The final thing John Wilkes Booth did before going to Ford’s Theatre on April 14, 1865, was to stop at a bar next to the theater. The establishment was known as Star Saloon. Booth had been drinking all day—doubtlessly trying to work up the nerve to do what had never been done before—assassinate the president of the United States. That being the case, no one is surprised to find him in a bar moments before the dark deed took place. No, the surprise is that also in the bar was John Parker . . . Abraham Lincoln’s bodyguard.
If you want a picture of irony, here it is: the only person who could prevent the assassination of the president and he was not only in dereliction of duty—he was in a public spot announcing his abandonment. Parker had started the evening seated in the hallway outside the door to the Presidential Box at Ford’s Theater where Lincoln, his wife, Mary, and their two guests were seated inside. At some point, he decided he wanted to see the play himself and went downstairs and sat in the gallery. Then (perhaps at intermission), he went to the bar and never returned.
Did Booth know Parker? Did he recognize him as one of the president’s bodyguards? I haven’t found anyone who has the answer to that. What is clear is that when an inebriated Booth later entered the hallway to the Presidential Box—there was no one there to stop him. One of Lincoln’s other bodyguards later had this to say:
Had he found a man at the door of the President’s Box armed with a colt revolver, his alcohol courage might have evaporated. It makes me feel rather bitter when I remember that the President had said, just a few hours before, that he knew he could trust all his guards.
Since the door to the Presidential Box was closed, Lincoln would have known nothing about the defection of Parker. He and the others with him would be enjoying the evening thinking they were safe and secure. All this is why, after John Wilkes Booth, John Parker bears the brunt of notoriety for Lincoln’s death.
But there’s more to the story.
As it turns out, Parker had been negligent in his duty as a policeman on several occasions before Lincoln’s assassination. Yet remarkably he had never been held accountable for his actions. Even more remarkably, after the assassination he was charged with neglect of duty but later the charge was dropped, and he continued to provide security at the White House! Parker remained on the police force until he was finally fired in 1868 for . . . sleeping on duty.
Parker has been and should be faulted for his failures. But the greater blame lies with those who knew his weaknesses and nonetheless put him in a position of great responsibility. They asked too much of a person who habitually gave too little.
All this reminds us of the criticality of leadership. If any of Parker’s superiors had acted responsibly, Lincoln would have lived. Reconstruction would have gone more smoothly, and the country would have had an easier time coming together after the war. Instead, their failure to lead triggered a chain of devastating consequences.
This is why Paul gives guidelines for church leaders in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. It’s also the reason he tells Timothy, “Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands, and do not share in the sins of others” (1 Timothy 5:22). Making leaders of those who have not been “tested”/1 Timothy 3:10, or have not passed the test, can lead to disaster.
This can be a real challenge. That’s why we see Paul and Barnabas appointing leaders with “prayer and fasting” (Acts 14:23). There are no shortcuts to strong leadership and there is no substitute for it. Churches must not be afraid to pay the price of due diligence in this area.
Don’t learn this the hard way!
A Taste of Grace with Bruce Green 