Henry
Rathbone
was born in Albany, New York, in 1837.
Rathbone joined the Union Army in 1861
and during the American Civil War reached
the rank of major. After his father's death, his mother married the
New York senator, Ira Harris. In 1865
he became engaged to his step-sister, Clara
Harris.
On 14th April, 1865, Mary
Lincoln,
the wife of Abraham
Lincoln,
invited Clara
Harris
and her fiancee to the Ford Theatre to see the play
Our American Cousin.
John
Parker, a constable in the
Washington Metropolitan Police Force, was detailed to sit on the chair
outside the presidential box. During the third act Parker left to
get a drink. Soon afterwards, John Wilkes
Booth, entered Lincoln's box and shot the president in the back
of the head. Rathbone grabbed Booth but he was slashed with a hunting
knife. Despite a bad wound in his left arm, Rathbone continued to
struggle with Booth and as a result he was unable to jump cleanly
from the State Box. Booth landed on the stage eleven feet below at
an awkward angle and as a result fractured his ankle. However, he
was able to hobble out and get on his horse and escape.
In 1867 Rathbone married Clara Harris
and over the next few years the couple had three children. When Grover
Cleveland became president he appointed Rathbone as his consul
to Germany.
Rathbone's behaviour became more erratic and he appeared to become
jealous of his wife's attentions to the children. On 23rd December,
1883, Rathbone murdered his wife and attempted to commit suicide.
He survived and after being found guilty of murder was committed to
an asylum for the criminally insane. Henry Rathbone died in the asylum
in 1911.
Available from Amazon Books
(order below)
