Topeka, Kansas: No Spit Brick and Lincoln Blood Splatter

Kansan T. D. Bancroft, who was present when President Lincoln was shot in Ford's Theater on April 14,1865, managed to dip his program in the blood splatter as the Lincoln's body was removed. This odd artifact is on display at the Kansas State Historical Society museum until July 26 in an exhibition titled "Lincoln in Kansas" as part of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial 1809-2009.

This rarely seen artifact adds a depth of reality to that fateful night in a way that words can never describe.

By some estimates, every fourth brick made in Kansas early in the last century had the motto "Don't Spit On The Sidewalk" stamped on it. This was due to the ongoing efforts by Dodge City Doctor Samuel J. Crumbine, a pioneer in public health. The good doctor was on a campaign to stamp out such things as public drinking cups, tuberculosis, and fly- and rat-born diseases.

The museum informs us that the brick campaign came about when the doctor observed tuberculosis patients spitting on the floor of a train! To eliminate the public drinking cup, the doctor came up with disposable paper cups. The fly was then subjected to a new and improved fly swatter, and since that time, generations of flies have been eliminated! All of these objects are on permanent display honoring this pioneering doctor for his services!