Booth, the Garretts and an Invitation to Tea

[Dave Taylor]

Linda,

Ms. Christie's account follows the standard folklore around Port Royal that something was known about Booth's impending arrival. However, all of the accounts of that nature come way after the fact and there is no way to substantiate them.

The death of Booth at the Garrett farm was a defining moment for the residents of Port Royal All the residents were impacted by it and talked about for days, months, years, even decades after. Over time the older generation started putting themselves into the action more and more because no one could remember it accurately enough to correct them. Ms. Christie is merely recalling these twisted versions of the story. It is possible that Booth et. al. got a drink from her grandfather's tavern, but it is more likely that that whole story was made up or, at the very least, the drama of it was heightened.

Also, William Lightfoot did not have a meal at the Garretts with Booth. The Garretts make no mention of additional visitors to the house during Booth's time there (aside from Davy and the brief return of Ruggles and Bainbridge) and William Lightfoot himself says nothing to this effect when he was interviewed by Lloyd Lewis for his book "Myths after Lincoln". He states only that he was at home when he heard that someone was shot at Garretts and that he rushed up there, witnessing the death of the assassin: https://archive.org/stream/mythsafterlin...1/mode/2up

I believe Lightfoot left another recollection in which he states he had a meal with the Garretts, but this is suspect because in the one I link to, he makes the assertion that he "never saw Booth in real life".