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Three scarce, limited issue books on President Abraham Lincoln, his assassination, and its aftermath. Titles include:
- Abraham Lincoln and Boston Corbett with Personal Recollections of Each / John Wilkes Booth and Jefferson Davis: A True Story of Their Capture by Byron Berkeley Johnson, hardcover, privately printed in Waltham, Massachusetts (1914), signed and inscribed on the first free end page by the author.
- I Saw Booth Shoot Lincoln by W. J. Ferguson, hardcover with dust jacket, limited edition of 1000 copies, published by Houghton Mifflin Company (Boston & New York) in 1930.
- Personal Reminiscences of Abraham Lincoln by Smith Stimmel, hardcover with slipcase, limited first edition, numbered 26/500, published by William H. M. Adams (Minneapolis, MN) in 1928, signed and inscribed on an opening page in fountain by the author, “To know him was to love him. Sincerely yours, Smith Stimmel.”
In overall fine condition, with toning, and light wear to covers.
Nineteen-year-old Smith Stimmel left Ohio for Washington in 1863 to join the Union Light Guard, the elite cavalry unit tasked with protecting President Abraham Lincoln. Having already served a brief term in the Civil War the previous year, Stimmel was assigned to guard the White House entrance and escort Lincoln ‘whenever he went out in his carriage or when he rode on horseback.’ Though unimpressed by Vice President Andrew Johnson, Stimmel deeply admired Lincoln, later recalling: ‘When not on duty, it was our privilege to attend Lincoln’s public receptions if we wished.’
Stimmel was not on duty the night Lincoln was assassinated at Ford’s Theatre. He later recalled that Lincoln ‘flatly refused to have a military guard with him when he went to places of entertainment,’ insisting ‘he wanted to go as free and unencumbered as other people.’ After news of the shooting spread, Stimmel rushed to the Petersen House opposite the theater, where his assignment was to clear civilians from the area and stand guard through the night. Lincoln died just twenty minutes after Stimmel’s relief at 7 a.m.
Stimmel remained on active duty until September 9, 1865, serving as part of the honor guard during Lincoln’s funeral ceremonies and helping secure the transition of power to President Johnson. In a poignant historical coincidence, Stimmel died on April 14, 1935, exactly 70 years after Lincoln was shot.
