Booth's Escape Route

[MaddieM]

(01-22-2013 11:51 AM)Rob Wick Wrote:  

Quote:I think that with Lew Powell, it was simply an error of misjudgement, youth and immaturity

Needless to say I have disagreed with Betty on this point from the first moment I heard it. To say this implies that Powell was caught up in something greater than his ability to reason, and that's just wrong. Powell knew exactly what he was doing from the moment he received his assignment from Booth. As I've stated several times before, the only thing which kept Powell from being a cold-blooded killer is that Seward et al survived.

Best
Rob

I think it's too easy to label someone negatively without looking at past histories, their past deeds and life. Nobody could ever say that what he did was justified, even Powell himself realised that.

I don't even believe he went into that situation realising the full consequences of his actions...and most young people are guilty of that. As a soldier, he would have been used to taking orders and as a soldier in this situation was, as he saw it, doing his part in a war that was still raging. Of course, this does not excuse it, but it does explain it.

I suspect he was following orders to the letter, got there and realised mid attack that killing someone hand to hand, and one to one was more terrible than he realised. I'm sure, had he really wanted to, he could have stabbed Seward in the heart or chest, killing him, but he didn't. I don't think he really wanted to kill. But he didn't realise that until he was in the middle of trying. I also believe that his cries of 'I'm mad!' were exclamations to himself at the insanity and evil of what he was doing. In other words, he came to his senses.

That he was used by people more sophisticated and worldly than he, is undoubted. But this didn't make him stupid, or dumb, or a cold blooded killer. It just made him naive and trusting, and misguided.

People do make mistakes...big ones, like Powell did. He paid with his life and records show that he was genuinely repentant and appalled at what he did. Cold blooded psychopaths have no regrets, and they certainly do not feel the pain of others or repent their crimes.

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I find it ironic that one person can be labelled a cold blooded killer for a failed assassination attempt, whilst the people responsible for sending thousands of men to their deaths are hailed as heroes.