An interesting trip to Surrattsville

[RJNorton]

John, what do you make of William Withers' allegation about Spangler and the gas lights. Tom Bogar writes, "...he (Withers) had caught Spangler trying to turn off the gas lights and plunge the theater into darkness but had valiantly fought the stagehand off and prevented this from happening."

I know Withers was known to be very embellishing and "creating" in some of his later statements - do you think this is another one?

Withers is quoted in the June 3, 1881, Bismarck Tribune:

"I was just giving the stage manager a piece of my mind when Spangler, the scene shifter, came forward to the gas box and took hold of the handle with which they turn the gas out. Knowing he had no business there, I pushed him away, and saying, ‘Get out of here! Go back to where you belong!’ I closed the box and sat on the lid. I sat there a minute talking, then started down the stairs to my place."

https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/83114768/