The River Ghost

[John Fazio]

(10-23-2015 05:58 PM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(10-23-2015 02:20 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Terry's citation on Booth and Harbin knowing each other from childhood is bugging the heck out of me! Someone please find me that GATH article from April 3, 1884. Townsend interviewed Harbin in 1885, right before Harbin died. So far as I can find, the Cincinnatti Enquirer did not run that interview until April 18, 1892 -- seven years later. What gives?

Here's what I was able to find https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Thomas_Ha...er_Article
Are there two articles? I see no mention of a Harbin-Booth alliance before Dr. Mudd did his introductions. Harbin was also five years older than Booth (b. 1833) and I found no reference to a school friendship - especially since Baltimore City was probably the closest that Booth got to Southern Maryland as a child. Something is rotten somewhere - or there's a chunk of historical information missing.

Laurie:

I'll see what I can come up with.

John

Laurie:

The article by Gath, per your link, is interesting, but appears to be inconsistent with some things we know from other sources. To my knowledge, there is no proof of a meeting of Booth and Lincoln wherein Booth pleaded for Beall's life, though there is an article to that effect in a Southern journal (Southern Historical Society Papers). The matter is discussed on pp. 331, 332 of Decapitating. Further, though poisoning of the Croton Reservoir was discussed by the Canadian Cabinet, per Dunham, it was never actually done. Further, nothing is said about a boyhood friendship of Booth and Harbin, which is telling, though it is always possible that Harbin concealed the same from Gath to further distance himself from the assassin. Another mystery.

I'll let you know if I find anything that sheds light on it.

John