Last Witness to President Abraham Lincoln Assassination I've Got A Secret

I've Got a Secret ^ | 3/11/16 | Gary Moore

[ToxicMasculinity]

Mr. Samuel J. Seymour, the last living eyewitness to the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theater in Washington, D.C. was the mystery guest on the February 8, 1956 episode of the I've Got a Secret game show. Mr. Seymour (March 28, 1860 – April 12, 1956) was actually 95 years of age at the time of this appearance instead of 96.

Host: Garry Moore Panelists from left to right: Bill Cullen, Jayne Meadows, Henry Morgan, Lucile Ball

[ToxicMasculinity]

Stumbled on by accident.

[SunkenCiv]

https://freerepublic.com/focus/chat/3872420/posts

[Erik Latranyi]

Nice piece of history. Thanks for sharing!

[laplata]

Thanks for posting.

[Sacajaweau]

wow.......

[jeffersondem]

At first, I thought this story had something to do with Biden.

[SunkenCiv]

https://freerepublic.com/tag/garrymoore/index

[decal]

Or Keith Richards.

[Deplorable American1776]

You mean it wasn’t Liz Cheney? 🤓

[lee martell]

This gentleman had the perfect name for who he was historically: Sam “See-More”

[SunkenCiv]

• Last Witness to President Abraham Lincoln Assassination (video from TV's 'I've Got A Secret', aired Feb. 8, 1956) [08/07/2020]
• Abraham Lincoln was assassinated on April 14, 1865: history, Harper's Weekly, 1956 eyewitness [04/14/2018]
• TV Game Show Appearance Of Last Surviving Man To Witness Abraham Lincoln's Assassination - YouTube [10/22/2012]
• "I Saw John Wilkes Booth Shoot Abraham Lincoln (April 14, 1965)" - 1956 I've Got A Secret on YouTube [10/18/2012]
• TV appearance of Lincoln assassination witness [08/12/2011]

[Jim W N]

Great post. Thanks for sharing.

It’s stunning to me that someone in my lifetime (I was born in 1948) witnessed Lincoln’s assassination.

[Ciaphas Cain]

Have seen this several times and it never gets old. Just so very fascinating!

A few months ago, I got to wondering who were the surviving people born in the 1700s. Found quite a few. These were men and women who were born when George Washington was still alive, and lived long enough for the Wright Brothers to fly their airplane.

[mairdie]

I still remember the jubilation in the papers when the last Confederate soldier outlived the last Union soldier.

Great grandfather was one of the special judge advocates at the Lincoln Assassination Trial. He was brought to DC by Sec Stanton and stayed around to organize the Library of Congress records. Through his life he used to give talks defending Judge Holt and General Hancock for their roles in the trial.

General Burnett’s Memories of the Trial of Lincoln’s Assassins
https://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/burnett/lincoln.htm

https://www.iment.com/maida/familytree/burnett/generalburnett.htm

[EinNYC]

Very very cool!

[Desron13]

I have to say that I find it a little strange to realize that the last person alive that witnessed the Lincoln assassination died less than two years before I was born. Kind of gives me perspective.

[Deo volente]

The article excerpt at the end is also interesting. The little boy, 5-year old Sam Seymour was concerned about the man who fell out of the balcony onto the stage and was injured, John Wilkes Booth, and wanted to help him. He didn’t realize at first in his youthful innocence and perspective what had actually happened.

[ToxicMasculinity]

Here’s more.

Primary Sources - The Surviving Recordings of the Slave Narratives Part 1 of 2 (With Subtitles)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9kPg1nQ8KU

[PGR88]

My mother had a great uncle (to old for me to have met), who was 10 years old when Lincoln was killed. He always told a story about how, as a boy, he climbed a telegraph pole to watch Lincoln’s funeral cortege pass through downtown Buffalo NY and stop at the city hall.

Years ago, when visiting Buffalo, we stopped by their history museum, which had a large Lincoln exhibit with many photos - one wide-photo showed Lincoln’s funeral cortege stopped at City Hall. And just across the street - was a small figure 2/3 up a telegraph pole

[Gnome1949]

My late father, born in West Virginia in 1917, remembered, as a boy, hearing Civil War veterans talking about their experiences during that war.

West Virginia, of course, became a separate state from Virginia, when citizens there refused to be part of Virginia’s secession into the Confederacy and voted to become their own state. West Virginians fought in the Union Army.