Dave Taylor / Davey Herold Question

[Cliff Roberts]

I think Booth doubted that Atzerodt would have the nerve to kill the Vice President, but I don't think he ever intended for Herold to kill Johnson or anyone else. After Lincoln, Seward was the main target, which is why Booth assigned his best man to the job. Powell was the only conspirator Booth could be certain of to complete his assignment (which he would have, had it not been for that steel neck brace). With this in mind, it makes no sense that Booth intended to leave Powell on his own after killing Seward, in effect, abandoning his best man. Powell spent only a short time in Washington, seldom venturing out except with others, so there's no reason to suppose that he was "familiar" with the city or its environs, nor is it likely he'd head toward Baltimore, a city where he was known to military police and ordered out of. Herold's primary assignment that night was guiding Powell to Surrattsville; at that point, it could be decided to split up or stay together. The idea of Booth assigning young Herold to manage the actions of the various conspirators, as someone suggested, doesn't sound plausible; Davy Herold, as assassination stage director? Of course, absent any definitive evidence as to exactly what assignments the various conspirators were given that night, all we are left with is conjecture. Incidently, it was Atzerodt who stated that Booth was the one who visited a pretty chambermaid at Seward's house and learned that Dr. Verdi was treating Seward, which likely led to the ruse Powell used to get into the house. Seward's nurse, Robinson, did testify at trial that Powell looked like the man who visited the home earlier that evening, but he later amended that testimony by stating he wasn't sure about it.