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Chris Scott
Detective Sergeant
Username: Chris
Post Number: 139
Registered: 4-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, May 10, 2003 - 8:12 am: | 
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Hamilton Evening Times (Canada) 8 May 1865
Dr. Tumblety and the Assassination
The telegraph this morning announces the arrest of Dr. Tumblety at St. Louis on some charge connected with the assassination of Lincoln. The following from the New York Tribune of Friday gives all that is known of Tumblety's connection with the crime:-
A boy about 15 years of age was arrested in Brooklyn on Tuesday by a United States detective on suspicion of having insome way been connected with the assassination plot. The boy was taken to the Forty-first Precinct Station-house, where he was held in custody until Wednesday, and was then taken to Washington. The only explanation which the officer gave in relation to the matter was that the prisoner was one of the persons implicated in the plot for the assassination of Mr. Lincoln, Mr. Johnson and Mr. Seward. During the time that the prisoner was in the station-house, he conversed with some of the police officers, and from his conversation it was discovered that he had been employed by the assassin Booth for some months prior to the assassination of President Lincoln, in the capacity of errand boy, and he was supposed, with his connection with Booth, to be cognizant with the entire plot, and the parties who were connected with it. He refused to give his name, as did also the officer who arrested him. Itappears from his conversations with the officers during his stay at the station-house, that Harrold, the companion of Booth, is well known to the citizens of Brooklyn as the agent and companion of a man known as the "Indian Hern Doctor", who came to Brooklyn some eighteen months since and opened an office in Fulton Street, where he made himself notorious by the peculiarity of his dress. Harrold was a kind of confidential valet of this doctor, and wa generally attired in the cast-off clothing of the latter, and from the fact that both were continually to be seen promenading the principal streets of the city, their appearance created considerable remark. The doctor got into difficulties with some of his patients, and left the city, and is said to be in New Orleans at the present time, and Harrold returned to Washington. The truth of the boy's story is corroborated by the fact that the published descriptions of the personal appearance of Harrold agree in every particular with the appearance of the companion of the doctor; and there is every probability of its correctness, from the fact that he was always noticed to have the same apparent degree of attachment to the doctor, who was a man of dashing appearance and infinite impudence, that he is said to have manifested toward the assassin Booth. The prisoner also stated that the doctor had been acquainted with Booth in Washington, nd that it was through him that he became acquainted with Harrold.
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Malta Joe
Sergeant
Username: Malta
Post Number: 35
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, October 16, 2004 - 1:00 pm: |
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After his arrest mentioned above, Tumblety was taken to Washington DC. He was not released from inside the prison at the Old Capitol Building until early June 1865. Jeff + Ira Bloomfield have recently posted the name of Lafayette C. Baker as being identified with NARA paperwork concerning Tumblety. This all ties in. Below is an excerpt of a Britannica article on the web.
"LaFayette Curry Baker (1826-1868) Chief of the U.S. Federal Detective Police during the American Civil War and Director of Union intelligence and counter-intelligence operations. Baker worked as a detective in the War Dept and State Dept before succeeding Allan Pinkerton as the head of the Federal Secret Service in November 1862. Baker soon penetrated every area of the military and the civil government of the Union as well as the Confederacy. Baker adopted the motto "Death to traitors" for himself and his service. He maintained a HEADQUARTERS AND A PRISON IN THE OLD CAPITOL BUILDING, where he detained citizens on flimsy evidence or mere suspicion and subjected them to intensive interrogation to extract confessions and information."
Pinkerton probably left his Tumblety material on Baker's desk when the Secret Service conducted their leadership change in November 1862. Death to traitors? Tumblety must have had a wonderful time in the Old Capitol prison with this character. I bet Tumblety got the better of Baker in 1863 during the Tift + Torry forgery affair, and Baker was going to reciprocate as best he could at his Old Capitol Prison headquarters in 1865. Well, that's another small piece to the puzzle that seems like it may fit. (Now if we can only find the other 4,000 pieces we'll be in good shape!) This Old Capitol grilling hardened Tumblety and gave him the experience not to break down while in Scotland Yard custody later in his life.
One last thing about Tumblety's $10 deserter, George Torry. It seems he was given the rank of corporal at the time of his enlistment, but he had been demoted to private before he met Tumblety. I suppose his military career was nose-diving, and he looked for a cheap escape from it.
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David O'Flaherty
Inspector
Username: Oberlin
Post Number: 470
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, October 16, 2004 - 2:12 pm: |
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George Eastman House in Rochester, New York has a collection of suspected conspirator photographs that were taken in Washington, I think, after suspects were rounded up and transported there. Many of the subjects were found to be innocent and later released, and from what I understand, some unidentified portraits still remain in their archives. I've always wondered if a photograph of Dr. Tumblety might be sitting in their archives, but it would take a personal visit to find out. I'm not sure how you'd identify such a photograph--look for someone with a big moustache?
Stewart Evans might already have explored this avenue while researching Tumblety and found it a fruitless search. If not, Eastman House might be worth a visit.
Here's an example of what I mean. Alexander Gardner seems to have taken a lot of photographs of people arrested on suspicion.
Dave
(Message edited by oberlin on October 16, 2004) |
Ira Bloomfield
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Saturday, October 16, 2004 - 7:54 pm: |
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Hi Dave,
In Theodore Roscoe's book on the assassination,
THE WEB OF CONSPIRACY, the photograph you showed and two other ones were published. Roscoe said that this one was mistakenly labeled as that of Dr. Samuel Mudd by some earlier historians of the Lincoln murder. He felt there was a chance it might be that of another arrested, but never prosecuted suspect, Captain John (or Joao) Celestine (or Celestina) who was a blockade runner, and had other connections to Confederate operations. An article about Celestina appeared in American Heritage (written, I believe, by Philip Van Doren Stern) in the issues of 1957 or 1958 (Roscoe's book was published in 1959).
Jeff Bloomfield |
David O'Flaherty
Inspector
Username: Oberlin
Post Number: 472
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Sunday, October 17, 2004 - 10:10 am: |
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Hi, Jeff
Thanks for some background of the Hartmann Richter photograph, which I think hints at the difficulties a researcher would face in trying to identify a photograph that's not clearly marked or found in the possession of a descendant. I wonder what basis there was for believing the Richter photograph was of Mudd or Celestine (or Richter for that matter)? And for our purposes, how would you know whether you were looking at Tumblety?
Cheers,
Dave
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Ira Bloomfield
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Sunday, October 17, 2004 - 7:15 pm: |
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Hi Dave,
In the case of Mudd, his family had other photographs of the small town doctor (his descendants, who have never stopped fighting to clear his name, include the noted television reporter Roger Mudd). So it was easy to see that Mudd and the unknown suspect were not the same man. Since there is a paucity of photos regarding Tumblety (or Richter, or Celestine) we can't really tell if they are the man in this photo.
There is an interesting story about Lincoln's assassination and photographs. There is a well known photograph of Lincoln delivering the Second Inaugural Address on March 4, 1865. In the background (on the terrace above Lincoln's platform) is a semi-distinct figure that looks like John Wilkes Booth in a top hat. And in the bottom foreground are two figures who look like Booth's accomplices Lewis Powell/Payne/Paine and George Atzerodt. Booth later told some acquaintances that he was near enough to the President to have attacked him at the inauguration.
There is also a problem about photographs concerning Lincoln's body in it's coffin. Only one is accepted as genuine, but several have been republished.
And of course, if you saw the television documentary series THE CIVIL WAR, you are aware of the series of photographs taken of the executions of Paine, David Herodt, Atzerodt, and Mrs. Mary Surratt on July 7, 1865.
Best wishes,
Jeff |
Malta Joe
Sergeant
Username: Malta
Post Number: 37
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 02, 2004 - 2:38 pm: |
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I never knew this before. While Tumblety was imprisoned in the Old Capitol during May 1865 on suspicion of being Luke P. Blackburn, the real Dr. Blackburn himself was being taken into custody in Canada. I came across this news article just yesterday:
The Daily Intelligencer
Washington, DC (USA)
May 20, 1865
ARREST of DR. BLACKBURN
Montreal May 18. Dr. Blackburn, who shipped infected clothing from Bermuda, was arrested today on a warrant from Toronto for a breach of the Neutrality Law.
The Intelligencer also displayed Tumblety ads during the spring of 1862, I found one of the advertisements unique. Tumblety had specified the names of two physicians in Quebec and degraded them. They were Dr. Landry and Dr. Fremont of the Nunnery Hospital. This ad also provided a timeline which placed Tumblety doctoring in Quebec on June 13, 1858. |
Christopher T George
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chrisg
Post Number: 1022
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 02, 2004 - 3:52 pm: |
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Hi Joe
Thanks for this information. You are digging up some great new stuff on Dr. T, and we thank you for that. 
All the best
Chris
Christopher T. George
North American Editor
Ripperologist
http://www.ripperologist.info
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Malta Joe
Sergeant
Username: Malta
Post Number: 40
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 09, 2004 - 1:31 pm: |
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I need to do a little mopping up. Concerning those two physicians at Quebec's Nunnery Hospital who I had previously mentioned, I've just noticed that Chris Scott had discovered this same Tumblety-ad a year and a half ago, and had posted it. He found the ad in an 1860 Morning Freeman edition. It turns out that this 1862 Daily Intelligencer ad only becomes notable for showcasing how long Tumblety can hold a grudge against his enemies. I guess he figured if he could insult Dr. Landry + Dr. Fremont in a New Brunswick paper during 1860, then why not berate them in a Washington DC paper during 1862 as well?!
Stephen has added almost a dozen new Tumblety articles in the 'press reports' section of the casebook. The NY World articles are especially worth reading. I see a terrific plot within a plot theme in the Dec 4, 5, and 6 accounts. A NY Tribune, Daily Alta California, and Chicago Tribune article have also been added. I'm glad those hard-to-find San Francisco Daily Report articles can be viewed now, too. Well done, Stephen!
Wish us luck. A container box of the "Pinkerton Detective Agency" files will be opened up inside the Library of Congress in Washington DC within a couple of weeks by a few folks of mine. There are over 180 container boxes at that Library concerning the Pinkertons, but I believe the Library does have one specific container box which will give us the best chance at winning a cigar here. I'll let everyone know if we strike out or not. So long!
Malta Joe |
Christopher T George
Assistant Commissioner
Username: Chrisg
Post Number: 1070
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, November 09, 2004 - 2:09 pm: |
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Hi Joe
Many thanks for the update. I look forward to hearing more about shady Dr. Tumblety and his nefarious activities. It will be interesting to learn what the Pinkertons had on him, if that is obtainable in the files at the Library of Congress. This is one of the things I had on my "to do" list but have not got to because of my many commitments, so the best of luck to the people who are doing the research for you at LoC.
By the way, Joe, one thing you might look out for is any mention of Dr. Tumblety's coachman, Mark Blackburn. He was one of the people who got money in 1908 when, after the legal wrangling had been settled in the St. Louis probate court, five years after Dr. T's death, the money was doled out to the doctor's numerous relatives in the US and UK and to the two Catholic prelates named under the St. Louis will of April 1903. I had thought it curious that Blackburn shared a last name with the doctor whom Tumblety was mistaken for when he was arrested at the time of the Lincoln assassination, and if we are to believe it, the name "Blackburn" was also among Tumblety's aliases, which made the mix-up credible. What exactly was Mark Blackburn's role in Tumblety's life? Could he have been possibly an illegitimate son of the doctor's, or something like that? If conversely he was unrelated to Dr. T., could he have been Tumblety's lover as well as his coachman?
All the best
Chris
Christopher T. George
North American Editor
Ripperologist
http://www.ripperologist.info
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Malta Joe
Detective Sergeant
Username: Malta
Post Number: 134
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, October 15, 2005 - 2:09 pm: |
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"(Tumblety) had very cosy and tastefully furnished quarters in, I believe, H Street." "On reaching the place we found covers laid for eight - that being the doctor's lucky number." Quotes from Col. Dunham (Conover) in the Dec 3, 1888 Rochester Democrat and Republican.
H Street Washington DC. Where have I heard that before? It's an awful feeling when you know you've previously read something once, but you just can't recall the details of it. That Conover quote always stops me in my tracks. There was something in American history about H Street, but I couldn't even remember if the event occurred in the 19th or 20th century.
I know I've posted this before, but bear with me. It's from Tumblety's second autobiography. He is re-printing a letter that he supposedly received from a fellow sufferer in the Capitol Prison named Lamar.
"As to Stanton and Holt, they induced Conover to testify (in perjury) that I (Lamar) employed him and his associate to assassinate Mr. Lincoln, and that I got the money from President Davis in Richmond, and paid it to them in 1864; and they, no doubt, intended to hang me as they did that innocent and injured woman, Mrs. Surratt, but Conover relented and swore again his oath was a perjury.
One cruel agent, who shut the door upon Miss Surratt when seeking the President (Johnson) for a pardon for her own dear, innocent mother, has, like Judas committed suicide. The infamous Baker, principal agent for Stanton, has been called to his dread account..." I would not have the blood of that innocent woman on my soul, as they have, for the universe - and she was but one of their many victims.
What in a Christian country could exceed the malignity which denied the dead body of that persecuted woman to her own daughter's supplications and tears? Are they not fiends upon the earth? And not yet satisfied, they employed their own favorite agent, after he had been convicted of perjury (Conover?), to procure witnesses to swear away the life of the son of that murdered woman."
Hang in there. I'll get to the point of all this in a moment! |
Malta Joe
Detective Sergeant
Username: Malta
Post Number: 135
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Saturday, October 15, 2005 - 2:32 pm: |
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Tumblety clearly portrayed Lafayette Baker and Sandford Conover in a very bad light in regards to the Mary Surratt matter. Conover made it a point to mention in the Rochester newspaper that he obtained Tumblety's autobiography despite the objections from the quack. Conover is fully aware of how he is being portrayed by Tumblety in respect to Mary Surratt.
Then it finally dawned on me. I looked into it deeper and sure enough there it was. 541 H Street Washington DC was the address of the Mary Surratt Boarding House. This was the most infamous street in America during this time period. This boarding house is where Booth and his conspirators made their assassination plans. Surratt was arrested there and taken away to her eventual execution.
Is this the reason why Conover is mentioning Tumblety's name in connection with H Street? Is he slyly associating Tumblety with these conspirators?
Hey sure, this could all be coincidental, too. Maybe his H Street remark had nothing to do with Conover retaliating against Tumblety's Surratt comments in his autobiography. Conover did state that Tumblety's arrest was for the Blackburn matter and not for the assassination. But still you have to wonder. If somebody mentioned H Street during this time period, your thoughts would turn toward the Surratt Boarding House.
And finally, while we're still talking about coincidences....this puzzling line was sent to Henry Hall Caine by Tumblety in May 1875. "Dear boy wire at once. Wire, forty, wire, wire, wire wire, wire, wire."
It may not be odd that Tumblety wrote the word "wire" eight times since Conover said eight was his lucky number!
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R.J. Palmer
Chief Inspector
Username: Rjpalmer
Post Number: 735
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, October 15, 2005 - 4:06 pm: |
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Joe--I agree with you, and don' think this is a coincidence. I'd noticed this sometime back while reading Roscoe's book on the assassination about the infamous little boarding house in H Street, and felt that Dunham's statement was very much a wink and a nod to the Surratt boarding-house. It's very much how Dunham's mind worked--he liked "inside jokes," and even named one of his sons after an old alias.
By the way, during Tumblety's civil suit with Canterbury Hall, part of the punative damages revolved around Tumblety being harrassed by members of his boarding house. Unfortunately, this puts Wolf Vanderlinden's claim in his recent Ripper Notes article that Tumblety was living at the Willard Hotel in serious doubt. If you recall, this was used as "evidence" that Dunham was wrong about the location of Tumblety's lodgings. But I don't recall any citation for this claim.
Not only was Tumblety staying in a boarding house, but a map of the district that I referred to while in Washington, showed that the block where his office was located was made up of small hotels, three-story shops, lodging-houses,etc., so Dunham's description of these lodgings is actually not at variance with the facts. Ergo, the non-existance of this infamous little dinner party is not as cut-and-dried as some people believe. Nice work and take care, RP
(Message edited by rjpalmer on October 15, 2005) |
Jeffrey Bloomfied
Chief Inspector
Username: Mayerling
Post Number: 907
Registered: 2-2003
| | Posted on Saturday, October 15, 2005 - 9:46 pm: |
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Hi Malta Joe and R.J.
This quote from the newspaper made me think some annotation is required.
"As to Stanton and Holt, they induced Conover to testify (in perjury) that I (Lamar) employed him and his associate to assassinate Mr. Lincoln, and that I got the money from President Davis in Richmond, and paid it to them in 1864; and they, no doubt, intended to hang me as they did that innocent and injured woman, Mrs. Surratt, but Conover relented and swore again his oath was a perjury.
One cruel agent, who shut the door upon Miss Surratt when seeking the President (Johnson) for a pardon for her own dear, innocent mother, has, like Judas committed suicide. The infamous Baker, principal agent for Stanton, has been called to his dread account..."
Now who has Dunham/Conover come up with as "the cruel agent" who has "like Judas" committed suicide. At first sight it seems to be Lafayette Baker, who died in 1868. There are some assassination students who insist Baker was murdered (poisoned) to keep his mouth shut about a vast conspiracy involving Stanton. But Dunham/Conover's comment does not link the suicide to Baker. It just shows that the comment was written after Baker's demise in 1868. On the other hand, there was a suicide connected to the barring of Anne Surratt on July 11, 1865 from seeing President Andrew Johnson and pardoning Mary E. Surratt. Actually, in fact, there were two suicides.
Anne Surratt was prevented from seeing President Andrew Johnson by former Senator Preston King of New York and Senator James H. Lane of Kansas. King was from a distinguished political family in New York State (one of the family, Rufus King, was the last Federalist Candidate for the Presidency in 1816). Preston King, for some reason, threw himself off the Hoboken Ferry into the middle of the Hudson River, after tying a bag of shot around his neck. That was in November 1865. James H. Lane was the first Senator from Kansas. He was a rabid abolutionist, but he was intolerant of anyone not in sync with his views on slavery. If William Quantrill made half of Kansas and Missouri red with abolitionist blood in his violence, Lane made the other half of the states red with non-abolitionist blood in his violence.
In fact, when Quantrill sacked Lawrence, Kansas in August 1863, his desire was to catch Lane and burn him at the stake (he nearly did).
Lane was in political trouble in 1866. He had lost touch with the people back home, because he was not as fully into civil rights for African Americans as he was for the ending of slavery.
He also was facing questions about his honesty.
In July 1866 he shot himself in his home in Kansas.
Why Dunham only mentions one suicide here I can't fathom. Possibly he had not heard as much as he could have. Or was he trying to confuse things again (a running pattern in his career as a professional liar). He certainly was a consistant man.
Best wishes,
Jeff |
Malta Joe
Detective Sergeant
Username: Malta
Post Number: 136
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 - 1:22 pm: |
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Hello Jeff,
There may have been some confusion regarding my first posting on Saturday. I'll try to simplify it. I'll call attention to the part which began, "As to Stanton and Holt..." and ended with "...the son of that murdered woman."
That was all one passage. This passage did not come from a newspaper, and this passage was not spoken by Dunham/Conover. This passage came from Tumblety's 1872 autobiography. Tumblety was sharing with his readers the contents of a letter which he claimed was written by a Georgian named G. B. Lamar Sr. on March 4, 1869.
Even though Tumblety said this letter came from Lamar, I personally don't believe him. I think Tumblety's own words were being spoken, not Lamar's. But that's another matter.
I inserted four brackets into that passage for clarification purposes. For example...I identified the U.S. president as being Andrew Johnson. The only typographical error I made was that I accidently typed in a quotation mark (") after the word 'account' at one point.
You brought up the topic about the identity of the "cruel agent" who was spoken of. It sounds like Preston King was being referred to. The Judas-style suicide Preston King committed (with the rope around the neck) is what is being talked about. That was a good deduction on your part, Jeff. I wouldn't have figured that one out. Lane is a possibility, but the Judas reference seems to fit better with the manner of death for King than it does for Lane. Your help is always appreciated! |
Malta Joe
Detective Sergeant
Username: Malta
Post Number: 137
Registered: 5-2004
| | Posted on Monday, October 17, 2005 - 2:12 pm: |
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Hi Roger,
Thank you very much for your comments. The only connection I've ever read between Dr. T and the Willard Hotel was from Tumblety's own account. It had appeared in Dr. T's phony tale about how he dined with the Provost Marshal, General Wordsworth at Robert E. Lee's house on Arlington Heights. His quote was:
"I often remained there until quite late, and at such times the General invariably sent some of his staff officers with me for my protection to Willard's Hotel."
Man, I certainly hope those who claim that Tumblety solely dwelled at the Willard Hotel during his two years in Washington DC are not using this silly Tumblety yarn as the sole basis for their claim. Maybe they've got additional references which I've never seen. In regards to Wolf's article, I thought his Roland Barnett research was superb. I learned a lot from that.
Another researcher kindly shared a document with me which had Tumblety's attorney writing out a statement to a Board of Commissioners in DC. The statement declared that Tumblety's stay in Washington began on April 13, 1861 and ended May 15, 1863. The Surratt family had owned that H Street boarding house since 1853, and Mary's son was working for the Confederates. It makes me wonder how active that boarding house was in the 1861-1863 period for this type of activity.
Would Tumblety dare draw attention to this shady neighborhood by advertising his doctoring services to be on H Street? I don't think he would. His Pennsylvania Ave office would suffice just fine as being the venue of his business front. Tumblety's possible dwelling on H Street shouldn't be denied by modern researchers just because he didn't advertise there. |
Steve Swift
Unregistered guest
| | Posted on Saturday, October 15, 2005 - 3:13 pm: |
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Two small points here.
Everybody and his dog were arrested in connection with the assasination of Lincoln,those arrested named their mothers fathers,next door neighbours,family pets & Joe from the harware store in connection with the same crime.
Alan Pinkerton was THE worst Military Intelligence officer in the history of warfare. |
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