Another JWB Myth?

[historybuff22]

This Saturday night I watched a show on H2. It was "America's Book of Secrets - Monuments." It gave the background and little-known facts about some of our National Monuments - Washington Monument in DC, St Louis Arch, etc. The last segment claimed that in February 1865 John Wilkes Booth solicited Abraham Lincoln to grant a pardon for his Confederate friend John Beall who was court marshaled and sentenced to be hung. The show goes on to state that Lincoln granted the pardon but Stanton talked Lincoln in to canceling the pardon. Lastly, the show claimed that this was the motive for Booth wanting to kill Lincoln.

I'd expect this sort of "scandal" out of FOX network, but not H2. Did H2 get fully hoodwinked or is this version of motive for Booth killing Lincoln actually true. I find it hard to believe. Any thoughts or proof to offer?

Rick Brown
HistoryBuff.com
A Nonprofit Organization

[RJNorton]

I once mentioned that I had read a strange story that Booth was in love with Beall's sister, Lily, and that Beall and Booth had been fraternity brothers. One account has Booth gaining entrance to the White House, actually meeting with Lincoln (putting his arms around Lincoln's legs and crying), and begging for Beall's life. As far as I know this story is apocryphal.

[Jim Garrett]

This Saturday night I watched a show on H2. It was "America's Book of Secrets - Monuments." It gave the background and little-known facts about some of our National Monuments - Washington Monument in DC, St Louis Arch, etc. The last segment claimed that in February 1865 John Wilkes Booth solicited Abraham Lincoln to grant a pardon for his Confederate friend John Beall who was court marshaled and sentenced to be hung. The show goes on to state that Lincoln granted the pardon but Stanton talked Lincoln in to canceling the pardon. Lastly, the show claimed that this was the motive for Booth wanting to kill Lincoln.

I'd expect this sort of "scandal" out of FOX network, but not H2. Did H2 get fully hoodwinked or is this version of motive for Booth killing Lincoln actually true. I find it hard to believe. Any thoughts or proof to offer?

Rick Brown
HistoryBuff.com
A Nonprofit Organization

Ouch to Fox!

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The Beall-Booth story has been floating out there for a while. I think it was first published in the Confederate Veteran magazine back around the turn of the century. Reading old issues of Confederate Veteran, one can see that the memories of these old vets were either slipping or they embellished and merged actual events. The Beall-Booth story is a good example of the second.

[BettyO]

The old story of JWB and Beale actually goes back to 1869 or thereabouts (maybe earlier) when it appeared in an old yellow-backed novel entitled The Bloody Junto by Robert Haskins Crozier - a penny dreadful.

I have a copy of this and will scan it in for anyone interested. I have an entire series of these old penny dreadfuls - The Great Conspiracy by Barclay and Company; The Parricides by Ned Buntline, etc.....they are a hoot! Most of them deal with JWB's "involvement" in the Knights of the Golden Circle." Plus The Great Conspiracy has some wonderful old woodcut engravings which you won't see anyplace else -

[L Verge]

So far as I know, the only chance that Booth and Beall ever knew each other was meeting during the execution of John Brown. I think it is Lloyd Lewis (Myths After Lincoln) that discusses the so-called friendship and finds no merit in it. One source says that ninety-some members of Congress signed a petition to Lincoln to pardon Beall, but that it was Seward who convinced the President to let him be executed - hence Booth deciding that Seward would be assassinated also.

[Gene C]

The old story of JWB and Beale actually goes back to 1869 or thereabouts (maybe earlier) when it appeared in an old yellow-backed novel entitled The Bloody Junto by Robert Haskins Crozier - a penny dreadful.

You always amaze me how you find these things. Is this a recent find? I have never collected "penny dreadful's" Are they difficult to find?

I did find this interesting web site of the Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/tri015.html
and Standford University site http://www-sul.stanford.edu/depts/dp/pennies/home.html

Thanks Betty. You opened up another new world that I'm not sure I have time to explore. But I can have some fun looking.

[BettyO]

Gene -

I've been collecting these things since about 1975. They are pretty scarce - however they are easier to find now that we have the internet!

The Booth and Beall story was published in The Bloody Junto in 1869 - that is one of the first instances that I've read of it. The "story" continues in other various novels, including one horrid play which I don't think was ever produced, thank goodness! - Madam Surratt in which Powell is the hero in love with Beall's sister! It's a ghastly play with improbable scenes (most of which border on Hamlet!) while utilizing Shakespearean language.....

Penny Dreadfuls were early forerunners of comic books or today's graphic novels.

Titles include:

The Great Conspiracy by Barclay and Company
Booth the Assassin by Dion Haco
The Private Journal of John Surratt by Dion Haco
The Parricides by Ned Buntline
The War Detective or the Plotters at Washington by Major A. F. Grant
Lives, Crimes and Confessions of the Assassins by Dr. L. L. Stevens