Edman (Ned) Spangler was born on August 10, 1825. He was originally from York, Pennsylvania, but he spent the majority of his life in the Baltimore area. At one time he worked at the Booth family estate at Bel Air, Maryland. During the Civil War, he came to Washington and began working as a carpenter and sceneshifter at Ford's Theatre. He was acquainted with John Wilkes Booth and often took care of Booth's horse when he was at the theater. While working there, Spangler often slept in the theater itself or in a stable in back of the theater.
During the afternoon of Lincoln's assassination, Spangler was asked by Harry Clay Ford to help prepare the State Box for the president. It was alleged at the conspiracy trial that Spangler talked negatively about Lincoln while working in the box. He helped bring in furniture and remove the partition that converted Boxes 7 and 8 into a single box. Later Booth showed up at the theater and invited Spangler and other Ford's stagehands out for a drink. Booth indicated to the employees that he might come back for the evening's performance.
About 9:30 P.M. Booth again appeared at the theater. He dismounted in the alley to the rear of Ford's and shouted for Spangler. When Spangler came out, Booth asked him to hold his horse. Spangler explained he had work to do and asked Joseph Burroughs, another Ford's employee, to do so. Burroughs, whose nickname was "Johnny Peanut," agreed.
Immediately after the assassination, there was a lot of commotion backstage. Jake Rittersback (spelled Jacob Ritterspaugh in many sources), who also worked at Ford's, said he tried to chase after Booth, but that Spangler hit him in the face and said, "Don't say which way he went."
Spangler was arrested on April 17 and booked as an accomplice to John Wilkes Booth. He was tried along with the other charged co-conspirators. Although the evidence against him was questionable, Spangler was found guilty and sentenced to six years in prison. Along with Dr. Samuel Mudd, Samuel Arnold, and Michael O'Laughlen, Spangler was sent to Ft. Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas off Key West, Florida.
In 1869 Spangler was pardoned by President Andrew Johnson. Eventually Spangler traveled to Dr. Mudd's home. The two men had become friends in prison. Mudd took Spangler in and gave him five acres of land to farm. Spangler performed carpentry chores in the neighborhood. However, Spangler was not in good health and died on February 7, 1875. He was buried in a graveyard connected with St. Peter's Church that was about two miles from Dr. Mudd's home. A grave marker was placed on his gravesite in 1983.
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