates' Lincoln in the Telegraph Office, Eckert gained Powell's confidence after he offered the boy a piece of chewing tobacco and performed other "little kindnesses" for him. One wonders how much of Bates' information is gospel....particularly since Eckert, although required by Stanton to write a report on Powell's confessions, only consigned the information, if any, to various incomplete memorandums which he scattered about. Eckert also testified at the Surratt trial in 1867 and again at the Impeachment trial in 1869.

On the morning of the executions, Powell gave Eckert his pen knife. I was wondering if any of Powell's other person effects wound up in Eckert's hands....what do you think? Supposedly Mary Surratt's bonnet now in a small museum in Georgia, was found "walled up" in Eckert's spacious house. I have heard that Eckert died with Alzheimer's disease. Could he have hidden other "souvenirs" of the conspiracy trial within the walls of his home?

J. Beckert · 07-10-2012, 07:37 AM

I think the bonnet proves that he may have, Betty and I hope some more things eventually turn up. Acquiring souvenirs was very prominent it seems right up into this century. I've heard women were dipping their handkerchiefs and men broke off pieces of their straw hats to dip in Dillinger's blood after he was shot in 1934. I'm sure things were even worse in Lincoln's time. I can't think of anything associated that wasn't torn to shreds for this sake. Ford's and everything within, Petersen's, even the gallows, rope, etc. were hacked up and taken. I'm sure those closely associated with the proceedings got more than their share.

RJNorton · 07-10-2012, 08:08 AM

Even the president himself....it is amazing how much hair Lincoln's doctors actually clipped. In fact David Chambers Mearns, in his book entitled Largely Lincoln, includes an entire chapter called "The Scalping of Abraham Lincoln."

J. Beckert · 07-10-2012, 08:13 AM

A Lincoln collector told me one time that there's enough of "Lincoln's hair" out there to fill a mattress.

Linda Anderson · 07-10-2012, 08:30 AM

The Boston Herald reported on Jan 13, 1895 that the Seward/Blaine Mansion was "raided by relic hunters" when it was demolished in early January 1895.

"Relic hunters have made themselves particularly obnoxious, taking away whatever they could lay their hands upon. Some pocketed small tiles from the fireplaces. Naturally special interest was exhibited in regard to the room in which Mr. Blaine died..." There was a blood stain in the corner of the room said to be Seward's blood from when he was attacked by Powell. "One enterprising woman who visited the Blaine house a few days ago cut out of the wood the stain, or the greater part of it, together with a piece of the plank about an inch long.

"Another curiosity seeker asked to take a brick from a pile in front of the house, but it was refused, because it was believed that the whole dwelling would be carried away piecemeal if such a precedent was set."

jonathan · 07-10-2012, 08:53 AM

(07-10-2012 08:30 AM)Linda Anderson Wrote: The Boston Herald reported on Jan 13, 1895 that the Seward/Blaine Mansion was "raided by relic hunters" when it was demolished in early January 1895.

"Relic hunters have made themselves particularly obnoxious, taking away whatever they could lay their hands upon. Some pocketed small tiles from the fireplaces. Naturally special interest was exhibited in regard to the room in which Mr. Blaine died..." There was a blood stain in the corner of the room said to be Seward's blood from when he was attacked by Powell. "One enterprising woman who visited the Blaine house a few days ago cut out of the wood the stain, or the greater part of it, together with a piece of the plank about an inch long.

"Another curiosity seeker asked to take a brick from a pile in front of the house, but it was refused, because it was believed that the whole dwelling would be carried away piecemeal if such a precedent was set."

That's very interesting to me. I've got a little bit of a fascination with the Seward mansion, and I think it's such a shame that it's no longer standing. What a great museum/tourist site it would be today. But I kind of wonder why they would care if relic hunters took things away, seeing that it was being demolished. Seems like they'd let anybody go ahead and take whatever they wanted.

Linda Anderson · (This post was last modified: 07-10-2012 09:20 AM by Linda Anderson.)

Good point, Jonathan, although I can see why they didn't want the curiosity seekers to start taking the bricks.

Professional and amateur photographers were also present taking photos. I'd love to see those!

BettyO · (This post was last modified: 07-10-2012 10:56 AM by BettyO.)

(07-10-2012 07:37 AM)J. Beckert Wrote: I think the bonnet proves that he may have, Betty and I hope some more things eventually turn up. Acquiring souvenirs was very prominent it seems right up into this century. I've heard women were dipping their handkerchiefs and men broke off pieces of their straw hats to dip in Dillinger's blood after he was shot in 1934. I'm sure things were even worse in Lincoln's time. I can't think of anything associated that wasn't torn to shreds for this sake. Ford's and everything within, Petersen's, even the gallows, rope, etc. were hacked up and taken. I'm sure those closely associated with the proceedings got more than their share.

I agree, Joe!

That is what I was wondering every time those boys got their hair cut. According to the Letter Book as well as newspaper reports, they had their hair cut (Powell's was almost completely shorn off!) at least 3 to 4 times from the beginning of June to July 4....

I'm surprised that none of those "locks" have turned up anywhere. You know that the barber or any of the guards and soldiers would have wanted it!

(07-10-2012 09:05 AM)Linda Anderson Wrote: Good point, Jonathan, although I can see why they didn't want the curiosity seekers to start taking the bricks.

Professional and amateur photographers were also present taking photos. I'd love to see those!

I wonder if they were stockpiling those bricks for other use in new construction - a common practice, even today. Too bad, like you say Linda that the house is no longer standing! As for the blood stain; wonder what ever became of those boards? That would be an interesting find!

Gene C · 07-10-2012, 11:32 AM

Regarding Blood Stains

Considering how bloody the Seward attack was, and the fact that Seward stayed in that house for a while, I would imagine the hallway & Seward's bedroom floors had a good scrubbing down to remove the blood stains and any reminders of that dreadfull night. (even if they had to sand the floors down & re-paint) Or maybe the floor rugs caught most of the stains. I would think the Sewards would not want any unnecessary reminders of that night.

BettyO · 07-10-2012, 12:04 PM

(07-10-2012 07:37 AM)J. Beckert Wrote: I think the bonnet proves that he may have, Betty and I hope some more things eventually turn up. Acquiring souvenirs was very prominent it seems right up into this century. I've heard women were dipping their handkerchiefs and men broke off pieces of their straw hats to dip in Dillinger's blood after he was shot in 1934. I'm sure things were even worse in Lincoln's time. I can't think of anything associated that wasn't torn to shreds for this sake. Ford's and everything within, Petersen's, even the gallows, rope, etc. were hacked up and taken. I'm sure those closely associated with the proceedings got more than their share.

I have a newspaper article which DOES state that Powell's slouch hat, which was found by Fanny Seward on the floor of Seward's bedroom, was still in the government hands at the Turn of the 20th Century -- so maybe it's tucked away somewhere in the NPS Vault. Sometimes I don't think that they KNOW just what they have. Dave Taylor says that things there get lost, mislabeled, etc. Seeing how they put Lewis Powell's saddle together wrong on recent display only seems to confirm the story!

Gene C · 07-10-2012, 12:26 PM

BettyO wrote "so maybe it's tucked away somewhere in the NPS Vault. Sometimes I don't think that they KNOW just what they have"

Remember the ending to "Raiders of the Lost Ark"?
There may be more truth than fiction to the ending of that movie.

Linda Anderson · 07-10-2012, 02:11 PM

Gene C wrote:

"Regarding Blood Stains

"Considering how bloody the Seward attack was, and the fact that Seward stayed in that house for a while, I would imagine the hallway & Seward's bedroom floors had a good scrubbing down to remove the blood stains and any reminders of that dreadfull night. (even if they had to sand the floors down & re-paint) Or maybe the floor rugs caught most of the stains. I would think the Sewards would not want any unnecessary reminders of that night."

You're right, Gene. The Sewards must have replaced the carpets. The bloodstain that the lady supposedly removed from Seward's bedroom was said to be in the northwest corner of the room, exactly where Seward fell when he rolled off the bed during Powell's attack. The blood may have seeped through the carpet into the wood. Fanny recorded in her diary how the maids cleaned the bloody hand print off Seward's bedroom door that same night.

"All the white wood work of the entry was covered with great dashes of blood. I did not want it washed off—but Margaret & Eliza told me
some person had directed that it should be—so I did not interfere. It was a terrible sight—there was so much blood everywhere. The drugget
on the stairs was sprinkled with it, all the way down to the floor below. On the inner side of the door of Father’s room there was, in blood, the distinct impression of a hand, which seemed to have clenched it from without. While this was being wiped off I marked the door, to show where the place had been. When we found father there was such a pool of blood that our dresses were drabbled in it."

Gene C · (This post was last modified: 07-10-2012 03:47 PM by Gene C.)

Any idea why Fanny would not want the blood washed off? That seems like a strange entry to make in her diary, especially after mentioning all the blood was a terrible sight. (who were Margaret and Eliza - maids?) Fanny must have had a more complex personality than I thought. Is Fanny's diary on line?

BettyO · (This post was last modified: 07-10-2012 05:02 PM by BettyO.)

(07-10-2012 12:26 PM)Gene C Wrote: BettyO wrote "so maybe it's tucked away somewhere in the NPS Vault. Sometimes I don't think that they KNOW just what they have"

Remember the ending to "Raiders of the Lost Ark"?
There may be more truth than fiction to the ending of that movie.

Hopefully, these treasures will will pop up someday -- could be that they have simply been "misfiled" and "mislabeled"....who knows?

Linda Anderson · 07-10-2012, 08:01 PM

(07-10-2012 03:46 PM)Gene C Wrote: Any idea why Fanny would not want the blood washed off? That seems like a strange entry to make in her diary, especially after mentioning all the blood was a terrible sight. (who were Margaret and Eliza - maids?) Fanny must have had a more complex personality than I thought. Is Fanny's diary on line?

I don't know why Fanny did not want the blood washed off, Gene, except that she may have thought it would be needed by the authorities as evidence. Margaret was the chambermaid and Eliza was the seamstress.

Sections of Fanny's diary can be found online through the University of Rochester Rare Books and Special Collections: Lincoln and His Circle.

http://www.lib.rochester.edu/index.cfm?page=638