Identification of Booth's body

[Rob Wick]

Quote:According to Conger, the man had dropped his weapon and was headed toward the door seconds before he was shot.

Read Conger's testimony and see if you can apply the logic you accuse the rest of us of not using. Conger said that Booth had the carbine in his arms, and he used the word "carbine." Conger testified Booth was looking at the fire, trying to see if he could put it out. He couldn't. Conger then said "He dropped his arm, relaxed his muscles, and turned around, and started for the door for the front of the barn." Conger ran to the side of the barn and reported hearing a pistol fire. When he went into the barn he told Byron Baker that Booth shot himself. Conger was adamant that he had, and Baker knew he hadn't.

"Arm" in this case means his physical appendage, not a firearm. Logic would tell us that because Conger first referred to it as a carbine and not an arm, he would have referred to it as a carbine or rifle in further testimony. Conger had served as a Lieutenant Colonel in the Union cavalry and knew the terminology. Second, after dropping his arm, Conger says Booth relaxed his muscles. One would follow the other. Third, Conger was adamant that Booth had shot himself. If he had just witnessed Booth dropping his carbine, why on earth would he ever had argued with Byron Baker that Booth had committed suicide?

Either you don't understand what Conger was saying, or you're purposefully using it incorrectly in order to further proffer this nonsense. One is acceptable even if mistaken. The other is totally unacceptable.