Booth's comments on Spangler ?

[BettyO]

Powell's assault on the African American servant, Annie was more or less due in part to the fact that she knew of Mary Branson's nighttime visits to Powell's room. And the older Mary was not going up to this viral young man's quarters just to bring him a glass of water and see that he was tucked in for the night ! Very unseemly actions for a "Victorian lady." I think that there was more hanky-panky going on than was let on. The maid, Annie knew of this and apparently threatened to blackmail Powell (or Mary) by telling Mary's father, who was basically one of Powell's superiors in the kidnap plot. Powell flew off the handle and attacked the woman, who then had him arrested. As far as the pieces of the puzzle go together, this is what we have to surmise as their is little or no documentation. I'm still researching this -