Booth's visit to the Surratt Boarding House after the assassination

[RJNorton]

Like Rich I think this is a plausible theory. People debate how many trips Booth made to the boardinghouse on April 14th - was it 2 or 3? I feel at least 3 and maybe 4, as Bill describes above. I think Booth made a 3rd visit to the boardinghouse at about 9:00 P.M. prior to going to the theater. Mary had told Weichmann in the buggy that she had to be back by 9 as she was expecting a visitor. Weichmann asked if it was Booth, and she wouldn’t say. But the visitor came. Who was he?

To me it seems logical for Booth to stop by and check with Mary to see if she had accomplished what he had earlier asked her to do with Lloyd. At this time she may have also have told Booth that the road to Surrattsville was clear as Mary had already determined the pickets on the road went in at 8. If I am Booth, and I asked Mary to do a very important thing in Surrattsville, it seems natural to me that I would check to see if she was successful before proceeding to the theater. He could also have stashed the pistols and hat there during this visit.

It can be argued that the visitor was Smoot. But I think Booth came, too. (See the top paragraph of p. 88 in Kate Larson's book.) Smoot said he came at 9:30; I think Booth came earlier, but perhaps the visits overlapped.

Certainly Booth could also have left the pistols at the boardinghouse either at the 9 P.M. visit or even the earlier afternoon one when he left the package and message for Mary to give to Lloyd.

Possibly Booth could have planned to skip stopping at the boardinghouse if somebody was on his tail. However, he got away from Ford’s so fast he knew nobody was on his tail so he had time for a quick stop at Mary’s at about 10:30 P.M. If true, that would have been his 4th visit there on assassination day.

I am not a fan of some alternate theories such as the one that Booth got away and did not die at Garrett's. But theories such as this one, or Jerry Madonna's regarding the passes, are fascinating to me.

Bill, l second what Rich said about your health.