Atzerodt Confession

[John Fazio]

(02-18-2017 09:31 PM)JMadonna Wrote:  In his confession Atzerodt states:

Thos. Holborn was to meet us on the road and help in the kidnapping. Bailey & Barnes knew nothing of the affair unless Booth told Bailey & he told Barnes. Booth had met Bailey on "C" St. with me. I did not meet Booth or any other of the party in Baltimore on or about the 31 of March.

Does anyone know anything about Barnes and Bailey?

Jerry:

Mike Kauffman mentions that Atzerodt was seen flashing wads of bills in front of his friends from Charles County, Walter Barnes and Henry M. Baily. (American Brutus, p. 234) Their role in the conspiracy is unclear. There were many who were involved in some way and in some degree who were never arrested, or if arrested, never charged, or if arrested and charged, released. See p. 302 of Decapitating. Recall that Herold said that Booth told him there were 35 involved. Recall, too, that Chester testified that Booth told him there were 50 to 100 involved. Surely such numbers must have been needed to man the boat and otherwise assist in the "kidnapping". Recall too that Powell said that Federal prosecutors didn't have "the one-half of them" and that it was his impression that arrangements had been made for the same disposition of other Union leaders as he was to make of Seward. Interesting how all these conspirators were primed to kidnap Lincoln, but re-oriented themselves and made new "arrangements" almost overnight to kill him and a lot of other people when Booth decided that kidnapping just wasn't going to work and that murder was the way to go. Booth must have had enormous powers of persuasion or very deep pockets, or both.

John