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[Pamela]

All the testimony that I could find supports A.C. Richard's statement that Stewart invented his story about almost preventing Booth's escape from the theater. When commenting to Weichmann about the book chapters sent to him, Richards said, "No such scene as you describe as part of Stewart's testimony occurred there.The scene is apocryphal and imaginary. The gyrations Stewart describes as having participated in could not have taken place as there was no horse and rider then and there and in sight." In his statement in the Peterson house to Judge Olin, Stewart placed "two persons from the police corps" outside the stage door with him. Ferguson stated that he thought Grant might be in the theater, despite not seeing him enter the President's box, which validates Richard's observation that initially people thought that Grant was shot.

From The Evidence:
Peanuts: "He struck me with the button of a knife and knocked me down. He did this as he was mounting his horse, with one foot in the stirrup:he also kicked me and rode off immediately."

Mary Ann Turner: "After the assassination, I heard the horse going very rapidly down the alley. I ran immediately to my door and opened it, but he was gone. The crowd then came out, and this man, Ned, came out of the theater."

Mary Jane Anderson: " Then I saw Booth with something in his hand, glittering. He came out of the theater so quick that it seemed he but touched the horse, and it was gone like a flash of lightning. I thought to myself that the horse must surely have run off with the gentleman. Presently there was a rush out of the door, and I heard the people saying, "Which way did he go?"