The Reason Lincoln Had to Die

[L Verge]

(12-12-2018 04:09 PM)mikegriffith1 Wrote:  

(12-12-2018 06:06 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(12-11-2018 09:45 PM)mikegriffith1 Wrote:  Where in the world would Booth have had the time and equipment to do the kinds of alterations documented in the report?

In Right Or Wrong, God Judge Me: The Writings of John Wilkes Booth the editors deduce that Booth probably purchased the datebook from stationer James M. Crawford in January 1864 in St. Louis. That would have given Booth roughly 15 months to fiddle around with the diary's pages before the time he was on the run. Mostly I think he tore out pages to write notes on. Why do you assume all the changes were made in April 1865?

Have you ever in your life known anyone who edited their diary like that? I'm not sure you understand the nature and degree of the editing under discussion. Do you understand that the diary was taken apart and then glued back together? Do you understand that one of the chunks of removed pages was cut from right after the spot where Booth talks about possibly going back to Washington to clear his name? Do you understand that some sections were moved to other sections? Why on earth would anyone do that to their own diary?

And for the person who expressed an interest in sources on Custer's Last Stand, I unbelievably failed to mention Gordon Harper's book Fights on the Little Horn: Unveiling the Myths of Custer's Last Stand (2014).

I believe that you owe this audience documented details (preferably exact quotes) from reputable sources (i.e. FBI Report) that back up what you just said about the "diary!" First, begin by acknowledging that it never started out as a diary. It was an appointment book from 1864. It ended up serving as Booth's only way to vent his frustrations at not being hailed a hero - and it didn't take a lot of pages to do that. And, do you really think that Booth was stupid enough to list his "backers" in the plot and then keep that list to the brutal end? If nothing else, while he was hiding in the woods for awhile at Garrett's, he must have realized that the trap was closing on him. I would have deep-sixed any evidence at that point at least.

Also, stop trying to change the subject to Custer to avoid the heat...

And one more point - I can find no reference to Booth and Herold being in the Rollins home. They tried to negotiate passage with William Rollins, but nothing was solved and Rollins left to go tend his nets. There is no mention of Betty Rollins being around until the troops showed up at the door and questioned the couple about the fugitives. Back at the ferry landing, the three Confederates rode up, and Herold engaged them in conversation and would end up announcing that they were the assassins of Lincoln. As soon as James Thornton got back with the ferry, all five (and maybe Mason?) crossed over to Port Royal. Ironically, Mrs. Rollins would later tell the forces to look for Willie Jett at the home of his girlfriend -- the romantic Mr. Booth was done in by a love affair.