Joseph Hazleton - First Hand Account of the Assassination

[L Verge]

(05-02-2014 04:02 PM)Rsmyth Wrote:  Those confederates are pretty good with ropes. Might be some truth to it.

If I weren't allergic to them, I would insert a toothy emoticon (or whatever their new name is) at this point in agreement with you Rich!

And speaking of rope: A large coil of it was among the items hidden at Surratt House on March 18, 1865, by the terrible trio of Surratt, Atzerodt, and Herold. I had always assumed it was to tie down the presidential carriage when it was placed on the boat to be used in the kidnap plot. Mr. Hall suggested that the monkey wrench (also stored at the tavern) was to take the wheels off the carriage to steady it - hence no need for the rope.

His theory was that the coil of rope was to be stretched across the road at some point in the escape (tree to tree) in order to create a traffic jam of fallen horses when the first line of cavalry in pursuit hit the taut rope. Sounds workable to me...