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One of the Finest Lincoln Assassination Letters Extant April 15, 1865 Illustrated and Beyond Dramatic! 8pp.
One of the Finest Lincoln Assassination Letters Extant April 15, 1865 Illustrated and Beyond Dramatic! 8pp.
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Description:

Abraham Lincoln
Washington, DC, April 15, 1865
One of the Finest Lincoln Assassination Letters Extant April 15, 1865 Illustrated and Beyond Dramatic! 8pp.
ALS

[LINCOLN ASSASSINATION.] G W. Watson, Autograph Letter Signed, to "Carrie," April 15, 1865, Washington, DC. 8 pp., 5" x 7.75". Expected folds; light toning; separations on some folds originally repaired with tape that left dark stains on pp 1, 4, 6, and 7, obscuring some text; more recent professional repairs; overall, very good.

G. W. Watson, who lived 5 minutes away from Ford's Theater at the home of Mrs. Bertha Friebus, was a barkeeper. He was also quite possibly a musician at Ford's Theater, based on the text of the letter. He penned and illustrated this lengthy and fascinating letter, capturing the immediacy of the tragic events of Lincoln's assassination, and illustrated it with two drawings. One shows the President's box in relation to the stage in Ford's Theatre. The second shows Booth's escape route from the back of Ford's Theatre to the nearby street. It reports the eyewitness testimony of Wesley R. Batchelder, the private secretary of General Benjamin Butler, who was in Ford's Theatre when Booth shot President Lincoln. Batchelder was apparently boarding at the same address as Watson.

Complete Transcript
476 15th Street West
Washington, D.C.
April 15th 1865.
My dear Carrie-
Your two notes of the 5th and 9th were received the 8th and 13th respectively.
I suppose you have heard before this of the infamous murder that took place here last night.
I was sitting down stairs in the Basement playing a Duett with Gus Friebus [stepson of his landlord] about 11 o'clock in the Eveng when we heard some one open the front door quickly and rush to the stairs – on going up which he stumbled and I believe fell. we thought <2> it rather a singular affair but attribute it to too free a use of whiskey by Mr Farmington or Mr. Batchelder (Gen. Butlers Private Secretary:) the person went up stairs but was soon heard coming down again, stumbling again: he then came down the Basement stairs and opened the door putting in his head, it proved to be Mr. B: his eyes were like saucers—and his mouth was opened widely: "have you heard the news"? was his first. "What news"? said we, not expecting anything important after the news of the past fortnight. "Why the President and Secretary Seward are assassinated"! If his look was not so wild and nervous I would have laughed, thinking he was trying to "sell" us: but he looked to true: I was horrified: he then told us that he had just come from the Theatre where he saw all that was visible to the audience: the <3> play was the "American Cousin" & Miss Laura Keenes Benefit night. The curtain was up and the audience was waiting for the 3rd Act to commence when a pistol report was heard: in the previous scene the "live Yankee" was telling of his exploits at shooting in Vermont & the "prizes" he took &c &c.
When the report was heard B. says he thought the "Yankee" was "trying his hand" behind the scenes preparatory to having something to say about it in the next scene: the next part in the programme was the appearance of a man at the balcony of the Presidents Box and his leaping from it to the stage a distance of about 15 feet.
[drawing of box and stage, with the President's Box marked "a"]
The Box a is where the Preside[nt] was sitting: the man fell somewhat on his side but <4> quickly recovered and brandishing his dagger—which he drew while in the Box—walked across the stage in a tragical style saying "Sic semper tyrannis (Thus always to tyrants) Virginia is avenged! This did not take very long: B. says he didnt comprehend the meaning of it—thinking it was a part of the performance though a rather singular one: it was followed in a few seconds by a scream from Mrs. Lincoln: that brought the audience to their feet in an instant: he says the scene that followed was awful: the people scrambled on the stage and up to the Box: the seats and benches were torn up: one man rushed after the assassin and got out the door in time to hear the [sound?] of the horses hoofs as he rode off: as the man went across the stage a man in the audience who seemed to comprehend the truth shouted "thats Wilkes Booth"! <5> The manner of his escape is shown in the annexed diagram of the theatre as examined by me this afternoon.
[Diagram of the theatre and the city block as bounded by E and F Streets and 9th and 10th Streets]
You will see by the diagram that a paved alley leads from F. Street to the rear of the Theatre: it was in the court (a) that Booth left his horse while he went in on his hellish business: the dotted line shows his course; the black spot shows the spot where the President was murdered. He was taken across the street where he died at 7.22 this morning. Gus and I after hearing of the affair slapped on our hats and started for the Avenue to hear the latest news: the crowd was very large and <6> excited: the wildest and most ridiculous rumors were afloat—one man said that the assassin of Mr. Seward was Mosby—the guerrilla. another said it was one of the paroled southern officers: some proposed going to the old Capitol Prison and hanging the Southern prisoners. They all seemed to be animated with the most insane rage against the south & went in for hanging everyone just as if the murder was plotted at the south. Mr. Lincoln walked the streets of Richmond unarmed and unattended without the least danger: if they desired his death this was their opportunity: but no, it remained for some infernal scoundrels here—who no doubt called themselves "friends of the South" to hatch and execute the most terrible form of villainy ever heard of: it was the worst thing that can happen for the South: just as <7> all our troubles seemed about coming to a termination the old sore is opened afresh: I have no doubt the deed will be execrated by Southern people—if they are allowed to express any opinion in the matter: I figure that some portion of the northern people will lay the crime where it properly belongs—at the door of a nest of some half-dozen miscreants—and not at that of a body of people whom I have no doubt will as truly regret it as the people of the North—in fact more so with reason—for the successor of Mr. Lincoln is a man in whose bosom is scarcely to be found one particle of christian feeling and whose private character—from all accounts is of the lowest grade: he will be far worse than Mr. Lincoln. But God save us from any increase <8> of horrors: I would dislike very much to pass another fortnight of such nerve trying events. I feel very bad about this murder of Mr. Lincoln—as indeed does everybody I have seen: whatever [I may?] have said about his politics I must say that I have always thought him to be personally a very amiable man—of good and large heart—and I thought from the looks of things that he intended to act generously with the South as no doubt he would if he had not been so suddenly and brutally killed. I have felt like crying all day. Crape is on every house: I festooned this place today with mourning. God speed the hang-man. Love to all.
Yours truly
G W Watson

Gustav August Friebus (1844-1912) was born in Germany and arrived in Baltimore with his family in 1848. His father was a civil engineer, and they later settled in Washington, D.C. The younger Friebus entered government service as a draftsman in the War Department while still a teenager. He remained in government service for more than forty years. He was chief architect for the Bureau of Indian Affairs and supervised the construction of Indian school buildings throughout the United States. He also served under General Casey in the completion of the Washington Monument and designed many rowhouses in Washington and Georgetown. He died at the home of his son in Norfolk, Virginia.

Wesley R. Batchelder (1843-1920) was born in New Hampshire and was educated in Lowell, Massachusetts. He entered the coal business in Lowell, and during the final year of the Civil War, he served as a private secretary to General Benjamin F. Butler. After he missed a boat in Washington on April 14, 1865, to meet Butler at Fort Monroe, Virginia, he spent the day closing down the general's office. In the evening, he attended Ford's Theatre and was present when John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. After the war, he worked for coal companies in Lowell and Boston, Massachusetts. Around 1910, he moved to Cranford, New Jersey, where he served as a justice of the peace and police court judge. He died in Cranford and was buried in Lowell, Massachusetts.

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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