The Lincoln Conspirators and Stuart’s Own Dr. George L. Porter

during the opening decades of the 20th century the small sleepy town of Stewart had acquired a reputation as a quiet friendly place surrounded by the St Lucy River offering some of the most fabulous fishing grounds to be found anywhere Numerous northern residents vacationed or spent the winter months in Stewart enjoying the mild climate and great fishing One of the most popular hotels in the area was the Danforth Conveniently located along the banks of the St Lucy River finding the accommodation superb under the direction of Hubert and Susan Bessie many people returned each winter In 1909 a gentleman named Dr George L Porter and his wife Maria Catherine from Connecticut began what was to become a

yearly visit to the Danforth George a retired medical doctor enjoyed the outdoors He was extremely fond of fishing and he really loved the Steuart area In the evenings in the hotel lobby many times he found an eager audience interested in hearing of his extremely adventurous life One of the most intriguing stories Porter told while relaxing in the parlor of the Danforth was about the notorious John Wilks Booth and the other conspirators involved in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and his cabinet in 1865 Did he really have firstirhand knowledge or were these just a series of entertaining tall tales Could this seemingly honorable elderly gentleman have somehow been involved with the aftermath of this infamous

crime Obviously it is recorded fact that the assassination of President Lincoln occurred on April 14th 1865 at Ford Theater in Washington DC with a single shot fired from Boo Daringer The assassin jumped from the presidential box to the stage to make his escape severely injuring his leg However this well-known theatrical actor would manage to elude military troops for days as they searched the countryside Booth traveling with fellow conspirator David Herald stopped for a day at Dr Samuel Mud's home about 30 mi south of Washington on April 15th A splint was secured to Boo's broken left leg caused by his jump to the stage at the theater He was given a pair of crutches by Dr

Mud Harold and Booth continued southward in Maryland traveling days and eventually arrived at the tobacco farm of Richard Garrett in Virginia by April 24th The manhunt for Booth was intense with rewards offered unwanted posters across the region The Union soldiers of the 16th New York Cavalry Regiment in pursuit eventually surrounded Booth and Herald in the Garrett Barn on April 26th Harold coming out of the barn surrendered but Booth refused to relinquish his position The barn was then set ablaze to force Booth out Sergeant Boston Corbett a member of the 16th New York Cavalry went behind the barn and fired his weapon through a large hole in the wall The shot struck Booth in the neck

which severed his spinal cord Pulled from the burning barn Booth was conscious and in extreme pain He died on the Garrett front porch three hours later A member of the Garrett family snipped a lock of Boo's black hair Years later that lock of hair was sent to Boo's mother and a thank you note was sent to the Garretts from John's brother Edwin Boo's wrapped body was then taken back over 60 mi to Washington DC by the soldiers and then brought to the Washington Arsenal Naval Yard for identification and an autopsy The body was identified by Dr John Frederick May Boose medical doctor and Dr William Merrill his dentist along with several individuals who could provide

positive identification The examination along with the autopsy was performed by Surgeon General Joseph K Barnes and Dr Joseph Janvir Woodward at 1:45 a.m on April 27th on board the USS Monttok which was anchored in the Ptoac River Photos were taken of the autopsy by Alexander Gardner a well-known Washington photographer and his assistant Timothy H Osullivan Gardner developed only one plate and one print The plate and print were then taken directly to the war department by government detective James A Wardau and then to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton He had the only image of Booth and tried to control photographs of the body so Booth would not be made a martyr or somehow glorified That plate

and print were never seen again Actually a very small number of people mostly military had access to the mortal remains of the infamous John Wils Booth Under orders of Secretary of War Edwin Stanton the body was to be buried in the old penitentiary on the Washington Arsenal grounds It would be in the dead of night and in the presence of the military storekeeper four enlisted men and the only commissioned military officer Dr George L Porter all supervised the burial of Boo's body in a gun box beneath a dirt floor in a storage room in the prison The location was then covered by a stone slab and the room locked The secrecy was to prevent any

sympathizers of Booth and the southern cause from stealing Booth's body There had been rumors circulating that the body was wrapped and dumped in the Ptoic River that night However Dr Porter sworn to secrecy knew what had really happened Dr Porter was born on April 29th 1838 in Concord New Hampshire He graduated from Brown University in Providence Rhode Island and then Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia by March of 1862 Within a few months he enlisted as a first lieutenant with the light Battery Fourth United States Artillery and later with the fifth US Army Cavalry of the Army of the PTOAC Between 1862 and 1864 George was at the scene of numerous battles

including Cedar Mountain Second Bull Run Manasses Fredericksburg Gettysburg and the Wilderness always serving as field doctor and surgeon He saw his share of death and suffering on the battlefield In May 1864 Porter was wounded in the left arm at Boon Barrow Maryland Later that year he was made posts surgeon and transferred to the Washington Arsenal in Washington DC In March 1865 he earned the rank of major At the arsenal he was able to have his wife with him Maria Catherine Chappie Porter along with their infant daughter Bessie This fortress of some 100 acres was flanked on three sides by the Battoic and Anacostia rivers It dated back to 1794 with a federal penitentiary established in

1826 and a military hospital built on the grounds in 1857 The Washington Arsenal became the focal point of the country's attention after President Lincoln's assassination After the capture of the Lincoln conspirators within a few days of April 15th they were imprisoned on the USS Monttok and USS Sus both ironclide vessels in the Ptoac River near the Washington Arsenal The only two not on the vessels were Mary Serat and Dr Samuel Mud both held for a time at the old Capitol prison These two along with the other six conspirators Lewis Payne George Atzer David Herald Michael Olaflin Jr Edmund Spangler and Samuel Arnold would later be transferred to the Washington Arsenal prison Included in the roundup

were Hartman Richtor a cousin of George Azerod Robert Kinder and brothers Somerset and James Leman all of Germantown Maryland who were arrested with George Azerod and imprisoned on the ironclad ships in the PTOAC where they were questioned and then released With the capital city in turmoil Secretary of War Edwin Stanton handed down all the orders especially relating to the confinement and trial of the conspirators Because 27year-old Dr Porter had performed well in handling the burial of Booth Stanton selected him to serve as the physician to the conspirators while they were in prison Stanton was a powerful man and his favor carried significant weight If all went well Porter was destined for great opportunities in the

post-war government General Winfield Scott Hancock was appointed post Marshall General of the city of Washington and General John F Hartrant was assigned to be special provos marshall or military governor of the old penitentiary where the conspirators were confined There were also four regiments of the veteran reserve corps who constituted the guard General Hartramp was accountable for the safety of the arsenal and to oversee every aspect of the prisoners daily lives Edwin Stanton insisted on complete security around the clock for these prisoners the only individuals incarcerated at the time Besides General Hartramp and Dr Porter there was a staff to assist in the prisoners care and hundreds of military guards The restrictions placed by Stanton on

the prisoners were enormous including that each with the exception of Mary Serat were to have a burlap bag cloaked around their head and neck with small slits from which to breathe see and eat Underneath this hood their eyes and ears were covered with cotton Each prisoner was individually confined to a cell with doors of iron crossarss and a posted guard Besides having metal constraints attached at their ankles and arms making it virtually impossible to move it was Porter's responsibility to perform two to three daily inspections as to the condition of each prisoner and was allowed only to speak to the individual in reference to his medical condition He then was to report back to General

Hartramp who in turn reported to Secretary of War Stanton For food each prisoner was allowed only bread salted meat and coffee Nothing besides a shuck mattress was permitted in the cells There the prisoner sat for hours No communication with anyone No movement allowed or even reading material to pass the time They were slowly being tortured As Dr George Porter spent time caring for each prisoner he witnessed their decline With no fresh air exercise or mental stimulation he felt they would quickly become lunatics Skin disease started to appear on their faces no doubt due to the hoods required to be worn over their heads at all times Swelling of their faces and limbs was a condition

probably due to lack of exercise Dr Porter made General Hartramp aware of the prisoner situation He felt if this type of treatment continued the detainees would not be able to stand trial Hartramp agreed the harsh conditions were life-threatening and would make their standing trial almost impossible Yet to oppose Edwin Stanton at this time could have grave consequences to any military career for Hartra and Porter The military trial for the conspirators was conducted by nine member military commission headed by Major General David Hunter It began in midMay 1865 and was held on the third floor of the Washington Arsenal The prisoners were led to the trial room with hoods on The only exception being Dr Samuel

Mud Mary Sarat wore a black bonnet with a long bail covering her face With all the proposed witnesses evidence and testimony Porter knew this would be a long trial The defense attorneys had only a short time to prepare for trial Reverend Johnson and Frederick A Alen served as the attorneys for Mary Sarat while William E Doster was the attorney for both Lewis Payne and George Atzerat Frederick Stone was defense attorney for David Herald Thomas E-wing Jr and for both Dr Samuel Mud and Edwin Spangler Walter S Cox defended William Mclaflin and Samuel Arnold As a medical doctor George Porter felt so strongly about these inhumane treatments he requested assistance from Dr John P Gray of

the State Lunatic Asylum at Udica New York With Dr Gray reaffirming what Porter and Hartrimp were saying Secretary of War Stanton finally agreed and granted some changes The prisoners were now allowed between 2 and 3 hours of daily exercise The hoods which had covered their heads since being confined on April 25th were removed The one exception was Lewis Payne the young conspirator from Florida He was not bothered by wearing the hood and was judged quite sane by Dr John Gray Porter thought providing reading material was necessary which Stanton reluctantly allowed but Stanton insisted that only books older than 30 years be permitted The writings of James Finear Cooper and Charles Dickens were among some of

the books that Dr Porter selected for the inmates In June 1865 Dr Porter and General Hart ramp requested that the heavy constraints on the prisoner's ankles and wrists also be removed which was permitted Additional amenities allowed were chewing tobacco a change of clothing better food and writing paper and ink These extra items were approved by the commanding officer General Winfield Scott Hancock The trial ended with verdicts of guilty on conspiracy charges and were publicly announced on June 30th Lewis Payne George Atzer David Harold and Mary Serat were sentenced to death by hanging Also found guilty but on lesser charges were Dr Samuel Mud Michael Olaflin Jr Edmund Spangler and Samuel Arnold All were to serve

life sentences at hard labor in a federal prison except for Edward Spangler His was a six-year term The hanging took place on a hot summer day Friday July 7th 1865 in the open south courtyard of the Washington Arsenal which was surrounded by a high brick wall General John F Hartrrenth read the death warrant as each of the prisoners stood on the scaffolding Dr George L Porter was present Also present at the hanging was a young boy thought possibly to be John C Collins age 14 the company boy for the 16th New York Calvary who had pursued Booth At 1:30 p.m the trap doors of the scaffolding dropped Dr George L Porter along with doctors George

A Otis and Joseph J Woodward collectively pronounced the four condemned prisoners dead There had been many differences of opinion concerning the hanging of Mary Serat a woman George Porter stated that he felt Sirat had truly believed the killing of President Lincoln would save the Confederacy Porter years later commented "Mrs Surat possessed unalterable determination and an overmastering devotion to the southern cause and for my careful observation of her during her imprisonment would I believe have willingly sacrificed her life to overthrow the republic And heroic but misguided woman for her conviction Mary was willing to give her life Mary Surat's son John H Surat Jr had also been a suspect in the original kidnapping plot and/or assassination

of Lincoln After the death of Lincoln John fled to Canada and went into hiding By September 1865 he managed to escape to England and later to Italy and then Egypt under the alias of John Watson John will be found on November 23rd 1866 in Egypt and brought back to the United States to stand trial in a civil court He was acquitted in 1867 and released in June 1868 Sirat later married had seven children and lived in Baltimore Maryland He died of pneumonia on April 21st 1916 The remaining conspirators Spangler Olaflin Jr Arnold and Mud were originally told they would be serving their sentences at a federal prison in Albany New York In the early morning

of July 17th 1865 the four prisoners were transferred from the penitentiary to an army sidewheeler steamer called the state of Maine which was anchored in the Ptoac River Accompanying them were Brigadier General Levi Aod Colonel Turner Captain George Dutton and Dr George L Porter along with 28 US Army guards and necessary supplies The steamer set out into Chesapeake Bay then on to Fortress Monroe near Hampton Virginia The prisoners Army staff guards and Dr Porter were then transferred to the USS Florida a US Navy sidewheel steamer By 700 p.m the USS Florida was underway and entered the Atlantic Ocean where it proceeded southward destined for the Florida Keys During the 7-day voyage Dr Porter saw that

the four prisoners were allowed movement fresh air reading material and decent food They were kept in irons only at night At 11:30 a.m on Monday July 24th 1865 the USS Florida and passengers in great secrecy arrived at Fort Jefferson off the southern portion of the Florida Keys Dr George Porter along with the other army staff members spent a few days on dry Tortugas before returning to Washington DC Porter brought back a gift from Florida for General John Hartreth Dr Mud tried to escape on a supply steamer in September 1865 but was located hiding under the ship's floorboards Michael Olaflin died in the yellow fever epidemic September 1867 On February 8th 1869 Mud was pardoned by

President Andrew Johnson because of his work as a physician among prisoners and soldiers when yellow fever struck the fort Mud left Fort Jefferson for his home in Maryland on the ship Matchless Edund Spangler and Samuel Arnold were pardoned on March 2nd 1869 After returning to the Washington Arsenal Dr Porter remained in service there until May 1867 Still an army surgeon he was transferred to Minnesota and then Montana John Wils Booth's body was moved in October 1867 from the original secret store room which had been supervised by Porter in 1865 to another secret location at the Arsenal By 1869 President Andrew Johnson authorized the transfer of the body to John's brother Edwin where it would be

placed in a family burial plot However no monument or headstone was allowed Porter was involved with the muscles shaw river military campaign against the sue Indians in sitting bull at camp cook He medically treated the soldiers and many of the nearby Indian villagers He left the military in July 1868 to travel alone on horseback to view the far American West and the Pacific Ocean After returning east Porter then settled with his wife and children in Bridgeport Connecticut to set up a private medical practice Dr George Porter and his family lived on State Street in Bridgeport He and Maria had several children but sadly a few died very young Porter served the medical community for decades

and was a wellrespected doctor In June 1880 he was one of the earliest doctors to try electric stimulation to reshock the human heart into beating again Unfortunately his experiments were unsuccessful Among other activities he was an active member of the Grand Army of the Republic the vice president of Medical Legal Society in 1897 a 32nd degree Mason a member of the American Academy of Medicine the Military Order of the Loyal Legion and served as president for the Outing Eclectic and Seaside Clubs in Bridgeport He remained a faithful member of the Baptist Church in that city He was sworn to secrecy at the burial of John Wils Booth and of his knowledge of the care of

the prisoners who were held at the Washington Arsenal It wasn't until the late 1890s that he pinned his recollections of those historical events of 1865 His writings included the tragedy of the nation followed by America's most famous murder both written by the turn of the 20th century Porter also wrote an article for the Colombian magazine in April 1911 titled How Boo's Body Was Hidden The recollections confirmed that there were no surgeons reports written while he cared for the conspirators Porter reported verbally to General Hartramp and from there all information went to General Hancock and finally to Secretary of War Stanton He was an extremely popular lecturer especially relating to the 1865 events he had witnessed

Porter became known as the great orator Finally retiring from his medical practice Porter wanted to return to Florida which he had first visited in July 1865 In the winter of 1909 he left Bridgeport to come to Florida traveling by train to enjoy the warm climate of the southern paradise He loved outdoor activities including fishing and horseback riding Porter selected Steuart Florida because of its fantastic fishing made popular by the numerous winter visits of former United States President Rover Cleveland It was written about Stuart and the Danforth Hotel that following the lure of the song the real or the call of the world have from time to time found joy in the waters of beautiful St

Lucy while keeping in touch with the refinements of civilization among the other guests at the Danforth Porter and his wife Maria along with his sister Anna Mary Porter Lincoln and brother-in-law William E Lincoln spent the winter months at the Danforth Hotel in Stewart which faced the lovely St Lucy River Rates were approximately $2 a day Even after his wife's death in December 1915 George continued spending winters in Stewart where he had made numerous lasting friendships He was great friends as many people were with Hubert and Susan Bessie owners of the Danforth Hotel since 1902 Stewart was a quiet small town during the years Porter came to spend the winters Yet there were many social activities

as well as fine theater for entertainment The town was growing during the 1910s The first Lurick Theater located on Ocola Avenue was built in 1914 and then a second larger one was built during World War I but not in full operation until after the war in January 1919 Tragically Hubert Bessie died unexpectedly in 1918 On Monday February 24th 1919 Dr George Luring Porter suffered a heart attack and died suddenly that evening at the Danforth Hotel In spite of a bad heart condition at 80 years old he had continued his fishing and social schedule in Stewart that winter A special service was held for George in the parlor room at the Danforth Hotel the same room

where he had so often related his interesting stories His body accompanied by a sister was then sent by train for burial in Rhode Island Porter was known for entertaining local citizens and visitors with his many adventures It wasn't those who actually remembered the events of the 1860s but rather those younger people born after the 1880s who were most fascinated with the stories Porter told Always known as a caring and very popular man in Florida and Connecticut Dr George L Porter was also Florida's and the town of Stewart's linked to the infamous Lincoln assassins and the events that followed An article about Dr Porter after his death was written February 27th by Cynthia S Haney for

the Steuart Messenger newspaper Here she best expressed his philosophy Dr Porter believed in immortality The Danforth Hotel the winter home for Porter his family and many other visitors was closed permanently in June 1920 Shortly thereafter it was demolished Susan Bessie used wood from the hotel to build herself a new home near the St Lucy River In 1949 a book titled The Surgeon in Charge was written by Dr Porter's greatg granddaughter Mary Walker Porter which was based on his later diaries No one living in Stewart now actually heard any of Porter's stories but his legacy should live on in the history of the town as an important colorful and most noteworthy winter visitor