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John Fazio · 11-01-2016, 11:22 AM

(11-01-2016 10:12 AM)loetar44 Wrote: John,

Some remarks in response:
1) O’Laughlen told later to Henderson that Booth wasn’t in NOT SO. HENDERSON TESTIFIED THAT O'LAUGHLEN TOLD HIM HE DID SEE BOOTH. Hmmm, see Decapitating the Union, p. 133 line 5. KEES: YOU MEAN P. 113, LINE 5, NOT 133, LINE 5. AS FOR 113, LINE 5, THE REFERENCE IS TO THE FRIDAY MORNING MEETING. IT IS TRUE THAT AS TO THAT MEETING, O'LAUGHLEN TOLD HENDERSON HE HAD NOT SEEN BOOTH, BUT AS TO THE THURSDAY EVENING MEETING, HENDERSON STATED CLEARLY THAT O'LAUGHLEN TOLD HIM THAT HE HAD SEEN BOOTH. THE EXACT LANGUAGE, ON P. 230 OF PITMAN, IS THAT "O'LAUGLIN LEFT ME BUT FOR A SHORT TIME ON OUR ARRIVAL IN WASHINGTON, WHILE I GOT SHAVED, AND TOLD ME HE HAD BEEN TO SEE BOOTH."
And: Henderson testified on May 15: "I am acquainted with the prisoner, Mr. O'Laughlin (sic). I saw him in this city on Thursday and Friday, the 13th and 14th of April. I DO NOT KNOW whether he visited J. Wilkes Booth on either of those days, IN THE STRICTEST SENSE, HE "DID NOT KNOW", BUT HE HAD BEEN TOLD BY O'LAUGHLEN THAT IN FACT HE HAD BEEN TO SEE BOOTH ON THURSDAY EVENING, WHICH I HOLD AS SUFFICIENT EVIDENCE THAT HE DID SEE HIM AT THAT TIME but he told me on Friday that he WAS TO SEE him that morning." (not HE SAW] O'LAUGHLEN WOULD NOT HAVE SAID THAT HE WAS TO SEE BOOTH UNLESS HE WERE CERTAIN OF SEEING HIM AND HE WOULD ONLY BE CERTAIN OF SEEING HIM IF THEY HAD ARRANGED THE PREVIOUS EVENING FOR THE MEETING THE FOLLOWING MORNING.
2) Clara E. Laughlin's “The Death of Lincoln: The Story of Booth's Plot, His Deed, and the Penalty.” NOT A GOOD BOOK. NO NOTES, NO SOURCES, NO INDEX. Yes, you are right O’Laughlin’s book is not the best source we have (however, it is a source!), but Art Loux is saying exactly the same in Day by Day, p. 194. ART LOUX CITES P. 458 OF "THE LINCOLN ASSASSINATION: THE EVIDENCE" FOR AUTHORITY. THE QUOTED MATERIAL, HOWEVER, COMES FROM EARLY, NOT HENDERSON. I DID NOT SAY THAT O'LAUGHLEN TOLD EARLY HE HAD SEEN BOOTH IN THE EVENING OF THE 13TH; I SAID O'LAUGHLEN TOLD HENDERSON HE HAD SEEN HIM, PER HIS TESTIMONY AT THE TRIAL.
3) Why do you ignore Walter Burton's statements? THERE ARE INFINITE EXPLANATIONS FOR THE SAME. THE CIRCUMSTANTIAL EVIDENCE FAVORING THE MEETINGS, COUPLED WITH HENDERSON'S TESTIMONY, IS STRONGER THAN BURTON'S STATEMENT. BURTON DID NOT TESTIFY AT THE TRIAL UNDER OATH.
4) WITH BOOTH ON FRIDAY MORNING MAKES SENSE IN VIEW OF HIS MEETING WITH HIM ON SATURDAY EVENING. Typo? I think you ment here THURSDAY evening. YES, TYPO. I OBVIOUSLY MEANT TO SAY THURSDAY EVENING.
5) I DON'T THINK IT IS VERY IMPORTANT. WE KNOW WHERE BOOTH WAS AN HOUR LATER (AT THE THEATER). John, I think it’s very important we do know were Booth was. See below.

We don’t know anything about Booth’s whereabouts between noon Thursday April 13 and “fully 11 am” Friday April 14. If we know for certain that he was in the National, than O’Laughlen certainly could have met him there. But the point is: was he there? If O’Laughlen was not in the hotel, he did NOT meet Booth there Thursday night and Friday morning. BOOTH WOULD NOT HAVE BROUGHT O'LAUGHLEN TO WASHINGTON IF HE DID NOT PLAN TO USE HIM. MEETINGS WITH HIM IN THE EVENING OF THE 13TH AND THE MORNING OF THE 14TH ARE THEREFORE PERFECTLY CONSISTENT WITH SUCH USE. O'LAUGHLEN WOULD NOT HAVE GONE TO THE NATIONAL AT THOSE TIMES UNLESS HE WAS CERTAIN OF SEEING THE MAN WHO BROUGHT HIM TO WASHINGTON FOR AN EXPRESS PURPOSE. IT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR BOOTH TO HAVE SLEPT IN HIS ROOM FOR HIM TO HAVE HAD THE TWO MEETINGS WITH O'LAUGHLEN IN THE NATIONAL. HE MIGHT HAVE SLEPT IN LUCY HALE'S ROOM. OR HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN IN MARYLAND WITH HEROLD, PER DEMOND. IT IS NOT CRITICAL THAT WE KNOW WHERE HE SPENT THE NIGHT, ONLY THAT HE MET WITH O'LAUGHLEN TWICE AT THE NATIONAL.

“It is likely Booth walked about the city on Thursday night to see the Grand Illumination. He may have spent time with Lucy Hale. There may have been an overnight visit to Ellen Starr” (Loux, p. 194). We have evidence that Booth was not in his room (Burton) and that his bed was unoccupied. Night-clerk Burton did not see Booth enter the hotel that night (he knew Booth very well, Booth always stops for a chat with Burton before he goes to bed.)

Lucy Hale and her sister Elizabeth had a room in the National. Was Booth in the National in Lucy's room? If so, why we don’t know that?

Ellen Starr is discussed here: http://rogerjnorton.com/LincolnDiscussio...-618.html”

There is sufficient evidence that Booth was NOT in the National during 20 to 23 hours. What is your evidence he was there? SEE ABOVE Assumption is no evidence. Making assumptions simply means believing things are a certain way with little or no evidence that shows you are correct (Lemony Snicket, The Austere Academy).