Rigid wrist restraint for Lewis Thornton Powell

This is a famous picture of Lewis Thornton Powell, who was one of the people arrested after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865:

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This is an early police mugshot of Powell (also known as Lewis Paine or Payne), who was one of the people put on trial and later executed for taking part in the conspiracy to kill the 16th president of the United States. What I like about this picture, of course, is the rigid wrist restraint he’s locked in.

According to the website A Little Touch Of History, strict security measures were put in to place during the trial, including the use of canvas hoods for the prisoners, to prevent them from talking with each other.

During the trial, the Military Governor showed compassion towards the prisoners and said the inmates who wore the canvas hoods could be allowed to take them off — EXCEPT for Powell, because “The hood didn’t seem to bother him as much as the others.”

Powell and George Atzerodt were also reportedly restrained with a ball and chain, although I was not able to find pictures of the ball and chain.

Here are more pictures of the restraints, and a shot of Powell just before the execution:

 

gay bondage MetalbondNYC_Powell_03 MetalbondNYC_Powell_04

 

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