The Surratt Courier

[Rob Wick]

(05-01-2013 05:32 PM)L Verge Wrote:  After reading Rick's and Bill's article for about the fifth time over the past 3-4 years, there is still one question that pops out at me: Many moons ago, I was told first by James O. Hall and then again by Michael Kauffman that they had found no documentation for the assertion in many books that Stanton had ordered that Booth be taken alive. In fact, I was led to believe that such an order is rarely given because it puts the police in a precarious position where they might be afraid to fire in order to save their life or protect the lives of others when a criminal comes out firing.

So, my question yet again is - Does documentation exist to prove that the government ordered that Booth be taken alive?

I don't have the document in front of me, but I think in his statement aboard the Montauk, Conger said there had been no orders to bring Booth back alive. It would have been better if they could have, but no orders had ever been given. Byron Baker made the claim that Corbett defied orders and was going to be brought back to Washington in irons, which they didn't have in the first place.

Best
Rob