Those Booth Horses Again -

[L Verge]

(04-12-2014 02:57 PM)Wild Bill Wrote:  This is for Jenny (a Texan, I believe),

I spent most of the 1960s on the North Rim of the Grand Canyon or over over the Rim.

I had a medical exemption for Viet Nam--I thought of the absurdity of that often as I swung a pick and shovel and wrestled with mules. But one does not argue with Army medical officers. I also missed all the anti-war demonstrations, the Civil Rights demonstrations, the race riots, and God knows what else, in the real world.

The North Rim was hog-heaven for a young fellow like me. We got to eat at the dudes' table which meant good food (the South Rim served day-old junk to employees) at $5 a day, waited for the bus loads of French Canadian school teachers to arrive each summer, dated Mormon girls, took weekend trips into Utah parks, stayed at my roommates' Mormon homes, got fabulous pay, got time and a half for forest fires, and lived like kings. I also met my wife who worked there for the concessioner, and later learned to shoe horses and mules.

I got my PhD in history and taught in college for 5 years, could not stand it, and went back to the ranch, so to speak, and spent the next 30 years as a professional farrier, and wrote historical books and articles in my spare time.

All in all, it was one of the best times of my life, to say the least.

Congratulations, Jenny! You have gotten more personal information out of Bill in one day than I have been able to get in 25 years! And, the government should be very glad that they kept him isolated per se in the Grand Canyon during the 60s and 70s.

"Don't let the fact I agreed with you a couple of times on this thread go to your head, Blondie. . . ."

Blondie's response: I learned a long time ago not to trust you, you old sidewinder. And, I say that lovingly after all these years of sparring with you. You are one of those frustrating individuals in my life that I cannot decide whether to hug, ignore, or kick.

---

wsanto - I'm not frustrated with you at all because I happen to agree with you, and I think medical science would also. I will continue to harp on the subject that Booth was in constant motion of some sort from the time he dashed to the front of the box - unlike others who had to mount after being tossed to the ground and having a chance to take a ten second breather before remounting.

I also agree that I have never seen Thomas Davis's statement saying specifically what he is quoted as saying - unless he testified at the 1867 Surratt trial (which God himself cannot get me to peruse).

Finally, I have a typically female question: If Booth did fall from his horse, he would have been quite muddy (which some of you have stated). Would Dr. Mudd allow him to sit on his wife's fine sofa in the family parlor (which in the 19th century was reserved for "real" guests)? Likewise, would those dirty trousers be able to be pushed up to the knee in order to set the leg, or was it necessary to get the trouser leg out of the way in order to do the procedure? Would Booth be put to bed in muddy condition? Did he ride back off the property twelve hours later in the same dirty condition? I think you catch my drift...