Ford's Theatre to Reopen

[John Fazio]

John, Jim, et al.:

Steers (a good authority) has Booth entering the theatre from the same rear door (on the east side of the theatre) that he would later use to exit it, then going downstairs and going under the stage to cross to the other (south) side of the theater. From there he made his way up a short flight of stairs which led him to the side door of the theatre, which he used to enter the area between the theatre and Taltavul's, making his way westward toward 10th Street, where he exited the front of the theatre and then made a quick left into the saloon. After he imbibed there, he exited the saloon using the same door he had entered it, then made his way northward across the front of the theatre, then entered the theatre and made his way up the long flight of stairs that led to the dress circle, then across the back of the dress circle to the outer door that led to the passageway that led to the president's box. Yes, one could enter the theatre from Taltavul's by making one's way out the front door and then eastward toward the side door that led into the theatre, but a good guess is that the theatre owners either had someone watching for such an attempt or, more likely, simply did not worry too much about this possibility inasmuch as such an act would be deemed a low-life thing to do, like kids sneaking into a movie house, which would cause great embarrassment to anyone trying it if he or she were caught. The kinds of people who patronized theater would be deemed to be above such kid stuff. See p. 115 of Blood On The Moon. As for Taltavul's, the last time I was at Ford's, I could look into it from the street side, but could not see anything worth seeing. It just look abandoned to me. But this was quite a few years ago.

John