Explore the Library of Congress
and enjoy all the treasures! The recent episode of American Experience: The Poisoner’s Handbook, led me back
to the Library of Congress website. I was intrigued by the images displayed on
vintage medicine bottles and chemist advertising. Poisons were so proliferate
in the early 20th century.
I had used the Library of Congress site
occasionally through the years, yet I know I have underutilized all the
knowledge the site beholds. Oh, how I wish I could visit in person, someday
perhaps! The collection I have enjoyed the most has been the maps. This time
around, I entered the daguerreotypes collection and entered my state, “Iowa”
into the search. The only result that came up was an image for George Wallace
Jones, whom I instantly recognized as a Senator whom changed the life outcome of
one local pioneer I have researched extensively over the last decade.
In the
past, the ease of maneuvering the LOC website was in my experience, the
downfall of the site. It appears to be improving, but it always seemed to yield
minimal results, if any. I recall in the past even having difficulty finding
the same results upon a return search with the numerous portals navigating the
archive.
The Rare
Book Collection offers some unique specimens. At the top appeared a reward poster for
the murderer of Abraham Lincoln. The $100,000.00 reward offered would be
equivalent to roughly $1.5 million today! The poster was issued by the War
Department and bears photos of Surrat, Booth and Harold. The reward was
$50,000.00 for Booth and $25,000.00 each for Surrat and Harold. I had not been
familiar with Surrat and Harold, so figure this is the time to learn!
A quick
search shows David Harold is actually David Herold. There are numerous online
accounts of the conspirators involved with Lincoln’s assassination, such as this
one by the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Back to The Poisoner’s Handbook - what a
fascinating episode! I was not aware that the government poisoned alcohol
during Prohibition. The film states that in the eyes of Dr. Charles Norris, the
plague of Prohibition comes to realization1.
According to the video, Norris’
motto from a Viennese morgue was placed on the new Chief Medical Examiner
building in New York. The translation from Latin means “Let conversation cease,
let laughter flee, this is the place where death delights
to help the living.”2
2 “The Poisoner’s Handbook,” time 1:50:52.