Was Frederick Stone a Confederate Agent?

[L Verge]

(02-03-2017 03:43 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  Friends:

The premise that the boat was to be used to transport a kidnapped Lincoln is, in my opinion, flawed. By now I trust everyone is familiar with my strongly-held belief that there was no bona fide kidnapping plan; that it was a gigantic ruse to conceal Booth's and his handlers' real purpose, which was multiple assassinations, and to facilitate Booth's recruitment process. As evidence, amounting almost to proof, I offer the fact that when Smoot went to the boardinghouse on Wednesday morning, the 12th of April, inquiring of Mary as to when he might see her son John, so that he could collect the money due him on the boat, Mary, whose demeanor brightened as soon as she understood the purpose of his visit, asked him if the boat was in place and easily accessible, adding that "it might be called into requisition that night". Does anyone believe that Mary thought that Booth and his team were going to kidnap Lincoln that night?

Further, Smoot returned on Friday night and was informed by Mary, who was in a state of "feverish excitement", that she was positive the boat would be used that night and that he would get his money in a day or two. Does anyone believe that Mary thought Lincoln was going to be kidnapped that night, the 14th?

The answer to both questions is obviously "no" and "no". She knew very well the true purpose of the boat, which was to get three fugitive-assassins across the Potomac after they had reached it by horse.

John

You know that I am not in agreement with your premise that Booth's kidnap scheme was always a ruse, so I will continue to disagree.

Also, since none of us now (or in 1865) can/could climb into anyone's mind and know what is/was in it, as much as I understand why the military court sentenced her to death, I will never totally presume that she knew about assassination - kidnap, yes, but...

Sorry, John, I'm one of those stubborn "witnesses" that you cannot break.

P.S. John has left his original publisher of Decapitating The Union, made some revisions to the text, and has the second edition ready for sale at a much more reasonable price of $25 (as opposed to the first edition at $40). Surratt House will be selling both editions at our gift shop and at our conference. John plans on participating in our Authors' Hour at the conference.

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John Stanton - As for the Stone sympathies, do you have proof that the Union never even suspicioned him? Or, could he have been "untouchable" because of his family's well-known background?

There were also many Marylanders who supported the Union UNTIL it went back on its original pledge that Marylanders could keep their slaves and not have to fight against Southern brethren. The draft, the Emancipation Proclamation, and the withdrawing of a later promise to financially compensate Maryland slaveholders for manumitting their investments swayed a lot of the state's citizens, especially after the summer of 1863. They all did not take up arms and physically rebel (like setting fires, breaking windows, and looting - ala today's rebels), but they gave Confederate assistance in other ways and just flew under the radar. Don't underestimate the influence of Southern Maryland in the Civil War - especially its underground.