Way back in the '50s a guest on the TV show “I’ve Got a Secret” was the last person alive that was present in Ford’s Theater when President Lincoln was assassinated. Here’s thelink to the show.
So, my question is: Was Samuel J. Seymour actually there?
It’s one thing to say you were, but where is the proof? By his own admission he was only five at the time and the Wikipedia article hedges its bets. Has his presence ever been confirmed?
I checked the Dope archives and I did not see if this question has been asked before, so if it has, please forgive my lack of search skills.
How would one ever prove such a thing? I’m not trying to be snarky, but I cannot think of one single piece of evidence that would prove a 5 year old was at that play.
I would have thought it would be pretty straight forward, just like ‘proving’ any historical fact. You find other primary sources that support it. Given it was one of the most important events in US history, it does not seem unreasonable that someone else at the theatre would mention in writing the small child who saw Lincoln get shot, or was next to them when they saw Lincoln get shot, or they took to the theatre where Licoln was shot, etc. etc.
Maybe they mentioned a small child in the theater, but with all of the drama going on, would they have stopped and asked the young boy his name? Would this primary source material have survived nearly a century? (Keeping in mind that this probably wasn’t someone famous whose papers would have been kept).
Further, we can’t be reasonably certain that the primary source is telling the truth, either. There were about 1,400 people in the theater that night, but I would be willing to bet that 15,000 claimed to be there.
Also, why would anyone take a 5 year old to a play? Maybe he misbehaved and they were punishing him.
I’ve read that Walt Whitman’s lifetime companion was in the audience of Our American Cousin that night. Supposedly Whitman composed “O Captain! My Captain!” after hearing his partner’s eyewitness description of the event.
