Assassination Vacation

Readers, it's been another while since you've heard news from the Mercy Missiles front, but it could not be helped: I was out in the field, selflessly researching and gathering materials for your information needs/wants! I spent last week in our nation's capitol, and the above firearm--an object at once dainty and ominous--was one of the main attractions.

Pictured above is the ACTUAL Darringer single shot pistol used by John Wilkes Booth to assassinate Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre on the night of April 14th, 1865. Longtime readers may remember that Mary Todd Lincoln is a particular interest of mine, but with all the Lincoln hubbub this year--due to the bicentennial of his birth--I've widened the scope of my obsession to include all things Lincoln.

Ford's Theatre was what I was especially excited about visiting last week: it's been under reconstruction, just recently reopening its downstairs museum last month, and chief among the artifacts was Booth's pistol. It's well worth a visit, even if you are only a casual Lincoln fan, as it is yet another spot in the district where one can view the actual objects used by and belonging to the most notable players in American history. Ours is a young enough country--we sometimes forget--that the most tactile ephemera (the contents of Booth's pockets when he was captured, for instance) survives, and can be experienced (and gawked at!) as a direct link to past events.

I'll be posting more about my trip in the coming days--I was able to pack a lot of historic ogling into one short week (ask me about the day I saw--in person--the flipside of the nickel! W-O-W!)...