Doctor Stuart's guilt

[Jim Page]

The folks at Stratford Hall were so nice to me. I had the whole guest quarters to myself that weekend and they even made me homemade potato chips to eat out on the huge deck. They have a great library in the guest building and the guitar players didn't see as much of me as they usually did that year!

When they saw that my last name was Page, they asked if I was related to John Page, and I said that my understanding from my late DAR aunt was yes, we were related. They then showed me how many times John Page had stayed at Stratford Hall and gave me a private tour of the lovely main house.

I had tried to get my wife and kids to go with me that year, and, not being big guitar fans, they begged off. SERVES THEM RIGHT! I never had a more pleasant weekend. Laurie, I do need to check out Washington's birthplace. Some of the guitar-player's wives toured that and the winery, and were much pleased with both.

Our guitar gatherings average about 125 people, from all over the world, and we rent out all the Westmoreland cabins and the lodge and restaurant building from Thursday to Monday. Great fun. A local FM station did a remote broadcast of some us playing one year and that was nice.

--Jim

[BoothBuff]

     I was browsing through the Mad Booth's of Maryland, and it says there that the whole bit about Booth leaving and mumbling that he thought Cox was a man of Southern feeling was a ruse for Swann. After Swann was gone, it says Booth returned and had a meal in Cox's home. I'm starting to think Booth told everyone he asked for help exactly what he'd done. 

[jonathan]

Seems to me that there would have been a good chance Stuart knew who Booth probably was. With the war all but over, Stuart would have had a lot to lose if he got caught helping Lincoln's assassin. I imagine it was to a point where he wanted to steer as far away from trouble as possible. Regardless of what he knew or suspected, I imagine he was just ready to move on.