Thomas A Jones

[L Verge]

(06-16-2015 06:27 PM)Rick Smith Wrote:  

(06-16-2015 06:09 PM)L Verge Wrote:  [quote='Rick Smith' pid='48626' dateline='1434491698']
The distance between Bel Alton and Newport is about 8 miles. A horse walks at 4 miles per hour; trots at 8 miles per hour and canters or hand gallops at 12 miles per hour. It would have taken Booth, Herold & Samuel Cox, Jr. {the "white boy" referred to by James Owens, in my opinion} an hour or so to reach Newport and arrive on that Thursday evening {April 20} "about supper time," Owens' words again, used when describing the "strangers" who rode into the village and up to the front of the Adams Tavern, owned by Austin & Adele Adams. Adams & Owens were doing the same sort of thing in their neighborhood that Jones & Woodland were doing further up stream.

It really is very simple; hundreds of federal soldiers, detectives and private citizens are hunting Booth. To keep him safe, he must be moved to a new location every time that pressure is brought to bear on his present location, until it is time to move for the River. They are led to Jones at Huckleberry by the white boy, who afterward returns leading the horses. Again, this is from Owens who was being interrogated by the federals. He was later interrogated much more pointedly at the Old Capitol and was destined never to come out alive. My feeling is that the federals could not get what they wanted from him, because he just did not know, and that he died while being "questioned."

Does Owens actually imply that the fugitives were taken directly to Huckleberry? Jones had a passel of kids who could blab, he would not have wanted to put them directly in harm's way, and he was already under suspicion (proven by Willams's offer of the huge reward). Surely he would have smuggled the pair somewhere else less visible. I have never been to the end of Old Faulkner Road, but my suspicion is that their hiding place - after leaving Newport - would be somewhere in that vicinity. Remember that there is mention made somewhere about the dogs starting to bark as they passed this one house - which still stands a short distance off of 301.

One of my projects for the Surratt Conference in 2016 is to put together a Friday tour to "Charles County: Maryland's Confederacy." You don't know it yet, but I am recruiting you and Dave Taylor to do my legwork in narrating it. I am very familiar with the various places that I want to include, except for the Allen's Fresh and Newport region. At some point after the heat and humidity have departed Southern Maryland, I would like to drive that area with you as my guide. [Note to anyone nefarious who might be reading this and thinking of stealing my idea: Forget it, I'll hunt you down!]

Hint to those with ties to Tudor Hall: I also want a way to get a bus onto the property there for a tour on Sunday of the conference. Who do I have to bribe?

Laurie,

James Owens says that he last saw the strangers heading to the west towards Popes Creek and the home of Thomas Jones with the white boy leading them {paraphrasing here}. Then, later, the white boy comes back with the horses. Wild Bill mentioned in a post that I had some of Dr. Queen's descendants on one of my tours at Surratt's. It was very interesting as they told me that the family history handed down to them was that the horses came to Dr. Queen's farm. This all ties things together for me. Either the horses were faked before they came to Dr. Queen or afterwards and were pastured & stabled with others is most likely.

As to the tour of Bel Alton to Newport and wherever; it would be my great pleasure to drive you over the area. I am at your service.

Rick

Thanks my friend, and you will be our Newport guide if this can be pulled together. Didn't know that you had the Queen descendants on tour, or I would have had you beg for a photo of Dr. Queen (if one exists). It also makes perfect sense that Queen's family would be involved in securing the escape of Booth. The then-deceased doctor had been Booth's first point of contact in Southern Maryland and the one who summoned Mudd to a church outside of his parish that Sunday in November of 1864.

I must say that I often giggle a bit about all the fuss that some historians have made over what happened to those horses. In my mind, the horses couldn't keep their mouths shut and might give away their position, so they had to be separated from the fugitives. However, to destroy them would (to me) be like those idiots today who burn a Porsche after they have stolen it and had a joy ride all night. It don't make sense, lord...

The Union troops were not looking specifically for horses. They were looking for humans. Once those horses parted from Booth and Herold, they could have lived for years in Charles County without anyone searching for them. Even the stablemen from D.C. would have been unable to search every stable and field in Charles County or lower Prince George's to retrieve those animals. They had no photos of the horses for identification, and I suspect that horses matching the description of those two were pretty prevalent in Southern Maryland.

BTW: Descendants of Franklin Robey, the Cox overseer, told me about thirty years ago that they still had one of the saddles from the horses. I suspect there is no way of proving it, but it sounds feasible.