(Chapter 3) THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS EXECUTION PHOTOS, A STUDY IN DETAIL

AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT REGARDING THE LINCOLN CONSPIRATORS EXECUTION PHOTOS: A STUDY IN DETAIL.

June 1, 2009

I wanted to let everyone who has been following my blog for the past year know that it has been a very successful venture. One of the most successful postings I produced was the 15-chapter series called The Lincoln Conspirators Execution Photos: A Study in Detail.

I have been working on formatting this study into a book version for several months and am glad to report that I have reached the point where I must regrettably remove the content from this blog and begin finalizing the document for print. The final version of this will grow from 15 chapters to about 20-25 chapters as I have lots of other tidbits that I want to add.

But to not cut people off entirely from the study, you still have access to Chapters 1 to 5 on line here so you can get a feel for how the overall project was produced. I’m sorry if it is like reading a story and then having to stop right when it’s getting good but regrettably, it is a necessary step I’ve had to take.

When appropriate I will report on how you can obtain a copy of this book if you wish. If you want to write to me and get on my mailing list, I’ll be happy to give you updates as I have them available. outreach@awesometalks.com

Best Barry

CHAPTER 3: THE CONSPIRATORS

On April 27, the same day that Gardner photographed the autopsy of John Wilkes Booth on the deck of the USS Montauk, he photographed some of the prisoners arrested in connection with the conspiracy. These prisoners were detained below decks on the USS Montauk and the USS Saugus. All of the prisoners were shackled with handcuffs and leg irons attached to a 75 lb balls. On their heads, the prisoners were forced to wear canvas hoods every day/all day with no relief. These were unbearably uncomfortable, hot and irritating. A hood would cover an entire head except for a small opening at the mouth. These hoods were issued on a direct order from Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton.

Seven prisoners at the Navy Yard were photographed on April 27 of which six eventually stood trial for the conspiracy and one, an unknown prisoner (potentially identified as Hartman Richter), was released entirely.

Unknown prisoner (possibly Hartman Richter) held in the Lincoln assassination conspiracy. This man was eventually released.

To be clear, eight conspirators stood trial for the crime. The six conspirators held at the Navy Yard were Edman Spangler, Michael O’Laughlin, David E. Herold, Lewis Powell (alias Payne or Paine), George Atzerodt and Samuel Arnold.

 

The remaining two conspirators, Dr. Samuel Mudd and Mary Surratt, were imprisoned at the Old Capitol Prison and were never photographed by Gardner. It is not known why photographs were never taken of Dr. Samuel Mudd or Mary Surratt during their captivity. Perhaps it was the fact that she was a woman and he was a doctor, which stood them both in a higher class than the other conspirators. And this may also be the reason why they were imprisoned separately from the other conspirators at the Navy Yard.

Dr. Mudd received a life sentence for his involvement but was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson in February of 1869 as part of the President’s pardon orders issued just prior to his departure from office. Mary Surratt’s punishment was death by hanging. She was the first woman to be executed by the federal government in the history of the United States.

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THE PHOTOS OF THE CONSPIRATORS TAKEN ON APRIL 27, 1865

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One by one each prisoner was brought up on deck and photographed. Some were asked to take different poses while others were asked to wear the clothes they wore on the night of the assassination.

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DAVID E. HEROLD was photographed in the same clothes that he had been captured in the day before, when he and John Wilkes Booth were cornered in the tobacco barn at Garrett’s farm. Although Herold never imagined what the verdict against him would be, it was almost a foregone conclusion that Herold would be found guilty of his complicity in the conspiracy. He was, and was sentenced to death by hanging. His execution took place on July 7, 1865.

 

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 LEWIS POWELL (ALIAS PAYNE OR PAINE) was the man who attempted, but failed to assassinate Secretary of State, William Seward. Gardner had Powell pose in a variety of postures and wear the overcoat and hat he wore on the night of the assassination attempt. There was no doubt of Powell’s guilt and he accepted his fate almost from the start. Powell was hanged on July 7 with three other conspirators after being found guilty by the military court.

Note: There may have been as many as ten photos taken of Powell on this day but only seven are shown here.

Sidebar: After the photos were taken, Powell was returned below decks where, like the other prisoners, he was again forced to wear the confining canvas hood. Later that day/evening, he attempted to commit suicide by banging his head against the wall. In response to this, padded hoods were instituted which were even hotter and more uncomfortable than the previous one.

 

  

  

  

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GEORGE  ATZERODTwas accused of being the man Booth assigned to assassinate Vice President Andrew Johnson on April 14 while Booth assassinated President Lincoln. But Atzerodt couldn’t find the courage to go through with the assignment, got drunk and walked the streets of Washington that night. However, evidence found in his hotel room connected him to both Booth and the conspiracy and he was arrested on April 20. Atzerodt was tried, found guilty and sentenced to death by hanging and was executed on July 7, 1865.

  

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EDMAN SPANGLERworked at Ford’s Theatre as a stage hand. On the afternoon of April 14, Spangler assisted in setting up the box that Lincoln and his party would later occupy. According to weak evidence given at the trial, he was accused of assisting Booth with escaping from the theatre and talking ill of the President earlier in the day. For this he was arrested on April 17, tried, found guilty and sentenced to 6 years hard labor (the least severe of all the sentences passed).

   

 

  

 

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SAMUEL ARNOLD - No evidence was found to connect Arnold with the assassination conspiracy but he was involved in the failed kidnap plot of Lincoln in March of 1865. For his involvement, Arnold was sentenced to life in prison but was paroled by Andrew Johnson in February of 1869 as part of the President’s pardon orders issued just prior to his departure from office. .

 

 

 

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MICHAEL O’LAUGHLIN (SOMETIMES WRITTEN AS O’LAUGHLEN) was not conclusively tied to the assassination conspiracy but, like Samuel Arnold, was involved in the failed kidnap plot of Lincoln in March of 1865. He surrendered himself to authorities on April 17, 1865. O’Laughlin went on trial, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. He died in prison of yellow fever in September of 1867.

 

 

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End of Chapter 3.

Next Installment: Chapter 4 – The Executioners

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If you are interested in reading the comments of some Lincoln experts, here are some interviews I did with several of them recently.

“An Awesometalk With” ROGER NORTON, Webmaster of the ‘Abraham Lincoln Research Site’ (posted on December 30, 2008)

“An Awesometalk With” DR. THOMAS SCHWARTZ, Illinois State Historian (posted on December 08, 2008)

 

“An Awesometalk With”HAROLD HOLZER, Lincoln Scholar (posted on November 10, 2008)

 

 

 

 

 

Best

Barry

outreach@awesometalks.com