Heel Imprint in Stage Covering

[Dennis Urban]

Several years ago I remember seeing a picture in a book of a boot heel imprint in the dark green baize covering at the front of the stage in Ford's Theatre. The heel mark was supposedly made by Booth as he landed awarkwardly on the stage. I am hoping someone else remembers that image and where it can be found. I cannot locate the image in any of my many assassination books. I am not making this up. Someone on this forum must also have heard of this picture.

[RJNorton]

Dennis, this may not help, but please see the thread here.

[Dennis Urban]

Dennis, this may not help, but please see the thread here.

Thanks, Roger. That does help and seems to be most of what I remember. I do seem to recall a close up, reasonably clear, heel print. I am trying to find the NMHM pics on the website but without luck so far.

[GustD45]

I've been trying to find the photo that Ed was talking about from that post (LMU photo) but no luck.

[J. Beckert]

Dennis, from what I remember, initial accounts stated Booth's landing left a "semi-circular" indentation in the stage caused by his spur and he left a "rent" in the baise green carpet. The photos in the thread Roger linked may show the aftermath of souvenir hunters?

[Dennis Urban]

Dennis, from what I remember, initial accounts stated Booth's landing left a "semi-circular" indentation in the stage caused by his spur and he left a "rent" in the baise green carpet. The photos in the thread Roger linked may show the aftermath of souvenir hunters?

Thanks for answering up. Your reply is exactly the picture I remember seeing years ago. The image pretty clearly showed the indentation and the rip in the floor covering. The images Roger posted are not clear enough, even upon enlargement to make out the indentation and rip. Both of us cannot be making this up...

[RJNorton]

"As he leaped, Booth's right boot struck the framed engraving of Washington, turning it completely over. The spur on his right heel caught in the fringe of the Treasury Guards' flag and brought it down, tearing a strip with it. These obstacles caused the assassin to lose his balance and he fell awkwardly on the stage, at least 11 1/2 feet below, tearing a rent in the green baize carpet. He landed in a kneeling position, with his left leg resting on the stage. In the fall, the large bone of his left leg was fractured about 2 inches above the ankle."

http://npshistory.com/handbooks/historical/3-1969.pdf (p.13)

RE: where it says "large bone" ---> I believe the above account is wrong on which leg bone Booth broke. Booth broke his fibula, not his tibia (no matter whether JWB broke his leg at Ford's or elsewhere). The fibula is the smaller of the two bones in the lower leg and does not bear the weight as does the tibia.

[GustD45]

"As he leaped, Booth's right boot struck the framed engraving of Washington, turning it completely over. The spur on his right heel caught in the fringe of the Treasury Guards' flag and brought it down, tearing a strip with it. These obstacles caused the assassin to lose his balance and he fell awkwardly on the stage, at least 11 1/2 feet below, tearing a rent in the green baize carpet. He landed in a kneeling position, with his left leg resting on the stage. In the fall, the large bone of his left leg was fractured about 2 inches above the ankle."

http://npshistory.com/handbooks/historical/3-1969.pdf (p.13)

RE: where it says "large bone" ---> I believe the above account is wrong on which leg bone Booth broke. Booth broke his fibula, not his tibia (no matter whether JWB broke his leg at Ford's or elsewhere). The fibula is the smaller of the two bones in the lower leg and does not bear the weight as does the tibia.

So, I'm guessing the National Park Service doesn't believe there is an actual heel print there, but that the baize carpet was meerly torn in Booth's fall?

[Anita]

No photo of the heel print but another account.

https://lincolnconspirators.com/the-trial/may-16-1865/

Visit to Ford’s Theatre
At 9:30 am, the court convened unofficially at Ford’s Theatre in order to examine the scene of the crime firsthand. The group, which consisted of the commissioners, the Judge Advocate and his assistants, and members of the press, took a detailed look at the environs of Ford’s both inside and out. Descriptive accounts of the inspection of Ford’s were published in the Evening Star and Washington Chronicle newspapers.

“The box used by Mr. Lincoln bears the same picture of Washington at its front, and a couple of flags are draped over the box as then, but not the Treasury Guard’s flag, which caught Booth’s spur on that occasion. The green baize stage-cloth has a foot long rent at the point where Booth struck the stage; but whether made by him in his fall is not known.

[GustD45]

No photo of the heel print but another account.

https://lincolnconspirators.com/the-trial/may-16-1865/

Visit to Ford’s Theatre
At 9:30 am, the court convened unofficially at Ford’s Theatre in order to examine the scene of the crime firsthand. The group, which consisted of the commissioners, the Judge Advocate and his assistants, and members of the press, took a detailed look at the environs of Ford’s both inside and out. Descriptive accounts of the inspection of Ford’s were published in the Evening Star and Washington Chronicle newspapers.

“The box used by Mr. Lincoln bears the same picture of Washington at its front, and a couple of flags are draped over the box as then, but not the Treasury Guard’s flag, which caught Booth’s spur on that occasion. The green baize stage-cloth has a foot long rent at the point where Booth struck the stage; but whether made by him in his fall is not known.

I love this actual testimony during the trial. The theater gives its own testimony

[Dennis Urban]

Since I resurrected this subject eight days ago, it seems all available information has been cited and rehashed. Therefore, I will summarize the findings and let the thread become Symposium history.

No question that the only images taken inside Ford's after the assassination were those by the Brady Gallery. Unfortunately, none of the enlargements posted adequately depict the heel print and tear in the stage covering. So that issue will have to stand as is. Interestingly, I wonder of the two Ulke brothers, photographers who took the two images of the Lincoln death bed on the morning of April 15, still resided across the street at the Petersen House on May 16.

The issue the the tear (rent) in the baize stage covering is not in dispute. The May 16 trial transcript describes the tear as being "a foot long". The writer hedges his bet by writing it is not know if the tear was actually made by Booth. Seems to me that the theatre personnel would have promptly repaired such a tear. It is a rather large tear and one wonders why the Brady folks did not make an image of that exact spot. Another account cited is the NPS Handbook#3, revised 1969, which references the tear but not its size; nor does that account reference the heel print. The issue of the heel print being extant is apparently in dispute by both the images and the written word, that will have to be left to the readers to decide for themselves.

So much for circumstantial evidence. I choose to believe the tear, whatever its length, was made by Booth's spur and that the heel mark may have been more of a print than an actual indentation. I appreciate everyone's contributions and comments.

[J. Beckert]

Since I resurrected this subject eight days ago, it seems all available information has been cited and rehashed. Therefore, I will summarize the findings and let the thread become Symposium history.

Dennis - Could you be confusung the spur indentation on the stage with the one left on the Washington engraving Booth kicked on his way over? It's clearly visible at 1:13 in this video.

It's actually visible from outside the door of the box.

https://youtu.be/Grx1ORG4Fl0

[GustD45]

Since I resurrected this subject eight days ago, it seems all available information has been cited and rehashed. Therefore, I will summarize the findings and let the thread become Symposium history.

Dennis - Could you be confusung the spur indentation on the stage with the one left on the Washington engraving Booth kicked on his way over? It's clearly visible at 1:13 in this video.

It's actually visible from outside the door of the box.

https://youtu.be/Grx1ORG4Fl0

What always amazed me about the assasination. Booth, during his acting career, was an athletic performer. It was nothing for him to leap from the box and fall the 11 feet to the stage. I don't think he ever truly calculated what might happen if there was an attempt to stop him.

[J. Beckert]

Rathbone said he felt cloth tear as he grabbed him on the way over, so that couldn't have helped his landing.

[Dennis Urban]

Rathbone said he felt cloth tear as he grabbed him on the way over, so that couldn't have helped his landing.

From Dennis: No, I am not confusing the nick in the picture frame with the rent in the floor covering but thanks for pointing out the picture frame damage. In fact, I've read that the spur knocked the picture askew and turned it upside down. The picture remained in place and did not fall to the stage. Too bad that the photographer or someone else put it back in place before the images were taken. I would have liked to see the picture in its altered position.