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SPECIAL ITEMS

The Suspicious Character in Room 126
John Wilkes Booth, his Accomplice, and
the Gun that would have Toppled the White House

A letter of such importance that it is part of the very fabric of American history: Shedding new light on the assassination conspiracy, this letter, from the bartender of the Kirkwood House Hotel, Washington, D.C., seeks reward money for having reported "the suspicious character in Room 126" to the senior detective on the night of Lincoln's assassination. In the chaotic hours following the attacks on Lincoln and the Sewards, senior Detective Lee had been hand-picked to guard Johnson's nearby room in this very hotel. Both Booth and his conspirator George Atzerodt had been in and out of the Kirkwood that day: Lee's charge, Vice Pres. Johnson, was the next assassination target!

An article about this very letter, by historian Edward Steers, Jr. in The Lincolnian, is quoted in part below:

"Shortly before 10 o'clock on the evening of April 14, 1865, a rumpled looking man tied his mare to the weathered railing in front of the Kirkwood Hotel and shuffled into its dimly lit barroom. Ordering a whiskey, he stared blankly into the dark corners of the empty room. Only the sizzle of the gas jets could be heard above the eerie quiet. George Atzerodt had come to this special place on this particular evening at the demand of John Wilkes Booth. It was hours before that Booth had ordered Atzerodt to kill the Vice President of the United States, Andrew Johnson, and thereby take part in a murderous plot to wreak havoc on the government. As Atzerodt fingered his whiskey, Johnson lay sleeping only a few steps away in one of the Kirkwood's rooms.

"Whatever the weak-minded Atzerodt thought of Johnson or Lincoln or the war, murder was beyond his capabilities. As the minutes slipped past his courage evaporated... While Atzerodt slept, the city boiled with activity. Only four blocks away, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton was busy gathering testimony on the night's bloody events. Orders were issued from the back parlor of Petersen's house in a constant stream directing the government's agents in an ever-expanded circle from Stanton's center of operations.

"Major James Obeirne, head of the District Board of Enrollment 'and initial pursuer of the Lincoln assassins], was busy directing his men in an effort to piece together the confusing story that was unfolding. Shortly after midnight, Obeirne sent his top detective John Lee to the Kirkwood to guard the safety of Vice President Andrew Johnson.

"According to Lee's testimony at the conspiracy trial, '...a person employed in the House, whom I knew, told me there had been a suspicious looking man who had taken a room the day previous.' On examining the hotel register, Lee was shown the name 'G.A. Atzerodt' and immediately told the desk clerk to take him to Atzerodt's room. Finding the door locked and being told that Atzerodt had the only key, Lee forced the door. The contents of the room, while sparse, were of enormous importance to the rapidly developing story. Included in the inventory which Lee carefully sifted through were a revolver, capped and loaded, a map of Virginia...and a black coat in the pocket of which was a bank book showing a credit of $445 to Mr. John Wilkes Booth.

"Lee had made a major find, for here was a definite (link) between Booth and Atzerodt...." 'These were the first proofs of a conspiracy, and of Booth's identity.]

The letter is quoted in full:

July 20th, 1865

Major Jas. R. Obeirne
Provost Marshall of the District of Columbia

Dear Sir:

Having on or about the 15th of April given information to the Detectives then on duty guarding Mr. Johnson's room, of one suspicious character in Room 126 of the Hotel, which on being searched proved to be Atzerodt's, and from the things found in the Room he was caught. I would like you to give this due consideration and if it is worth anything I hope to receive it. This statement I can prove by two or three Detectives now in the service of the Government.

Yours Most Respectfully,
Michael Henry
Bartender

Henry's letter was submitted to Obeirne in an attempt to gain him a share of the reward money. (Unfortunately, he received nothing for his effort.)

The circumstances which had led Lee to Atzerodt's room on the 15th of April were long unclear. Various authors have referred to Lee's tip of a "suspicious man" as coming from the desk clerk, or from a customer of the bar - or from the bartender, Michael Henry. The records and transcripts that have emerged from the subsequent conspiracy trial are silent on the specifics of John Lee's source and no reference to it occurs in either the JAG files or the AG files.

The letter offered here shows that it was, in fact, the bartender - and writer of this letter, Michael Henry, who called Detective Lee's attention to "the suspicious character." Henry's suspicions triggered the quickly expanding cache of evidence - without which Booth might have escaped justice!

On attractive letterhead of Kirkwood House, penned in rich walnut brown on blue-lined ivory, 43/4 x 73/4. Miniature ornate blind-embossed stationers' crest, ironically reading "Hope." Trivial wear, else very fine, wonderful for display. A true "smoking gun," and one of the most important Lincoln-related items we have offered in many years. With complete copy of article. $17,500

Secret A.L.S. of Robert E. Lee
Hours before his retreat from Gettysburg,
Lee issues critical instructions to protect his army

Robert E. Lee. Important secret A.L.S. in the aftermath of the Battle of Gettysburg, with the "confidential" text portion in pencil - to permit the message to be erased by the recipient in case of danger. The balance of the letter (date, salutation, first and last sentences, and his choice signature) are penned in brown ink. Written during his retreat from Gettysburg, the battle the week before. July 13, 1863, 3 P.M., 1 p., 71/2 x 91/2. Head Quarters, A(rmy of) N(orthern) V(irgini)a, to Col. 'George] Imboden, '18th Va.] Cavalry Regt., headed "Confidential" in Lee's hand. Pencilled portions are italicized: "Col., Your note of 2:15 PM has been received. In my previous letter I desired you to see Gen. Stuart and make arrangements for relieving your pickets. You must not withdraw your pickets until they are relieved. Leave your pickets as they stand with instructions to follow you at day light in the morning unless sooner relieved and you can move with your regiment as soon as possible to Hedgesville 'West Virginia] to guard that pass & protect the trains of the Army. Very respy. R.E. Lee Genl." An historic letter from a fast-moving period that was to be a turning point (downward) for the Confederate Army. Lee had just been defeated at Gettysburg when he issued these critical instructions to preserve his Army and trains, through use of Jeb Stuart's cavalry. Later this night Lee would begin retreating southward. Imboden was one of five brothers, of whom four served in the Confederate Army (the youngest, fifth brother was still in military school). At the time he received this letter from Lee, Col. George Imboden was under the command of his equally distinguished brother, Gen. John Imboden; George would be severely wounded the following year. A recent book about them, Defender of the Valley, by Harold R. Woodward, Jr. (Berryville, Va.: 1996), contains a wealth of information. On pale blue lined paper, pencilled portion lightly written by Lee (for security reasons), but plainly legible. Some fold wear, minor spotting, overall very good. In magnificent, costly frame, using acid-free materials, under Plexiglas, by well-known gallery, their label on back. Dark green velvet mat, with steel-engraved portrait of Lee. $30,000

EXTRAORDINARY DOCUMENT dated
JULY 4th, 1776

Perhaps the most riveting item we have ever had: a manuscript Document Signed by Joseph Andrus, prominent patriot in the oldest town in Connecticut, for "a Gun and Bayonet..." received on July 4, 1776.

Wethersfield was (and is) the oldest town in the state. A hotbed of revolutionary activity, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Henry Knox, Tom Paine, Rochambeau and George Washington were among its visitors, the latter a number of times; Silas Deane lived here. In response to the Lexington Alarm, prompted by Paul Revere's famous ride, Wethersfield provided probably the largest company of troops from the entire Colony. Wethersfield soldiers would serve in almost all of the important battles of the War, from Charlestown to Yorktown. John Adams recorded in his Diary in 1774, "We went up the steeple of Wethersfield meeting-house, from whence is the most grand and beautiful prospect in the world, at least that I ever saw."

Near the meeting-house, at the center of town, was the Andrus home. Fortified against attacks, townspeople sought protection at night here.

On July 4th, 1776, Joseph Andrus received a gun and bayonet. It is likely that at the moment on July 4th that this document was accomplished, he was unaware that independence would be declared, as it continues to refer to Connecticut as a colony. Following is its complete text:

"Recd. of the Selectmen of Wethersfield a Gun & Bayonet 'ap]prized at L3.5 to be used in ye Colony''s] Service 'in] the ensuing Campaign & returnd to s'ai]d Selectmen. Joseph Andrus / Wethersfield July 4th, 1776." 2-1/4 x 7-1/4 in., oblong; manuscript endorsement on verso, "Capt. Cheeteswell(?) / Paid 1 Gun."

Wethersfield would continue to play a pivotal role in American history. Some five years on, in May 1781, Washington would again visit the town, where he would be joined by Count de Rochambeau, his French counterpart. Known thence as the "Wethersfield Conference," that historic meeting would plot the strategy that would ultimately win the war, validating the Declaration of Independence ... proclaimed on the very day of this document: July 4, 1776.

Trivial wear, else in fine condition.

ABOUT JULY 4, 1776 MATERIAL:

July 4, 1776 manuscripts, documents, or original letters are today functionally uncollectable by virtue of their excessive rarity in the market. Those that survive do so in closed private and institutional collections, whose contents will never be sold. Even here, July 4, 1776 items are elusive: Internet searches of the inventory databases of the National Archives, Smithsonian National Museum of American History, the Library of Congress Rare Book and Special Collections Division, The New York Public Library, and other resources have failed to locate any such items (other than the Declaration of Independence itself). (We do not represent our search as being conclusive, as at least one major institution advises that portions of their holdings are not catalogued, however one can say with authority that July 4, 1776 manuscripts are rare. In our 54 years in business, this is the only such item we have ever had.) To find a document with military content, from such an historic town, signed by a patriot of this prominence, is extraordinary.

The most important artifact of American history we have ever offered. P.O.R.

The original - and only - records in private hands
of the "Father of the American Automobiles"
most successful enterprise:

"MINUTES OF STOCKHOLDERS
AND BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OF
DURYEA POWER COMPANY
OF READING, PENNSYLVANIA"

Remarkable manuscript corporate minute book, chronicling the rise and fall of Charles Duryea's automaking enterprise, from its formation in 1900, to demise in 1906. Comprising volume bound in original boards, gilded burgundy calf corners and spine trim, 8-1/2 x 13-3/4 in., some 65 of its 152 numbered pp. used, together with inserted and pinned matter, some typewritten.

Containing the most seminal original documents relevant to modern American industrial history that we have ever handled, including:

Original manuscript petition of Duryea's incorporation, on page 1 of volume. Dated Mar. 6, 1900. "Said corporation is formed for the purpose of the manufacture of iron or steel or both...including automobiles, motors, propellers and parts of either...." Listing Herbert M. Sternbergh as principal shareholder, with four shares, and Charles E. Duryea with three.

Recorded copy of approval of incorporation by Governor of Pennsylvania, and Letters Patent issued to Duryea Power Company.

By-Laws of Duryea Power Company, April 20, 1900, signed at conclusion by all five Stockholders, and additionally initialed in pencil by Sternbergh and Duryea.

Election of Officers, including Sternbergh as President, and Duryea Vice President, and adoption of resolution "...to take action on...the proposed increase of the capital stock of said company from $1,000.00 to $100,000.00...." Signed twice by Secretary Henry Millholland, notarized by fellow Shareholder Adam Otterbein of Reading.

Minutes of meeting, Apr. 20, 1900, in which Charles Duryea is issued 300 shares of new stock, together with $1,000.00 "to him and to the Duryea Manufacturing Company of Peoria, Illinois...in consideration of the said Charles E. Duryea and the said Duryea Manufacturing Company licensing this company to manufacture and sell motors, propellers and light automobiles under all patents and inventions now owned or controlled...." Additionally, 95 shares are issued to Henry Crowther (who as late as 1916 would build the Crowther-Duryea automobile in Rochester). "...the officers were authorized to execute a lease from Mess'rs]. Haubner and Heller for factory property on North River Street, Reading, Pa."

Contemporary typewritten minutes of July 20, 1900 meeting. "Mr. Duryea reported the progress of the new work as coming on as well as could be expected, ten engines being worked on in the shop and in fact, nearly completed. The Company's new location at North River & Hockley Sts., has been found well suited for the work and convenient in many ways...Some time was spent in equipping the shop with new machinery and increasing the number of hands at work from two during March and three during April to about sixteen during July...The Treasurer also reported bills of accounts paid up to within about thirty days, and the total of bills payable on this date approximately $600. The first carriage was taken out of the shop and operated on May 29th, after which some changes were made and the wagon body finished and was shipped on July 18th...."

Typewritten minutes of Nov. 24, 1900: "...It was also decided to make reduction in price of the driving phaeton, making the price from this date forward $1250. each f.o.b. factory without top and the price $1325. with top."

Curiously advancing to July 11, 1903 (with no interruption in numbering of leaves), Duryea himself is made Secretary and Treasurer, and capital stock increased to $200,000. Signed by Duryea at conclusion.

Typewritten statement, Aug. 11, 1905: "To the President and Board of Directors of the Duryea Power Co...I hereby tender my resignation as Secretary to take effect as soon as my successor shall have been elected and qualified." Boldly signed by Duryea. Together with: letter of resignation of fellow Director Paul D. Millholland (successor to Henry Millholland).

Manuscript minutes of meeting of that same day: "...Mr. Duryea reported the successful negotiation of a loan from and a contract with Roger C. Aldrich of Richmond Hill, N.Y...," and replacing Duryea with Aldrich as Secretary. Signed by Duryea, together with "Duryea Power Co." in his hand.

Retained typewritten copy of Agreement, Aug. 10, 1905, 2 pp., in which Duryea Power Co. borrows $10,000 from Aldrich, and will "employ him as its office manager in its business at Reading...loan to be guaranteed by Charles E. Duryea...." Signed three times by Duryea at conclusion (once as "Duryea Power Company"), and once by Sternbergh, and bearing blind-embossed Duryea Power Co. seal.

Manuscript minutes of meeting, Mar. 19, 1906, evidently in Aldrich's hand, and indicating Duryea's presence. Ratifying a contract between Duryea, and Stevenson & Richardson, Philadelphia, contemplating "the issue by the D(uryea) P(ower) C(o.) of $100,000 of 6% bonds...."

Manuscript minutes, Apr. 2, 1906, in which Duryea proposes a resolution: "Whereas a larger working capital is deemed necessary...resolved that the indebtedness of this Company be increased from $41,000 to $141,000...."

Manuscript minutes, May 15, 1906 , in which $100,000 in "gold bonds" are issued, payable in 1926(!), with additional changes made the following day.

Manuscript minutes, July 14, 1906, in which Berks County Trust Co. "has made a temporary loan to the Duryea Power Co. of $12,000 for the purchase of certain real estate...," and Duryea shall deliver bonds as collateral.

Typewritten minutes, July 14 and Aug. 9, 1906, relating to bonds, and private purchase of $100,000, at 10% discount, by Philadelphia house English, Sullivan and Co., evidently in exchange for three seats on Duryea's Board of Directors.

Manuscript minutes, Aug. 20, 1906. "...The question of the policy of the Company for the ensuing year was discussed and it was decided to continue the manufacture of the folding rear phaeton and to conservatively push the four wheeled phaeton and the Double Victoria to the extent of keeping one in stock for delivery...but not to stock up on the two last named styles of vehicles...."

Manuscript minutes, Aug. 31, 1906. "...the prime object of this Company is to turn out as large an output as possible and as economically as possible...Mr. Duryea shall devote as much of his time as possible to the work in the shop, i.e. the design, details of construction, and details of manufacture, all thru...The Company shall not engage in any new experimental work...it shall be the policy of the Company to buy all of the parts and materials that can be bought more cheaply than they can be made and to do such work as painting and upholstering in our own shop...no strangers shall be admitted to the shop...steps should be taken immediately to get out a good catalog in order to have same ready before the New York Show...."

Manuscript minutes, Sep(t). 7, 1906. "...no rigs 'shall] be run at any time either inside or outside of business hours without the consent of someone in the office...the matter should be referred to Mr. Duryea...Mr. Sternbergh advised the Directors that his stock was not for sale at present, but that when...everything was in a thoro(ugh)ly prosperous condition he would be willing to sell his stock to the other members of the Company, at what it had cost him, and interest...."

Manuscript minutes, Sep(t). 28, 1906. Requesting resignation of S.M. Heim, Duryea's General Business Manager, having served less than one month.

Manuscript minutes, Oct. 6, 1906. Reappointing Charles Duryea Secretary Pro-Tem; signed by Duryea.

Original typewritten Agreement, Oct. 5, 1906. "...in case the business of the Duryea Power Company is continued from the above date until Dec. 1, 1907, the said Chas. E. Duryea will...devote his entire time and best efforts to the business of the Duryea Power Company, mainly in supervising the shop work of constructing engine parts and vehicles but aiding the business and the progress of the Company...and...that he will aid and advise the Superintendent and employes in getting out as large an output of vehicles as possible and in making those vehicles first class and of good workmanship, solid construction, etc...Charles E. Duryea also agrees not in any manner to promote or aid in promoting or forming or establishing any other or outside schemes or plans looking toward the establishing of any automobile business of any descriptions, except only the arrangement that he now already has with the Messrs. Briscoe...And...he is permitted to continue present negotiations with Messrs. Turner, Cavanaugh and associates at Easton looking solely toward the purchase of the business of the Duryea Power Company at Reading in its entirety." Signed by Duryea, and twice by Sternbergh. Blind-embossed seal of Duryea Power Co.

Original typewritten Agreement, Oct. 6, 1906, 2 folio pp. A complex transaction, in which Duryea seeks to terminate Aldrich's employment as their Office Manager and convert $1,000 of salary due him to a loan to the Company, while Aldrich seeks to call his $10,000 loan to the Company nearly one year prematurely...and the Company seeks an extension beyond the original due date! "...should the Company at any time fail, discontinue to do business...the whole amount of Aldrich's loans shall then become due...." Signed by Duryea with "V.P." in his hand, by Sternbergh with "Duryea Power Co." in his hand, and by Aldrich. Blind-embossed seal.

The final document is a letter from J.H. English, "Government, Municipal, Railroad and Corporation Bonds, Local Stocks," Elmira, N.Y., Oct. 3, 1906, to Sternbergh. "I beg to tender herewith my resignation as a director in your company to take effect immediately. Regretting our disconnection...."

In all, 65 pp. plus inserted matter, with twelve signatures (in various forms, as described) on eight documents of Charles E. Duryea, together with six signatures of Sternbergh, and numerous signatures of the other Officers. Among these documents are the most significant Duryea items we believe to be in private hands, and taken as an intact body, they form one of the most poignant and historic artifacts of the birth of the automobile industry in America.

Leaf 23-24 loose but present; pp. 29-32 blank; some inserted pages with minor edge chipping with no loss of text; much of spine covering worn, front hinge loose and binding somewhat shaken, but internally clean and variously fine to excellent.

Unpublished, indeed unknown until its discovery recently, and said to be the only surviving company records of Duryea's Reading enterprise, apart from incidental business- and bankruptcy-related files that might still reside in official court archives. A highly controversial figure, Charles Duryea, together with his brother J. Frank, won the first automobile race in America (1895), and built the first "mass-produced" automobile in America until they parted ways around the turn of the century. Charles would build cars elsewhere after this Reading period, but they were consistently short-lived and ill-fated.

The excessive rarity of early minute books of automobile manufacturers has been said to be the handwork of one Alfred O. Dunk.

In this primordial period of automobile evolution, the major banking and oil interests are said to have colluded in a scheme to enrich themselves beyond their dreams. (It worked!) The automobile represented an unparalleled opportunity to sell oil and gasoline--but it was frightfully unreliable. Clearly, the general public would not buy cars, and the attendant vast quantities of oil and gas, unless its combustion problems were resolved.

Here, Morgan, the Rockefellers, and H.H. Rogers decided to underwrite research and development at automobile companies. Taking a buckshot approach, they advanced funds to several hundred automakers, hoping that at least one of them would conquer the problems of engine knock and poor running that deterred potential buyers. But because of the fresh memory of antitrust legislation, they were obliged to distribute this funding clandestinely. If their backing were discovered, they would face certain wrath at the hands of Washington and the public whose business they were ultimately seeking to cultivate.

Using various fronts, they provided funds to automakers. It is entirely possible that one or more of the financiers mentioned in this minute bookwas such a front.

The Morgans and Rockefellers faced an even greater sub rosa challenge when the many automakers they had backed began to fail. Knowing that at each company there was one body of evidence that could link them to their conspiracy to violate antitrust legislation, they set out to gain physical possession of the respective corporate books of minutes. In inquisitive hands, these books could reveal patterns, names, dates, and other facts which could lead back to the Morgans and Rockefellers.

Employing an obscure lawyer by the name of Alfred O. Dunk, they sought to purchase the corporate shells of the failing and defunct automakers, with the singular objective of gaining possession of their minute books. It is believed that virtually all minute books that were captured were destroyed.

Any relationship in fact between Duryea and the Morgans and Rockefellers remains to be researched--and in fact may have been unknown to Charles Duryea himself in those years. But in all events, the existence of any corporate minute book of a nineteenth-century auto manufacturer, let alone Duryea's, is most extraordinary.

P. O. R.
Offered on Behalf of Seller By:

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