The “rubber box” or did Laura Keene indeed held Lincoln’s head?

[RJNorton]

(09-10-2014 03:56 PM)Jim Garrett Wrote:  The Presidential box (7&8), when put together have an unusual shape, somewhat L shaped. The vestibule, or entry hall was made from space taken from box 7. It would be an extremely tight fit with 10 people in the box all at once, but if you include the vestibule as part of the box, the additional space makes it move conceiveable. Rich Smyth and I have gone over and over the issue of whether Thomas Gourlay and Laura Keene were in the box. We believe that Gourlay and Keene were in the box. If I remember correctly, Neither Keene nor Gourlay left a written record, however there were a number of credible accounts of them in the box.

Hi Jim. Do you feel the Gourlay claim is more credible than the Ferguson claim? Wasn't the Gourlay claim actually made by his daughter, not Gourlay himself? Ferguson's didn't come until 1930, but he said:

"Miss Keene and I stood where we could see everything, and for some short moments she held her place by my side. I saw her start toward the footlights. Following, I assisted her over them to the floor of the orchestra pit. We went rapidly to the lobby stairs, and thence up to the box, arriving as Major Rathbone was opening the hall door, after pulling away the obstructing bar placed by Booth.

We pushed our way to the front of the small group gathered before the door, and on into the hall and into the box."