When John Wilkes Booth was cornered by federal troops in the Garrett’s barn near Port Royal, VA, he carried with him several items. These include his diary, his weapons, his compass, and his paper items. In addition to the ones pictured, Booth also had several items that have been lost to history such as his diamond stick pin, a handkerchief, wood shavings, and between $45 and $75 dollars in greenbacks. There are also a set of keys, a map of the southern states, and a whistle attributed to Booth in the collection of the Ford’s Theatre museum, but their provenance is debatable (at least by this author).
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Dave & Kate’s Speaking Engagements in 2018
Want to come heckle BoothieBarn authors Dave Taylor and Kate Ramirez in person? Here are some of our public speaking engagements planned for the future.
Date: Saturday April 21, 2018
Location: Surratt House Museum (9118 Brandywine Road, Clinton, MD 20735)
Time: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Speech: John Wilkes Booth Escape Route Bus Tour
Speaker: Dave Taylor
Description: The 12 hour bus trip which documents the escape of the assassin through Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
Cost: $85. Registration information can be found at: http://www.surrattmuseum.org/booth-escape-tour
Date: Thursday, April 26, 2018
Location: Jarrettsville Branch of Harford County Public Library (3722 Norrisville Road, Jarrettsville, MD 21084)
Time: 6:30 pm
Speech: Inter Arma Silent Leges: The Wrongful Execution of Mary E. Surratt
Speaker: Kate Ramirez
Description: In this scholarly speech, Kate analyzes the evidence that was used to convict and execute Mary Surratt for her role in the death of Lincoln. Kate discusses the holes in the prosecution’s case and the reasonable doubt that exists in her conviction.
Cost: Free
Date: Sunday, May 6, 2018
Location: Tudor Hall (17 Tudor Ln, Bel Air, MD 21015)
Time: 2:00 pm
Speech: Shakespearean Daughter: The Life of Edwina Booth
Speaker: Kate Ramirez
Description: Edwina Booth was the only child of tragedian Edwin Booth and his first wife, Mary Devlin. In her speech, Kate will discuss the events that shaped Edwina’s life and how her life mirrored the Shakespearan characters her father enacted on stage. More information will be posted later at: http://spiritsoftudorhall.blogspot.com/2016/11/make-plans-to-visit-tudor-hall-in-2017_7.html
Cost: $5.00 cash for the talk and a tour of Tudor Hall
Date: Sunday, May 20, 2018
Location: Tudor Hall (17 Tudor Ln, Bel Air, MD 21015)
Time: 2:00 pm
Speech: Joseph Booth: The Youngest Brother of John Wilkes Booth
Speaker: Dave Taylor
Description: Of all of the Booth brothers, it was only the youngest Booth, Joseph Adrian who shunned the spotlight. Born into a family of actors, young Joseph only briefly entered the family profession before realizing he exited the stage for good. While far less is known about Joseph than his famous (and infamous) brothers, the details we we do know paint a fascinating tale of an enigmatic brother. In his speech, Dave will examine the life of Joseph Adrian Booth and the impact Lincoln’s assassination had on his life. More information will be posted later at: http://spiritsoftudorhall.blogspot.com/2016/11/make-plans-to-visit-tudor-hall-in-2017_7.html
Cost: $5.00 cash for the talk and a tour of Tudor Hall
Date: Friday, July 6, 2018
Location: Port Tobacco Courthouse (8430 Commerce St, Port Tobacco, MD 20677)
Time: 6:00 pm
Speech: “‘Conspirators’: The Public Execution of the Conspirators in Abraham Lincoln’s Assassination”
Speakers: Kate Taylor, Dave Taylor, Bob Bowser, Mike Callahan
Description: On July 7, 1865, four of the conspirators in the assassination of Lincoln were executed by the federal government. In this dramatic piece, the final hours of the conspirators will be performed. The piece stars Kate Taylor (nee Ramirez) as Mary Surratt, Dave Taylor as Lewis Powell, Bob Bowser as David Herold, and Mike Callahan as George Atzerodt.
Cost: $5 donation to the Society for the Restoration of Port Tobacco
Date: Sunday, September 9, 2018
Location: Tudor Hall (17 Tudor Ln, Bel Air, MD 21015)
Time: 2:00 pm
Speech: Shakespearean Daughter: The Life of Edwina Booth
Speaker: Kate Ramirez
Description: Edwina Booth was the only child of tragedian Edwin Booth and his first wife, Mary Devlin. In her speech, Kate will discuss the events that shaped Edwina’s life and how her life mirrored the Shakespearan characters her father enacted on stage. More information will be posted later at: http://spiritsoftudorhall.blogspot.com/2016/11/make-plans-to-visit-tudor-hall-in-2017_7.html
Cost: $5.00 cash for the talk and a tour of Tudor Hall
Date: One of the Saturdays in September (exact tour date TBD), 2018
Location: Surratt House Museum (9118 Brandywine Road, Clinton, MD 20735)
Time: 7:00 am – 7:00 pm
Speech: John Wilkes Booth Escape Route Bus Tour
Speaker: Dave Taylor
Description: The 12 hour bus trip which documents the escape of the assassin through Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
Cost: $85. Registration information can be found at: http://www.surrattmuseum.org/booth-escape-tour
Date: Sunday, October 7, 2018
Location: Tudor Hall (17 Tudor Ln, Bel Air, MD 21015)
Time: 2:00 pm
Speech: Joseph Booth: The Youngest Brother of John Wilkes Booth
Speaker: Dave Taylor
Description: Of all of the Booth brothers, it was only the youngest Booth, Joseph Adrian who shunned the spotlight. Born into a family of actors, young Joseph only briefly entered the family profession before realizing he exited the stage for good. While far less is known about Joseph than his famous (and infamous) brothers, the details we we do know paint a fascinating tale of an enigmatic brother. In his speech, Dave will examine the life of Joseph Adrian Booth and the impact Lincoln’s assassination had on his life. More information will be posted later at: http://spiritsoftudorhall.blogspot.com/2016/11/make-plans-to-visit-tudor-hall-in-2017_7.html
Cost: $5.00 cash for the talk and a tour of Tudor Hall
Additional speeches and information will be posted when available. Past speaking engagements can be seen here: https://boothiebarn.com/about/
If you are interested in having either Dave or Kate speak to your group about any aspect of the Lincoln assassination story, click to Contact Us or email to BoothieBarn@gmail.com
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Pingback: New Gallery – Found on Booth « BoothieBarn
Dave, your blog just keeps getting better and more essential. These images you’ve been posting are stunning and wonderfully presented. Thanks!
These pieces of history make”History” come alive! Especially when you are a visual learner! Tremendous Work!
With your great research skills, how about trying to find out what happened to Booth’s note to Stuart that was used as evidence in the John Surratt trial? It’s hard to believe it was destroyed. My guess is that it was simply misfiled, or pilfered. If the latter, it is conceivable that it was subsequently lost. Let’s hope it’s still in some old War Dept. file. Does anyone else — who has the time — care to take up the search? (If found in private hands, it’s really the property of the government. That may be why its whereabouts — if in private hands — is unknown.) We have some great researchers out there, like Betty Ownsbey and Mike Kauffman. (I bet Mike already looked for it years ago!)
According to JOH in “On the Way to Garrett’s barn”, both the scrapped note found in a pocket of Booth’s diary (the $5 one) and the one recovered by Baker from Dr. Stuart (the $2.50 one) were present at John Surratt’s trial. They disappeared after that. I agree that it is extremely likely they are merely misfiled somewhere. I’ll try to look into it, but no promises.
Good knife pictures
Thanks. I know a guy with an “in” with the NPS.
Hi Dave, I know that the keys, labeled as having been found on Booth’s body at Fords, may in fact have been found on Herold. Is that the case with the whistle?
Rich,
I believe the keys were taken from Davy’s house by investigators and were not on either of the two men. The whistle is a mystery to me too as I can’t find any record from soldiers at the Garretts that mention it.
Thanks Dave. Is there evidence that they were found at Herold’s house? I don’t even remember reading that his house was searched.
Rich,
Check out this post where I talked about the keys:
https://boothiebarn.com/2012/03/27/fords-new-center/
Thanks for clarifying the issue of the keys!
A stick pin was reportedly found on Booth, too. One of the old photos of the Booth relics in the War Dept. shows it. I think that picture appears in Hanchett’s article in a history magazine about the Booth diary pages. I think it was also mentioned by Izola Forrester in her book, “This One Mad Act.” I’d like to see a clearer photo of it, and, of course, I wonder what happ’d to it! I bet someone walked off with it! MAybe Richard Smyth will be dealing with this in his upcoming book about the assassination – related relics!
BY THE WAY, I FIND THAT THE FONT ON YOUR BLOG IS TOO SMALL AS OF LATE. IS IT MY COMPUTER’S SETTINGS? OR AM I CORRECT ABOUT THIS?)
Richard,
I have never seen a picture of the stick pin. If you find it, let me know as I’d be very interested in seeing it.
Also I have not changed the font size on the blog, so I’m guessing the problem is with your settings.
Pingback: John W. Booth Diary: small "upgrade" of Sarednab's replica.
Dear Sir,
Could you provide me with the dimensions of the Bills of Exchange found on Booth?
Many thanks.