Inside the Theatre

[Jim Garrett]

In William Ferguson's account, he says that it was less than a minute from the time he heard the pistol shot until JWB was out the back door. There are probably different reason for different people why there was a delay in reaction. For most of the actors and staff of the theatre, they were confused. Thomas Raybold, Joseph Sessford's reactions were of misunderstanding or dis-belief. "Is John Booth mad?" I think Withers didn't have any idea what was going on. The immediate reaction among people who knew JWB was that he couldn't have done it. No one (except immediate family and co-conspirators really saw the deep political convictions and hatred from Booth. The shock wasn't necessarily that Lincoln was assassinated, it was that Wilkes Booth had done it. Up until April 14th, everybody (with the exception of a few jilted lovers) loved Wilkes Booth.

[LincolnMan]

Part of the problem in reacting or not to the situation in the theater was that the audience didn't know if whatever had taken place was part of the play or some surprise to the program. It would have taken a few seconds to even determine in one's mind if some terrible and unplanned thing had just happened or was it part of the entertainment. With the delay in trying to sort it out, Booth had time for an exit. Some audience members were more astute at figuring out that the event was not part of the show-and that a crime had just taken place. Even still, those individuals didn't have time either. booth planned the perfect place for his deed, for sure.

[Gene C]

When in a crowd, I think a common reaction is to wait and see if someone else responds to what has happened. Then you either follow the leader or feel like any persoanl involvement is not necesary. So if that first responder is not in the first row or two, he's blocked by the crowd.

So much of this crime seems to be an attention grab by Booth. He could have just as easily have killed Lincoln in a less conspicuous way. I wonder what Freud (or Frazier) would say about all this? Must be why I enjoyed "My Thoughts Be Bloody" by Nora Titone

[bosox044]

If Harry Hawk had tripped Booth up a bit then Booth would have been up on the gallows and maybe less attention would have been given to Mary and she may have been in prison instead of on the gallows.

[RJNorton]

Hi Jeff. Maybe it's just me, and I realize looks can be deceiving, but for some reason Harry Hawk does not strike me as the hero type.

[J. Beckert]

I got that impression, too. Hawk said when he spoke to Booth that afternoon he said "Hello, Mr. Booth", to which Booth replied "Hello, Hawk". That struck me as Booth not having a lot of respect for him.

[BettyO]

Hawk was a comedic actor - not the classically trained actor as JWB and his family were. I think that comedians were held in rather low respect in the acting field at that time; although brother-in-law John Sleeper Clarke who married Asia Booth was ALSO a comedian more or less.....

[J. Beckert]

Although they were childhood friends, Booth strongly opposed that union, I believe.

[BettyO]

There was no love lost between JWB and Clarke, I believe.....