Description:

Lincoln Assassination 35+ Archive Conspirators, Victims, & Heroes, Fantastic Lifelong Collection!

An extensive archive of letters, cartes-de-visite, signed documents, and clipped signatures relating to the Lincoln assassination conspiracy. Included are the signatures of both those involved in the conspiracy, those affected by it, and those who brought the conspirators to justice, totaling 38 total items. This includes those who worked at Ford's Theatre, witnesses, doctors, and politicians on the resulting assassination conspiracy committee. With two cartes-de-visite of John Wilkes Booth, along with an original playbill for an 1863 performance. With varying degrees of toning, soiling, wear, etc. Please refer to the photographs for further condition information. We encourage you to view such an expansive and unique collection in person!

Highlights include:
1. Two John Wilkes Booth cartes-de-visite
2. Original Boston Museum Playbill for John Wilkes Booth. Boston Museum, dated January 2,1 1863. The Engagements of John Wilkes Booth - Apostate. Printed by F. A. Searle
3. Very Early Reprint of Ford's Theatre playbill for "Our American Cousin". Printed by H. Pelkinhorn & Son
4. Clipped Signatures: David R. Clendenin, Laura Keene, Charles A. Leale, Tom Taylor, Dr. Charles S. Taft, John T. Raymond, Helen Western, and James A. Ekin
5. Cartes-de-Visite: David E. Herold, Boston Corbett, Theodore L. Cuyler, Laura Keene, and Lewis Powell
6. Two Albumen Photographs of Mary and John Surratt, with two small newspaper clippings
7. Everton J. Conger Appointment Signed "E.J. Conger Lieut Col." Washington, D.C., dated April 2, 1864. Appointing Nathaniel A. Cawes Corporal in Co. G, 1st Regiment of D.C. Cavalry
8. Henry R. Rathbone Autograph Letter Signed, dated February 19, 1863
9. Samuel B. Arnold Autograph Letter Signed, dated March 14, 1902
10. Frederick W. Seward Autograph Letter Signed, dated October 10, 1875
11. Dr. G. W. Pope Signed Check, dated March 4, 1902
12. William E. Doster Signed Consolidated Morning Report of a Squadron of the 4th Pennsylvania Regiment, dated February 13, 1862
13. Reverdy Johnson Autograph Letter Signed, dated April 25, 1853
14. John T. Ford Autograph Letter Signed, dated June 12, 1859
16. Henry W. Smith Autograph Letter Signed, dated May 7, 1864
17. Augustus Henry Seward Signed Document, dated October 9, 1870
18. James R. O'Beirne Signed Document, dated February 1, 1864

Following General U.S. Grant's suspension of the exchange of prisoners of war with the Confederate Army in March 1864, John Wilkes Booth, a southern sympathizer, conceived a plan to kidnap Lincoln in order to blackmail the Union into resuming prisoner exchanges. He recruited Samuel Arnold, George Atzerodt, David Herold, Michael O'Laughlen, Lewis Powell (also known as "Lewis Paine"), and John Surratt to help him with the mission, and frequently met at the home of Surratt's mother, Mary Surratt. The plan to kidnap Lincoln was abandoned sometime in mid-March 1865, and Booth grew more desperate after General Robert E. Lee surrendered the Army of Northern Virginia on April 9th. The conspirators met for the final time on the evening of April 14th. Booth assigned Powell to kill Secretary of State William H. Seward at his home, Atzerodt to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson at the Kirkwood Hotel, and Herold to guide Powell (who was unfamiliar with Washington) to the Seward house. Booth succeeded in his mission, but Atzerodt chickened out and Powell was only able to wound Seward. The group fled the city, and Booth was killed on the farm of Richard H. Garret, while Herold was captured. The remaining conspirators, Powell, Atzerodt, and Mary Surratt well all arrested as well by April 20th.

Numerous additional people were arrested and ultimately the accused Samuel Arnold, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, David Herold, Mary Surratt, Samuel Mudd, Michael O'Laughlen, and Edmund Spangler (a stage hand) were tried by a military tribunal ordered by President Andrew Johnson. The trial lasted seven weeks and found all of the defendants guilty: Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt were sentenced to death by hanging; Samuel Mudd, Samuel Arnold, and Michael O'Laughlen were sentenced to life in prison; and Edmund Spangler was sentenced to six years.

We’ve done our best, but there could be secretarial or facsimile signatures found within this sizable collection.

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This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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December 14, 2022 11:00 AM EST
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University Archives

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