Mortimer Bainbridge Ruggles

[Rick Smith]

(08-07-2012 07:07 PM)LincolnMan Wrote:  Does anyone know if Ruggles had any further role in the assassination story after the death of Booth?

Ruggles was responsible for some of the confusion regarding the "disposal" of Booth's bay mare & Herold's roan gelding. He gave an interview to Prentiss Ingraham in which he told how the horses were led into the river behind Jones' boat and when in deeper water, had their throats cut, after which their carcasses sunk. This is highly unlikely, as the horses bodies would have bloated and drifted. There are other reasons to disbelieve this story, but too lengthy for now. It was also Ruggles who described Booth's injured leg in some detail and told of Booth constantly pulling his mustache into shape during the ferry crossing to Port Royal. I think Ruggles was filling Ingraham with as much bunkum as the market would bear.

Rick