[Rarebooks] fs: Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth

[Back Creek Books]

Greetings Booklovers,

We are pleased to offer:
~
(No. 7167 )  Bates, Finis L[angdon]. THE ESCAPE AND SUICIDE OF JOHN WILKES 
BOOTH, OR THE FIRST TRUE ACCOUNT OF LINCOLN'S ASSASSINATION, CONTAINING A 
COMPLETE CONFESSION BY BOOTH MANY YEARS AFTER THE CRIME
.
Atlanta: J. L. Nichols & Company, [1907]. Full cloth, Octavo, [x], 309 
pages, Black & white plates. Very good.
      Subtitle continues, "
Giving in Full Detail the Plans, Plot and 
Intrigue of the Conspirators, and the Treachery of Andrew Johnson, then 
Vice-President of the United States. Written for the Correction of History." 
One of the founding works in the "Booth survived!" legend. In 1872 Finis 
Bates, an attorney in Memphis, took a client by the name of John St. Helen. 
Five years later on what he believed was his deathbed, St. Helen confessed 
to Bates that he was in fact John Wilkes Booth, and had escaped capture by 
the Union forces after assassinating Lincoln. St. Helen survived his illness 
and Bates lost touch with him. In 1903 one David E. George committed suicide 
in Enid, Oklahoma, whereupon a local clergyman claimed that Mr. George had 
confessed to him that he was actually John Wilkes Booth. Finis Bates got 
wind of the eerily familiar confession of David E. George in Oklahoma and 
went there to view the body. Bates identified the body as that of his old 
friend John St. Helen, and become fully convinced that George/St. Helen had 
indeed been John Wilkes Booth. He got custody of the remains, wrote this 
book, and travelled the country exhibiting "Booth's mummy" and hawking this 
book at carnivals and side shows. The book reportedly sold some 75,000 
copies, mostly in the South (fancy that), and yet it is fairly scarce today 
due to the poor quality of its manufacturing. This copy remains quite nice, 
however. Frontispiece photo of the author plus 15 other double-sided plates, 
some from photographs. MONAGHAN #1519. Bound in red cloth over boards with 
spine and upper board titled in black. Light wear to extremities, some minor 
stains to cloth, prior ownership name on front free endpaper and pastedown. 
There is a small old bookseller label at lower fore corner of front 
pastedown as well. Textblock is browned, as usual. Hinges not cracked. 
$200.00
See photo: http://www.backcreekbooks.com/bookphotos/7167.jpg

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Thank you for your interest.

Best regards,

Rock Toews
Back Creek Books
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