Christian Rath

[Dennis Urban]

Payne was perhaps the most interesting character of the conspirators besides Mary. I find his sense of humor intriguing but not unusual. It could be explained in today's terms by a bi-polar disorder or even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). He seemed to accept his fate with stoic resolution. He probably realized escape was impossible so he remained the good soldier to the end. He did try to save Mary based on what he thought he knew but he could not have known all that Mary knew. As a low level operative by today's terms, he was probably not taking orders from the Confederate secret service but he may have felt if he carried out his "duty" to JWB, the reward would be something greater, perhaps money. Unfortunately for him and the rest of the group, the ending of the war changed the outlook and maybe the plan (kidnapping to death). The final motivation may have been revenge fueled by JWB. Payne does seem to have been easily influenced though.