One of the more unusual, graphic issues on Lincoln’s death…

June 17, 2024 by  
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The Philadelphia Inquirer had several issues on Lincoln’s death and funeral that were very graphic, more such issues than any other title we’ve encountered from the era. But perhaps the most unusual–I might use the word stunning–would have to be the Cleveland Morning Leader issue of April 28, 1865.

As would be expected of this date, the front page has nice column heads concerning the capture & death of John Wilkes Booth, including: “Stanton’s Bulletin!” “J. W.  BOOTH! SHOT” “Harrold Captured!” “The Murderer’s Remains in Washington” “The Funeral Train” and more.

But the ink bleed-through on the front-page hints that page 2 has something unusual. And indeed it does, as does page 3 as well. When this four-page issue is opened the entirety of page 2 is taken up with a “monument” to the memory of Abraham Lincoln, set in type, done in a graphic style that appears like a monument. There is text within the “monument” but no other text on the page.

And page 3 contains a black-bordered box with five phrases relating to Lincoln, one a quote from his Emancipation Proclamation, and another a bit from one of his speeches.

It’s curious that we purchased this issue at auction with the description limited to just the front-page content on John Wilkes Booth. No mention was made of the inside content, but having had this issue before we knew what was inside – so much more notable than the front page.

 

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Filed under: Civil War, Death Reports, Great Headlines, Newspaper Collecting Ideas, Noteworthy Issues, Post Civil War, The Collectible Community
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Comments

One Response to “One of the more unusual, graphic issues on Lincoln’s death…”

  1. wpps test other on June 22nd, 2024 2:30 am

    Oh, I love lation he found several newspapers with real-time (contemporary) coverage. I was delighted to see the love of something which had captured my husband’s fascination as a young man still have the power to inspire a younger generation. This is one of the most satisfying aspects of newspaper collecting; no matter where your passions lie, there’s likely a newspaper with a report, ad, or headline which will relate to it.

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