Booth's visit to the Surratt Boarding House after the assassination

[Rick Smith]

The boots which Booth wore the night of the assassination were made to come above the knee, probably to about mid thigh. This type of boot would give him a very secure seat in the saddle. In an era during which most men's clothing articles were made in a slightly overlarge fashion, this type of boot was typically made to fit snugly to the knee and then to have a more room at the upper part of the leg so that they could be rolled down if the wearer wished. This being so, they were not made in such a way to accommodate Colt's handguns or folded slouch hats. The weight of the handgun would probably have caused the boot top to slump or ride down as the upper was made of soft leather, not stiffened like a cowboy boot.

Booth did not carry an extra hat just in case he dropped the one he was wearing. Carrying an extra hat would be planning for failure from the outset.

It seems clear to me that the handguns were picked up either at Surratt's town house or at the tavern in Surrattsville. Both scenarios are more than plausible. A quick stop at the Surratt town house would have lost very little time for Booth. There was so much confusion after the assassination that the first real pursuit,
organized by A. C. Richards, didn't arrive at Surrattsville until the next morning.

Rick