Booth's Escape Route

[BettyO]

Quote:I too, do not believe that Powell, or for that matter Davey Herold were dim witted country boys. Booth recruited these individuals for a specific purpose. I doubt seriously that he would have trusted them with specific tasks if he believed that they dim witted.

Neither Davey nor Powell were "dimwitted." Davey attended Georgetown College (now Georgetown University) and although perhaps a bit immature, was not in any way dimwitted. Born in DC, he was most certainly NOT a country boy.

Likewise, Powell may have been a "country boy", but he was far from dimwitted. He had aristocratic family connections, being 2nd cousin to General John Brown Gordon. Young Mr. Powell was described as being held in "high esteem" by the boarders at the Branson boarding house in Baltimore. He was described as "gallant and chivalrous" by General William H. Payne, whose family boarded Lew while he served with Mosby's unit. Dr. Gillette said that he had "educational advantages and was of cultivated mind." So - dimwitted? I think not!

If either Davey or Lew were described thus, it was more or less due to the psychological effects of the horrid hooding experience that they were subjected to during their incarceration.

That Davey Herold was a year older than Lew and acted a bit more immature could be due to the fact that Lew had "grown up faster" while in the Confederate Army!