Booth's Horse Fell....

[Dennis Urban]

(12-24-2016 06:21 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  My personal opinion is the same as John's, but my question relates to three telegrams Dave Taylor wrote about on this forum. I will quote from a post Dave made on February 4, 2013. Dave is discussing three telegrams written only nine days (April 23, 1865) after Booth shot Lincoln:

Dave wrote:

Two of the telegrams are from Col. William Wood, who would later be in charge of Mary Surratt, Dr. Mudd and many witnesses and suspects in the Old Capital Prison. He writes in the morning of April 23rd, the following:

"There is no doubt but that Booth broke one of the bones in his leg in the jump on the stage of the theatre immediately after the murder."

Later the same day he sends the following:

"The assassins changed horses. Herold was riding the bay mare obtained from Pumphrey's Stable, and it may be possible that she fell or threw off Booth and broke his leg. However, I believe as I have written this morning."

The 3rd telegram, sent at 8 pm on April 23rd is from Major John Waite, who, like William Wood, is forwarding information gleaned from Brytantown. It says, in part:

"Booth fractured a bone of his leg in jumping upon the stage, not by falling near Bryantown."

John mentions at least one of these telegrams in Decapitating the Union. I find it amazing that already, 9 days after the assassination, both theories we discuss here were already being mentioned in telegrams. My own take is that the telegrams are supportive of the break happening in the jump at Ford's (although the horse fall theory is also mentioned).

Can anyone explain how both Wood and Waite knew of the possible break at Ford's? Is it possible there were eyewitnesses at Ford's who are not in Good's book but who talked to authorities and said they saw Booth limp off the stage? And Wood and Waite had talked to these people? Or does all this come from conversations in Bryantown?

From what source(s) did Wood and Waite get the idea the break happened at Ford's?

I agree with John's contention. I also point out that, as stated, Col. Wood's information was 9 days old when he wrote the telegrams. He likely heard several stories during that time and based his broken leg comment on the majority of evidence he heard during that time period. Wood was very emphatic about his theory and said so in the telegrams.

What I find even more interesting in the telegrams is the information he relates about the riders changing horses! The knowledge of this fact could only have resided with a few people. I wonder if he ever stated his source for this piece of information. That source may also have been his primary source for the broken leg theory.