Is this the tassel that tripped up Lincoln’s killer?
By Steve Whipple
MethuenLife Writer
America’s new president Barack Obama is inspired by the life of Abraham Lincoln. Meanwhile, Methuen’s prominent historian owns an item possibly connected to the death of the 16th president of the United States ...
In the cramped viewing room of a local bank, Methuen historian and author Ernest Mack, 83, gingerly lifts priceless mementos, stamps and currency from a green metal safe-deposit box. All of the contents hold great value to him, but the one object he seeks on this afternoon eludes him.
Finally, an amber credit card-size envelope intrigues him.
“Cross your fingers,” he says with a twinkle in his eye.
He tilts the envelope and out slides a golden rod-colored tassel with a black thread attached to its tip.
The tassel seems innocent enough, but its place in American history may be remarkable. A narrow, yellowed newspaper article accompanying the tassel explains its significance and why a history buff like Ernie keeps this item in a safe deposit box.
The newspaper clip of unknown date refers to valuables of a Springfield, N.H., collector named Charles P. Smith – a relative of Ernie’s:
“Among them is a silk tassel of golden rod color, which was torn from the drapery in President Lincoln’s box in Ford’s New Theater in Washington D.C, by Wilkes Booth’s spur when he jumped from the box to the stage after assassinating the president April 14, 1865. The tassel was picked up by the late James A. Chase of Sunapee, a brother of Willard W. Chase, and sent to his brother Marshal T. Chase, then located in California, but now a resident of Sutton. Mr. Chase was a soldier in the army and was on guard in the theater at the time of the assassination. Mr. Smith purchased the tassel a few years since of M.T. Chase who vouches for its genuineness.”
The guard, no doubt, was fired later that day. Now here’s the story of how the tassel made its way to Methuen.
Smith’s stepdaughter Arvilla Godfrey inherited the tassel, who then passed it on to her guardian, Mabel Bartlett. Ms. Bartlett was the first cousin to Ernie’s father.
“Mabel had possession of it,” recalls Ernie from the Prospect Street home he has lived in since 1925. “It may have been part of her salary for looking after Arvilla.” It’s not clear if Mabel inherited it, or was presented with the tassel for her services.
Mabel then sold the tassel to Ernie in the 1960s.
“She knew I was historically minded. I thought I should offer her something, so I offered her $10 and she was happy to take it. It’s called an interesting piece of history,” said Ernie, who has no desire to sell the tassel.
A modern photo of Ford’s New Theatre does, indeed, show gold-tasseled curtains fanned out in the President’s box where Lincoln was shot in the head at close range by John Wilkes Booth.
Methuen collector Joe Bella, a friend of Ernie’s, said years ago the tassel was displayed annually at the Tenney Gatehouse around the time of Lincoln’s birthday, Feb. 12. He would like to borrow the tassel and display it at Lawrence City Hall along with a copy of a letter written by Lincoln to his wife, noting his stop in Lawrence while on the campaign trail.
“Ernest did the research as to where it came from and he feels it’s authentic,” said Bella, who places a high value on the tassel. “It’s almost like a sacred item in regards to the tragic part of Lincoln’s life. It’s not just a tassel; it’s historically significant.“
Its monetary value, according to collectors contacted by MethuenLife, is tough to determine.
“There is no price guide on items like this. It is only worth what somebody is willing to pay. And even then, the actual sale doesn't establish true worth,” said David Nelson, owner of Uncle Dave’s Americana in Jacksonville, Fla. “True value can only be established when several identical items sell all at a comparable price and over a period of time.”
And since Mr. Booth was tripped up just once, there won’t likely be other tassels of such notoriety.
Bella believes that if the tassel is, indeed, as authentic as Ernie asserts, it would be worth a fortune to the right person.
Said Bella, “I would say an admirer of Lincoln or a collector of pre- and post-Civil War would pay a large sum of money. If it were brought to an auction like Sotheby’s or Christie’s, I’d be curious if the figure were close to a million dollars by the time the gavel fell.”
