Kicking Off The Season!

[Eva Elisabeth]

(11-27-2016 08:26 AM)loetar44 Wrote:  

(11-25-2016 11:08 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(11-25-2016 10:49 AM)PaigeBooth Wrote:  With Christmas now just weeks away, I am ready to kick off the season with my annual "Conspirator Christmas Tree." I have "improved" it since last year with the addition of a few more conspirators. Also, please note the Union soldier at the bottom of the tree this year-- he is in search of Booth and his associates hiding in the tree!

Please enjoy! This is sure to put any Boothie or Lincolnite in the Christmas spirit!

Paige:

Please remove Spangler. He was not a conspirator. He was an innocent scene-shifter who was caught up in an 1865 whirlwind. His only "crime" was adulation of a half-made actor. He spent almost four years in hell and had his life shortened because of the whirlwind and because of vast carelessness. Including him now with known conspirators merely adds to the injustice.

John

Jacob Ritterspaugh claimed that Spangler hit him in the face in an attempt to stop him chasing after John Wilkes Booth. Spangler also said: "Don't say which way he went." It was one of the reasons that Spangler was arrested by the police and charged with being part of the plot to kill the president. John, what is troubling me is why do you deny Ritterspaugh's statement while you underline a doubtful declaration of a certain “Justice” (whoever it may be) that he saw Booth on April 13 in Baltimore? Spangler was not a co-conspirator, O'Laughlen was. Hmmm.....

Good point as for O'Laughlen, Kees. However, I think Spangler wasn't a conspirator as not involved in planning. IMO he had no real overview of what was going on. I believe he re-acted, "kicked" from mere "reflex" out of the spinal marrow, hitting his general anti-Unionism (and Booth-sympathy), made him kick at the very moment like the leg when hit below patella. I think he sensed Booth would like to "assist" him that way but had no time for thinking or to capture what this scene and thus he was part of Other than Atzerodt or Mary Surratt who IMO had time to think, sleep over and prevent. I cannot estimate inasfar that goes for O'Laughlen.

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PS: There's a German proverb that matches pretty well - almost literally: "mitgefangen - mitghangen", literally translated (but doesn't rhyme in such catching way) "caught together - hung together" ("hung", not "hanged"). It refers to (innocently) being with the wrong folk at the wrong time can be fatal, so better keep hands off those fellows at all. There's a lot of truth (and experience) in proverbs.