(11-20-2012 11:02 AM)Laurie Verge Wrote: First, I hope we never conclusively solve all the questions surrounding even the minutae related to the assassination - that would spoil the fun of being detectives and ultimately end the research.
In reference to what Booth wrote in his diary: 1) His deed that night is written in pretty much chronological order, and he places his breaking of the leg before his riding into the night. 2) He specifically says "in jumping" broke my leg. Should "jumping" refer to his horse jumping a fence or obstacle and falling? 3) He speaks of walking amongst so many of Lincoln's friends to get to the target. He did. The theater was packed that night. 4) He writes of riding 60 miles that night. Yes, it was 30; but that horse did not have an odometer on board! In the good old days, people thought in terms of how long it took to get somewhere, not in how many miles it took to get there.
That said, in regards to Mr. Kauffman's assessment of the broken leg: it is based on considered speculation, just like what many of us are doing here. To me, the issue is moot. We are never going to know for certain how he broke his leg (or how other little things went down either). Excuse the pun, but I think we're beating a dead horse theory...
Laurie, As my wife says of my OPB when it comes to the asaassination, "What does it matter, Lincoln's still dead".