Atzerodt Confession

[John Fazio]

(02-20-2017 06:03 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(02-19-2017 09:51 PM)John Fazio Wrote:  and saw Booth, Wood and Payne in Wood's room". Here he clearly differentiates between Wood and Payne, indicating that they were two separate people.

John, the copy I am looking at says ..."and I saw Booth, Wood or Payne in Wood's room."

I am seeing the word "or" not "and."

I think Atzerodt used several names for the same man - Lewis Powell. When he says "Wood or Payne" in the July 6 confession he is talking about the same person (Powell), not two separate people, IMO.

IMO, he is referring to Powell's room at the Herndon House when he calls it Wood's room.

Roger:

The copy of the confession that appears in Weichmann's book does in fact say "Wood or Payne", as you say, but the copy of the same confession that appeared in the July 1, 1869, Baltimore American says "Wood and Payne". Does anyone know how the original confession REALLY reads?

Even if the original really reads "Wood or Payne", we still have the problem of an unnecessary introduction by Booth inasmuch as Atzerodt had already met Powell at Gautier's. And we still have the strange reference to "Woods" as someone Atzerodt saw at the Navy Yard at about midnight after the assassination. In this connection, recall that in his April 25 confession, Atzerodt said that after the 8:00 Herndon House meeting broke up, at which Powell was present, "...we parted then & I have never seen them since." That would be inconsistent with seeing Powell ("Woods") at the Navy Yard at midnight. Of course, it is always possible that Atzerodt's memory was impaired by all his drinking and by the excitement of the events, or he may simply have been lying when he said he didn't see any of them after the meeting, as a way of putting distance between him and the assassins.

It's still a "puzzlement".

John