I believe that one of the witness' to the assassination, James Ferguson stated that Lincoln might have actually been aware of Booth's presence just before he was shot. He told the authorities that Lincoln turned his head sharply to the left just before the shot was fired. Another witness (I forget who) thought that Lincoln might have been looking for someone in the audience, and therefore may have been preoccupied and not really paying attention to the play. Who knows. However, it is hopeful to think that Lincoln may have been smiling when the shot was fired.

Craig

Tidwell,Hall and Gaddy in their book Come Retribution (page 422) make a case that some of Booth's men had cased Grover's out for a possible kidnapping in January, 1865. Booth himself was well familiar with the layout so I believe that he had to have had a similar plan if Lincoln had decided to attend the play Aladdin's Lamp. I guess that he still would have had the element of surprise to his advantage. However, I do not know if he was familiar with the play Aladdins Lamp as he was Our American cousin. Remember, he knew that play so well that he timed the shot to occur at a specific moment. This probably gave him a few more seconds. Would there have been another Major Stewart in the audience that could have possibly apprehended Booth? That is the question.

Craig

Wasn't Herold a pharmacist's assistant? I am not sure what a pharmacist assistant did back in the mid 19th century, but I assume one needed to have a little sense to perform these tasks. Unless, of course he was merely a delivery boy. Also, Herold was known to have a keen sense of the outdoors. He was a good, devouted asset for Booth in his escape, and that is why Booth chose him for this. There was no way that booth would have survived for 12 days in the woods and roads of Maryland and Virginia had Herold not been there. Here is my view on Herold.
Survivalist Skills: Smart
IQ: Average
Common Sense: Dumb
 
Craig

Rob, Hope you are feeling better soon.

Craig

The one thing that has always puzzled me about Booth's diary is when he mentioned that he thought that he could go back to Washington and clear his name. He was most certainly deluding himself, and having second thoughts about his villainous act.

Craig

Randal, I agree, Lloyd's testimony was a sham and never would have held up in a civilian court.

Gene, You also make a good point. Atzerodt probably had good cause to believe that he was going to be spared the hangman's noose. After all, he didn't kill or even hurt anyone. The only thing that he was guilty of was being able to stop the assassination before it happened, and being a part of the kidnapping plot. These were serious charges, but should not have got him a death sentence. At the most he should have received the same verdict as Dr. Mudd.

Craig

Good to see the Sunday survey back!

I believe that Atzerodt's credibility was pretty much shot and therefore probably would not have been a good witness for the prosecution. It would have been blatantly obvious that anything that came from his mouth was a desperate effort to save his own neck. That said, there were other witness' that were probably just as bad as Atzerodt that managed to save their skin by testifying against other conspirators. A good case could have been made against Lloyd who managed to sling the rope over Mary Surratt's neck. So who knows what would have happened.

Craig

I'll rent the DVD when it comes out. I don't know if it is just me, but historical programs on TV (because of their brevity) just don't cut the mustard like a book or magazine article does.

Craig

Booth had met with Dr. Mudd on at least two, possibly even three or four previous occasions depending on what sources or stories you believe. I too find it hard to believe that a false beard and shawl would have outwitted Dr. Mudd. Also, why would he have wanted to keep his murderous deed a secret with a known Confederate sympathizer who he knew could be linked with the kidnapping plot at the very least?

I agree with John. If Booth did wear a shawl, it was to keep Mudd's servents from making a possible positive identification for police if they were later questioned.

Craig

Wish i could get off from work and attend! Good luck Steve!

Craig

I always believed that Mudd panicked. If Booth had randomly picked Mudd's house to get help for his leg, then Mudd would have had nothing to worry about. However, Mudd had previous ties to Booth. He knew that if this information got out he would have been nailed for being an accomplice. It is quite possible that the detctives never would have questioned Mudd had he not been so willing to spill the beans.

Craig

Good to see that the site is back up!

His legacy would have been the ending of slavery which had been an American institution since the first colonists came over in the early 17th century. However, he might also have been remembered for his lenient reconstruction policies. In fact, it is quite possible that if he had survived, and had been able to implement some of these policies, that Adolf Hitler would have become nothing more than a failed painter.

Craig

Good question Steve. I might be going out on a limb here, but I believe that Booth would have been a lot more cautious had he not had Herold doing all the leg work for him. At the least he would have taken a different approach as to his plan of escape. I think that he may have gone into hiding. Think about it, he had numerous Confederate agents and sympathizers willing to assist him in his escape. Perhaps he would have convinced Thomas Harbin, or even Thomas Jones to lay him up somewhere until the heat died down. I always thought that if Booth did not run like a dog out of Washington, he might have been able to escape. He had plenty of contacts in the Washington area, and he could have found a nice clean attic to hide for a couple of months, at least until his leg healed. What would be better than to hide right under the noses of your pursuers? It worked for Osama Bin-Laden for nearly a decade(maybe). I don't think that there was very much effort put into the escape plan. Consider the unreliability of the men Booth was consorting with while hatching the kidnapping plot?

Craig

I am looking forward to seeing this next weekend when I get some time off!

Craig