Life, Crime and Capture of John Wilkes Booth

[L Verge]

It was interesting that GATH's narrative suggests that Booth wanted to get inside Johnson's room to "case the joint." That would be a logical thing to do since the VP had a suite of rooms inside his "apartment" there. Although I read this book over forty years ago, I don't remember the reference to Johnson actually replying to Booth's "are you at home" note - basically saying, "Yes, but too busy to see you."

Before I go further, I hope that most of you saw the small footnote near the end of Chapter 1 that credits a Jerome B. Stillson as having gathered the details of the assassination, while Townsend placed them in sequence. Would love to know who Stillson was.

In typical GATH fashion, he has Booth dressed to the nines for his venture into history instead of the more modest attire that the assassin did choose - an outfit dark in color to fit into the dark night, a routine slouch hat, blue shirt similar to what any modest man might wear, a good traveling suit. I also picked up a wonderful description of the comedic lines from Our American Cousin that I intend to use at some appropriate time when I'm disgusted with ridiculous banter -- "vivacious stupidities." I know some people who have vivacious stupidities spilling out of their mouths all the time!

Townsend's rendition of Booth's entry into the passageway and then the Presidential Box is certainly fanciful enough. I especially enjoyed the note that Booth claimed to be a senator when stopped by "Lincoln's servant," whom we can assume would be Charles Forbes. Rathbone even has a few words for him before the attack. GATH also gives credence to Laura Keene's claim to having entered the Presidential Box and administered TLC and First Aid to Mr. Lincoln while the doctors stood around and let her. Her dress even tells them where to find the invisible wound. The narrative credits "stairs in the rear" of the Presidential Box having been the route she took.

Were there really eight chairs in the Petersen bedroom before the dying President arrived? I would have a hard time fitting eight side chairs in my bedroom today, and I have a pretty large bedroom. Townsend also puts Tad at Petersen's when he mentions Mrs. Lincoln and her sons. I counted the officials that are listed as being present at the moment of death and got 26.

This reading is a great mental exercise. Critiquing Townsend's writing also reminds me of grading eighth-grade essays, especially those written by students who did not do their homework and decided to dazzle me with their fancy language instead of their logical history knowledge -- the same kind of writing that I did in the eighth grade, except my history teacher was too smart to fall for it. That teacher is the one whom I emulated during my teaching career.