As a young man, Boston Corbett began working in a hat factory in Troy, New York. He had regular exposure to mercury nitrate used in the production of felt. Boston showed signs of hallucinations, psychosis and twitching. After the death of his wife and child, he began drinking heavily. He was unable to hold a job until an encounter with a preacher ended his alcohol consumption and led to his joining the Methodist Episcopal Church. Boston became deeply — fanatically — religious. He wore his hair long to emulate Jesus. One evening, after being propositioned by two prostitutes, Boston castrated himself with a scissors in an effort to avoid sexual temptation.

In April 1861, he joined the Union Army in the early days of the Civil War. He carried a bible with him everywhere he went and berated officers for not participating in his impromptu prayer meetings. He was tried for insubordination and sentenced to be shot, although his sentence was reduced and Boston was discharged. However, he re-enlisted in a different regimen later the same month and was captured and held prisoner at Andersonville prison for five months. He was released in a prisoner exchange.

In April 1865, his regimen was assigned to pursue and apprehend John Wilkes Booth, who had assassinated President Abraham Lincoln early in the month. Two days into the assignment, Corbett’s regimen cornered Booth and Booth accomplice David Herold in a barn on a Virginia tobacco farm. Herold surrendered, but Corbett claimed, through a crack in the barn wall, he saw Booth aim his pistol at him. So, Corbett shot Booth, against orders to bring the assassin in alive. When questioned about his action by superior officers, Corbett said he was “directed by Providence.” Corbett was arrested and brought before the Secretary of War to be court martialed. Corbett maintained that he acted in self-defense.

After a session of rigorous questioning, Secretary of War Edwin Stanton concluded, “The rebel is dead. The patriot lives; he has spared the country expense, continued excitement and trouble. Discharge the patriot.” Corbett was excused. He appeared before a cheering crowd and stated: “God avenged Abraham Lincoln.” Eyewitnesses of the shooting claim that Booth never reached for his gun and that Corbett wasn’t even the one responsible for shooting the presidential assassin.

Corbett proudly wore the moniker of “Lincoln’s Avenger” for the rest of his life. After the Civil War, he returned to the hat-making profession and continued to preach the Gospel to whoever would listen. Fearful of retaliation from Booth sympathizers, Corbett carried a gun where ever he went, often brandishing the weapon at anyone he considered the least bit suspicious. He eventually settled in a cabin in the woods of Minnesota, where he allegedly died in a fire. Over the years, several impostors presented themselves as “Lincoln’s Avenger,” but were all exposed.

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As an elementary school student in her native Scotland, Mary Ure express an interest in acting. In her final year as a student at the Royal Albert Hall’s Central School of Speech and Drama, Mary was offered an opportunity to join the BBC’s Radio Drama Company. She declined. Instead she pursued a successful career on the London stage where she was recognized form her skills as a dramatic actress.

Mary’s reputation brought her to Broadway, In 1958, her performance in Look Back in Anger earned a Tony nomination. The following year, she was cast in the film version of the play opposite Richard Burton. She continued to act in both films and on the stage for the next decade, although it became difficult to maintain both careers. In 1974, Mary was fired from the stage production of Love for Love and replaced by her understudy, Glenn Close.

In 1963, Mary married actor Robert Shaw, her co-star in the play The Changeling. The couple appeared in several plays and films together.

Mary had been dealing with mental health issues for most of her life. Her problems were exacerbated by her heavy alcohol consumption. In 1974, she appeared on the London stage in The Exorcism with actress Honor Blackman and rehearsals were not going well. After a disastrous opening night. Mary was found dead by her husband. She had succumbed to an overdose of alcohol and barbiturates. Mary was 42 years old.

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Jeanne de la Fonte began performing with her family in their circus act and drew acclaim throughout her native France and Europe. Just into her 20s, she came to the United States and appeared in a musical revue in Washington DC, using the stage name “Renée Adorée.” The show, Oh Uncle!, was a hit and Renée’s dancing skills landed her roles in several more productions, including an opening at the Schubert Theater in New York City in 1919.

In 1920, she was cast in director Raoul Walsh’s silent film The Strongest. Based on favorable reviews, Renée made several more films. At the end of the year, she met and married Tom Moore, a popular actor 15 years her senior. The couple divorced after three years and Renée married again just a few months later.

Renée starred in one of MGM’s biggest hits, the 1925 war melodrama The Big Parade. She followed that film with the Howard Hughes-produced The Mating Call, in which she appeared in a controversial nude scene. She made a smooth transition to sound films in 1928, unlike a lot of actors at the time.

In 1930, with 45 films to her credit, Renée was diagnosed with tuberculosis. Against doctor’s orders, she continued to work on the film Call of the Flesh with co-star Ramón Novarro. At the movie’s completion, she was rushed to a hospital. She recovered, but the disease weakened her severely. Attempting to resume her acting career, Renée struggled and eventually resigned from the spotlight. She passed away in 1933 at the age of 35.

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