Abel E. Lawrence - John Wilkes Booth and the Women Who Loved Him

Copyright 2018 by E. Lawrence Abel

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To Alex, Ari, Elliot, Emmy, and Jack.

CONTENTS

Table of Contents

John Wilkes Booth carte de visite, circa 1863. Courtesy of Heritage Auctions, www.ha.com.

Booth, Adelaide Delannoy

Legal wife of Johns father, Junius. She discovered Junius was living a double life, came to America, and made the Booth familys life a living hell.

Booth, Blanche DeBar

June and Clementina Booths daughter and an actress.

Booth, Clementina DeBar

June Booths first wife and an actress.

Booth, Edwin Thomas

Johns second oldest brother. Like his father, one of Americas foremost Shakespearean actors.

Booth, Joseph Adrian

Johns youngest brother. Regarded as a failure by his family, he became a doctor later in life.

Booth, Junius Brutus

Johns father, one of the most famous Shakespearean actors of his day. For twenty years, he deceived his legal wife into thinking he was returning to England while he secretly maintained a second family in America. He was an alcoholic and periodically insane.

Booth, Junius Brutus Jr. (June)

Johns oldest brother, an actor and manager. Like his father, he deserted his wife for a younger woman.

Booth, Mary Ann Holmes

Johns mother, the woman with whom Junius eloped to America while still married. She loved all her children and John the most.

Booth, Richard

Johns grandfather.

Booth, Richard Junius

Adelaide and Juniuss son. While touring with his father, he discovered Juniuss duplicity.

Booth, Rosalie Ann

Johns oldest sister. She never married and was her mothers life-long companion and caregiver.

Clarke, Asia Booth

Johns sister, his confidante, and biographer. She married John Sleeper Clarke.

Clarke, John Sleeper

Actor, Asias husband, and Johns brother-in-law.

Devlin, Mary

Actress, Edwins wife, and Johns sister-in-law.

Brown, Fanny

Said to have been the most beautiful actress on the American stage, Fanny was rumored to be engaged to John. Her photo was one of the five photos in Johns pocket when he died.

Germon, Effie

Actressher photo was another one of five photos in Johns pocket when he died. She was the only actress to send condolences to Johns family.

Gray, Ada

Actressone of Johns brief flings.

Gray, Alice

Actressher photo was also among those found in Johns pocket when he died.

Hale, Lucy Lambert

Johns fianceher photo was found in Johns pocket along with photos of four actresses.

Irving, Henrietta

Actressshe tried to kill John in a jealous rage.

Mills, Martha

She claimed to have had affair with John and told her children John was their father.

Mitchell, Maggie

One of the most prominent actresses on the American stage, she had an on-again, off-again relationship with John and was rumored to have been engaged to John.

Morris, Clara

Actressone of the few to write about John.

Starr, Ella, a.k.a. Ella Turner, a.k.a. Nellie Starr

Teenage Washington prostituteshe tried to kill herself over Johns betrayal.

Sumner, Isabel

One of Johns affairs, she kept several of his letters.

Western, Helen

Actressher photo was one of the five photos in Johns pocket when he died.

Western, Lucille

Actress and Helens sistershe may have had a brief relationship with John.

Wooster, Louise Lou Catherine

A Montgomery prostitute whom John promised to make a star, she was Birmingham, Alabamas best known madam.

Wren, Ella

A Richmond actress rumored to be engaged to John.

W hen John Wilkes Booth was thirteen, a gypsy, passing through the Maryland countryside near Johns boarding school at Cockeysville, offered to read his palm for a few pennies. Johnnie (his boyhood nickname) thought it might be amusing to have his fortune told. He handed over the pennies and stuck out his palm. What the gypsy told him was so unnerving he wrote it down so he wouldnt forget it.

He read and reread the gypsys prophesy, mulling over what to make of it. Several days later, Johnnie pulled his older sister Asia aside. He had something to show her. They walked to a nearby hollow and sat down, Johnnie leaning his head against Asias knees. He reached into his pocket and handed her a scrap of paper, by then well-worn from being folded and unfolded many times.

See here, Johnnie said, pulling the now ragged paper from his pocket, Ive written it, but there was no need to do that, for it is so bad that I shall not soon forget it. Only a Gypseys tattle for money, he added as Asia straightened the paper out, but who shall say there is not truth in it?

Asia held her breath as she read the first few words of the boyish, penciled scrawl:

Ah, youve a bad hand; the lines all cris-cras. Its full enough of sorrowfull of troubletrouble in plenty, everywhere I look. Youll break hearts, theyll be nothing to you. Youll die young, and leave many to mourn you, many to love you too, but youll be rich, generous and free with your money. Youre born under an unlucky star. Youve got in your hand a thundering crowd of enemiesnot one friendyoull make a bad end, and have plenty to love you afterwards. Youll have a fast lifeshort, but a grand one. Now, young sir Ive never seen a worse hand, and I wish I hadnt seen it, but every word Ive told is true by the signs.

Stuffing the prophecy back into his pocket, John said the gypsy had told him something else as she was gathering her belongings. Im glad Im not a young girl, shed said, or Id follow you through the world for that handsome face.

As the gypsy predicted, John Wilkes Booth had a meteoric career. He was one of the highest paid actors of his time. He was generous and free with his money. He broke many hearts. He died young. And he certainly made a bad end. On April 26, 1865, twelve days after he shot Abraham Lincoln, he was hunted like a dog through swamps, [and] woods... chased by gunboats till I was forced to return wet, cold, and starving, with every mans hand against me. Refusing to come out of a burning barn where he was surrounded, John was mortally wounded by a bullet that severed his spinal cord.