Booth's Horse Fell....

[wpbinzel]

(12-24-2016 05:21 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  From what source(s) did Wood and Waite get the idea the break happened at Ford's?

Roger - I agree, and in my view, the answer to that very question may be a key factor in the debate. I have not seen or read anything that would make the how Booth broke his leg anything more than conjecture or supposition on their part. In their messages, I don't think it was the "how" that they thought was relevant; their main point it was that Booth had a broken leg. Without knowing the source of their information, I am not convinced that it was anything more than speculation. That it matched Booth's version, certainly does give it credence, but the telegrams were sent after Booth concocted (forgive me) his version of the story, and which may have been passed along by his surrogates. Mere speculation on my part.

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(12-24-2016 10:01 AM)L Verge Wrote:  Thank you, John, for quoting complete statements made by Davis and Washington at the Mudd farm. It is human nature to only quote what one needs to prove a point, and many historians use that ability frequently and obscure some of the facts.

Laurie - I know that you meant your comment to be in general, and I certainly take it as such. But, truth be told, when I was composing the post, I included the complete statements by Davis and Washington. But for the sake of brevity (of which few people would accuse me), I edited them out as not being relevant or being redundant to the point.

John correctly quotes Washington as saying, "Neither of the horses appeared to me to be spattered with mud by a fall." Why is that not relevant? Because, if Booth's horse fell, it fell sometime before Booth and Herold got to Surrattsville, and that would likely have been sometime before midnight. They did not arrive at the Mudd's until 4 a.m. Remember, it was raining that night, so the horses had a four hour shower. It would seem probable that in that time the rain would have washed away any mud spatters. That the horses did not kick up any mud on themselves or each other would indicate that Booth and Herald traveled at a slow pace. Consequently, the absence of spattered mud under these circumstances does not advance either theory.

And if we are going to quote complete statements, let's do exactly that. Davis' statement was: "One of the horses was a small bay mare in excellent trim, with a piece of skin off on the inside of the left foreleg about as big as a silver dollar." [emphasis added] I view this to be entirely consistent with, and reinforce, his testimony that the mare was "very lame."