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

[J. Beckert]

Good point about the boots, Rick, but even if they are that soft, if there were pockets in the part near the calf, wouldn't the guns actually tighten things up and hold them securely in the boot? A soft hat could easily be folded and stuffed in them also. I agree Booth didn't plan for failure, but it could be on a long ride into the rural areas it was easy to lose a hat. Look how long the Navy Yard Bridge was. If the wind was blowing and his hat went in the water, it's gone. This may have been a practice of his from earlier experiences in the woods. The guns stuffed in the boots also makes the horse roll/broken leg story more probable. Rolling on a gun would make the break an almost certainty. And all this bad luck he had leads to the final conclusion only you, Richter and I believe - he pulled one of those pistols from his boot in Garrett's barn and shot himself!