DRAFT! The Truth Won’t Stay Buried: Boston Corbet, Booth’s Mummy, Bonnie & Clyde’s Topeka Hideout, and the Lincoln–JFK Death Spiral

By Bob Cutler, Unofficial Historian of the Unhinged and Keeper of the Tin Cup of Truth

You know what they say: history doesn’t repeat itself, but it sure does rhyme — usually in a minor key, with a tinfoil hat on. Let’s talk about Boston Corbet, the man who shot John Wilkes Booth (maybe), and how his bullet may have ricocheted through time, bouncing off the walls of the Topeka State Capitol and landing squarely in Dealey Plaza.

(Add in the forward written by Rev Ivan Stang to the Big Book Of Conspiracy that points out how once you start researching one conspiracy theory, it runs into another theory, and then that one runs into yet another conspiracy theory, until eventually you discover that ALL of the conspiracies are related and interconnected somehow, and if you continue researching you eventually find out that YOU yourself are PART of the conspiracy!
So Nieches was right: Be careful when you go staring into conspiracy theories that you do not become a conspiracy theory as well……Or ok, fuck it, I made that part up, screw Rev Stang, Ill blow hi out of my 3rd nostril and just claim I wrote that whole bit all on my own. I mean, whos gonna sue me?

)

Boston Corbet: The Jack Ruby of 1865

Boston Corbet, Union soldier, hatter by trade, and alleged sufferer of mercury-induced madness, was the man who defied orders and shot Booth in a burning barn. Except… maybe he didn’t. Some say Booth escaped, lived under an alias, and confessed on his deathbed decades later. His body? Allegedly mummified and toured around the country like a carnival freak show. The Booth family? They want DNA testing — if only they could find the mummy. Because apparently, even the corpse went rogue.

And Corbet? He ended up in Topeka, Kansas, working as a security guard at the state capitol. Legend has it he fired his gun inside the legislature during a political brawl. Bullet holes still mark the ceiling — a literal monument to the madness of American democracy.

Eventually, Corbet was committed to the Topeka State Hospital, suffering from “Mad Hatter’s Disease” (mercury poisoning from hat-making). And now, there’s a family in the area with the surname Corbet. Coincidence? Or bloodline of the man who may have silenced Booth — or helped cover up the truth?

Lafayette Baker: Poisoned Patriot or Silenced Whistleblower?

Your GGGG granduncle Lafayette Baker, head of the National Detective Police, ordered Booth be taken alive. Corbet ignored that. Later, Baker was exhumed because of credible evidence he’d been poisoned. Arsenic and heavy metals were found in his remains — suggesting a slow, deliberate silencing. The man who knew too much? Buried with secrets. Until he wasn’t.

Lincoln, Oswald, and the Graveyard Shuffle

Lincoln’s body was moved, reburied, and nearly stolen multiple times. Oswald? Exhumed in 1981 because conspiracy theorists believed the man buried wasn’t the real Lee Harvey. The Butthole Surfers even immortalized the mystery in their lyric: “The Shah sleeps in Lee Harvey’s grave.” Because when it comes to assassinations, the dead don’t rest — and neither does the paranoia.

Bonnie & Clyde’s Topeka Connection

Bonnie and Clyde stole the car they were ambushed in — from Topeka. They hid out in an old motel in East Topeka. And in Kansas City’s El Torreon Ballroom, there was a car with a serial number just one digit off from the death car. Two identical vehicles, one city apart. Coincidence? Or a glitch in the matrix?

The Lincoln–JFK Death Spiral

Let’s not forget the eerie parallels:

And both assassins were killed before trial. Because apparently, justice is allergic to closure.

Final Thought: The Truth Is a Zombie

The players won’t stay buried. The bodies won’t stay put. The cars won’t stay parked. And the coincidences won’t stop piling up. Whether it’s Booth’s wandering mummy, Bonnie and Clyde’s Topeka hideout, or the bullet holes in the Kansas legislature, one thing’s clear:

The truth didn’t die. It just went underground.

Primary Books & Historical Sources

The Big Book of Conspiracies by Doug Moench (Factoid Books)

• A graphic anthology of conspiracy theories including JFK, Lincoln, UFOs, and more.
• Available at:
  • (www.amazon.com/Big-Book-Conspiracies-Factoid-Books/dp/1563891867)
  • (www.thriftbooks.com/w/the-big-book-of-conspiracies-factoid-books_doug-moench/328601/)
  • (www.ebay.com/itm/297550559672)
  • (www.abebooks.com/book-search/kw/the-big-book-of-conspiracies-factoid-books/)
  • (www.librarything.com/series/Factoid+Books)

History of the United States Secret Service by Lafayette C. Baker

• Baker’s firsthand account of Civil War espionage and secret operations.
• Full text available at:
  • (www.archive.org/details/histsecretservice00bakerich)
  • (www.books.google.com/books/about/History_of_the_United_States_Secret_Serv.html?id=DxgzAQAAMAAJ)
  • (www.goodreads.com/book/show/2189436.History_of_the_United_States_Secret_Service)

Note: Baker’s book is often confused with “Secret Service in the Great War,” but his actual title is “History of the United States Secret Service” (1867).

Genealogy & Historical Connections

Lafayette C. Baker

• Civil War spy chief, controversial figure, and alleged poisoning victim. He was Lincolns chief spymaster during the civil war, and also the head of Lincolns security detail.
• Biography and timeline:
  • (www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lafayette_C._Baker)
  • (www.britannica.com/biography/LaFayette-Curry-Baker)
  • (www.spartacus-educational.com/USAbaker.htm)
  • (www.militaryimagesmagazine-digital.com/2022/06/05/scoundrel-the-rise-and-fall-of-union-spy-chief-lafayette-curry-baker/)
  • (www.stevenhager.net/2014/09/12/inside-the-lincoln-conspiracy/)

Robert “Bobby” Cutler – National Security Advisor to Eisenhower

• While no direct genealogical link is publicly documented between Lafayette Baker and Robert Cutler, further research into family records, census data, and military archives may reveal connections.
  Ike’s Mystery Man: The Secret Lives of Robert Cutler Book by Peter Shinkle
• 
  https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=5bc517159745ff789794d62ea958823c47cf23ea32fde1569eb8501a3b433b5aJmltdHM9MTc2MjkwNTYwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=26d97637-f109-6ddc-11fe-6070f0666cc7&psq=Ikes+Mystery+man&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYW1hem9uLmNvbS9Ja2VzLU15c3RlcnktTWFuLVNlY3JldC1Sb2JlcnQvZHAvMTU4NjQyMjQzWA
• Bobby Cutler’s oral history:
  • (www.discoverlbj.org/item/oh-bakerr-19741023-1-99-17)
    

Genealogical research tools to explore possible family ties:

• (www.ancestry.com)
• (www.familysearch.org)
• (www.fold3.com) — military records
• (www.findagrave.com)

Lincoln–JFK Assassination Parallels & Exhumation Lore

• Lincoln and JFK assassination coincidences:
  • (www.history.com/news/abraham-lincoln-john-f-kennedy-coincidences)
  • (www.snopes.com/fact-check/lincoln-kennedy-coincidences/)
• Oswald exhumation and identity controversy:
  • (www.nytimes.com/1981/10/05/us/oswald-s-body-is-exhumed.html)
  • (www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/10/05/oswalds-body-exhumed/)

Bonnie & Clyde’s Topeka Connection

• Bonnie & Clyde’s car and Kansas hideouts:
  • (www.legendsofamerica.com/outlaw-bonnieclyde/)
  • (www.kansasmemory.org/item/216)
  • (www.kshs.org/kansapedia/bonnie-and-clyde/12000)

Further Reading & Research Tools

(www.archives.gov/research/jfk)

Civil War intelligence and espionage:

(www.civilwarintelligence.com)

Assassination archives:

(www.maryferrell.org)

JFK assassination records:

This network graph connects:

• Boston Corbet → Shot John Wilkes Booth (allegedly), later institutionalized in Topeka.
• John Wilkes Booth → Assassin of Lincoln, possibly escaped and mummified.
• Lafayette Baker → Ordered Booth be taken alive, later exhumed and found poisoned.
• Abraham Lincoln → Assassinated, body repeatedly moved and nearly stolen.
• JFK → Assassinated with uncanny parallels to Lincoln.
• Lee Harvey Oswald → Alleged assassin of JFK, exhumed amid identity doubts.
• Bonnie and Clyde → Hid out in Topeka, stole the car they were ambushed in.
• Robert Bobby Cutler → Eisenhower’s National Security Advisor, possibly linked to Lafayette Baker via Bob Cutler.
• Bob Cutler → Our fearless narrator, connecting dots and kicking up dust.

Arrows show relationships like assassination, exhumation, poisoning, shared locations, and historical parallels. The map is designed to be both satirical and research-friendly — a visual rabbit hole for truth-seekers and skeptics alike.

New Connections Added to the Map

• Robert “Bobby” Cutler → Helped found the National Security Agency (NSA)
  • The NSA was created in 1952 under Eisenhower’s administration, with Cutler as the first National Security Advisor.
  • The agency’s existence was not officially acknowledged until 1978, fueling decades of speculation and secrecy.
  • Connection shown as: Robert Bobby Cutler → NSA → Top Secret (Not Public Until 1978)
• Lafayette Baker → Helped establish the Secret Service
  • Baker played a key role in post-Civil War intelligence and surveillance operations.
  • He worked alongside the Pinkerton Detective Agency, which was instrumental in early federal security efforts.
  • Connection shown as: Lafayette Baker → Secret Service → Pinkertons

Map Highlights

Visual Flow: Directional arrows trace influence, causality, and eerie coincidences — from Booth’s mummy to Oswald’s exhumation, from Topeka bullet holes to NSA black sites.

Agency Origins: Shows how two key figures in your lineage helped shape America’s covert infrastructure — one in the 19th century, one in the Cold War era.

Historical Parallels: The map now visually links Baker and Cutler through their roles in founding secretive institutions, reinforcing your satirical theme of “players who won’t stay buried.”

Primary historical / summary sources about Boston Corbett (Topeka, asylum, escape, Neodesha sightings)

• Wikipedia — Boston Corbett (summary of life, Topeka asylum commitment, escape 26 May 1888, Neodesha sighting).
  (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Corbett)
• Kansas Reflector — “Boston Corbett is part of Kansas Statehouse history; his madness offers a lesson in fanaticism” (modern summary, mentions Topeka, Neodesha, last sightings).
  (kansasreflector.com/2024/01/14/boston-corbett-is-part-of-kansas-statehouse-history-his-madness-offers-a-lesson-in-fanaticism)
• Topeka Capital-Journal / CJOnline — “Killer of Lincoln’s assassin once lived in Topeka” (local newspaper piece summarizing Corbett’s Topeka period, asylum escape, etc.).
  (cjonline.com/story/news/local/2014/08/30/killer-lincolns-assassin-once-lived-topeka/16657826007)
• Library of Congress — “Boston Corbett: Topics in Chronicling America” (newspaper clippings and guide to press coverage including reports of commitment and escape).
  (guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-boston-corbett)
• The Latin Library / Civil War notes — short biographical note referencing his appointment as assistant doorkeeper in Topeka and later events.
  (thelatinlibrary.com/chron/civilwarnotes/corbett.html)
• KSPatriot — short historical write-up about Corbett’s time at the Kansas House and his eccentric behavior there.
  (kspatriot.org/index.php/articles/14-kansas-government/661-boston-corbett-adjourns-the-kansas-house-of-representatives.html)

Local / genealogical sources for Corbett/Corbet families in Topeka / Shawnee County

• USGenWeb / KSGenWeb — “1918 KS & Kansans, James D. Corbet” (example county biography showing Corbet/Corbett family presence in Shawnee County).
  (usgenwebsites.org/KSGenWeb/archives/1918ks/bioc/corbetjd.html)
• Find a Grave — William E. Corbett memorial and burial data (example of a Topeka/Shawnee County Corbett).
  (findagrave.com/memorial/26659321/w.-e.-corbett)
• Genealogy Trails — Shawnee County obituaries and local genealogy pages (collates obits and local notices referencing Corbett family members).
  (genealogytrails.com/kan/shawnee/obitsc.html)
• Archive.org — “The Family of Corbet” (historical family compendium; useful for surname background though not a direct Topeka tie).
  (archive.org/download/familyofcorbetit02corb/familyofcorbetit02corb.pdf)
• FamilySearch / Ancestral indexes — general search pages and specific person entries (useful for local Corbett births/deaths/census records; some records require login).
  (familysearch.org)
• Ancestry (search results) — example search results for local Corbett records (note: Ancestry is paywalled but indexes are often useful).
  (ancestry.com/genealogy/records/results)

Other useful / background references cited in my earlier research

• The American Scholar — longform article “The Man Who Shot the Man Who Shot Lincoln” (biographical background on Corbett, his life and later Kansas years).
  (theamericanscholar.org/the-man-who-shot-the-man-who-shot-lincoln)
• CamdenHistory.com — short local biographical note on Thomas P. “Boston” Corbett.
  (camdenhistory.com/Thomas-P-Boston-Corbett)

Notes on coverage and limits

• A number of the genealogical databases (Ancestry, FamilySearch images, etc.) require login or are paywalled; I included their landing/search URLs so you can run targeted queries (e.g., 1870/1880/1900 censuses) for specific Corbett/Corbet names.
• I did not find any authoritative published source that documents a direct genealogical connection between Boston Corbett (Thomas H. Corbett) and the various Corbett/Corbet families recorded in Topeka/Shawnee County. The list above includes the main places I checked that either document Boston Corbett’s Topeka asylum/escape (Wikipedia, LOC, CJOnline, Kansas Reflector) or that list local Corbett families (USGenWeb, Find a Grave, Genealogy Trails).
• If you want, I can now:
  1. Pull specific census entries (1870/1880/1900) for any Corbett/Corbet names you care about and deliver transcriptions (some require library/database access).
  2. Search Chronicling America or local newspapers for specific Corbett/Corbet obituaries or household mentions in Shawnee County across a selected date range.
  3. Attempt to retrieve probate/land records for named Corbett individuals from Shawnee County public records portals (if available online).