Broken Fibula - Again!

[jonathan]

I apologize if these questions have been asked in the past and discussed to death, but here's something else that just nags at me a little bit regarding the view that Booth's horse fell on him. If we look at what Booth wrote in his diary, he basically sticks to the truth, though he exaggerates most things. Specifically, if we look at his description of the physical acts regarding the assassination and escape, we find this…

1. "I struck boldly, and not as the papers say." - This can be seen as a matter of opinion, but I believe that it's true. He didn't strike honorably, but certainly boldly.

2. "I walked with a firm step through a thousand of his friends, was stopped, but pushed on." - True, but exaggerated

3. "A colonel was at his side" - Wrong rank, but otherwise true

4. "I shouted Sic simper before I fired." - True that he shouted it, but the before or after is unclear.

5. "In jumping broke my leg." - ?

6. "I passed all his pickets, rode sixty miles that night with the bone of my leg tearing the flesh at every jump." - True, with multiple exaggerations.

7. "After being hunted like a dog through swamps, woods, and last night being chased by gunboats till I was forced to return wet, cold, and starving, with every man's hand against me, I am here in despair." - True, with exaggerations

8. "Tonight I will once more try the river with the intent to cross." - True

9. "Tonight I try to escape these bloodhounds once more." - True, some exaggeration

So, looking at what Booth wrote in his diary regarding the act of assassination and the act of trying to escape, we see that he basically stuck pretty close to the truth on each point. There are exaggerations to make himself look better, but as far as we know, it's fairly accurate. Why then, would he deviate so far from the truth on the one point of breaking his leg? Concerning the horse fall vs. the balcony jump, one is not an exaggeration of the other. They are completely different. Why would he dance right around the truth on every other point, while running away from it on the one point of when the leg was broken? It's just something that nags at me a little bit.