What Was The Role of David Herold

[MaddieM]

(04-15-2013 02:32 PM)Gene C Wrote:  I'm just trying to stirr up some conversation here.

I'll give you he probably got thrown from his horse, but he managed to figure out to go to Mrs Surratts at night, with lots of military people around. The place had to be lit up some? What time was it and how many soldiers/detectives were there at the time he got arrested? Why not just keep walking and check back in 30 minites or so? How long was it after he had been thrown and lost his horse?

If he was planning on going to Baltimore, why didn't he head in that direction. He had money. If he was heading that way, what changed his mind? Fear of getting caught? His back up plan, if he had one, didn't work out to well. I'll also grant that he was probably scared out of his mind, had a bad headache, but he had more war-combat-escape experience than Booth, and was probably a resourcefull guy. After all he was selected (or was he the only one who volunteered) for this mission. Somebody higher up must have thought he had a chance. I don't think we can blame it all on falling off a horse and bumping his head badly. Some of these questions we will never know the answers to, but it doesn't add up to me (I watched a bunch of crime shows this weekend)

But then again, I could be wrong. Convince me.

Part of me has always had a feeling he kind of gave up... He was well known to have been extremely repentent almost immediately after his crime, and all through the trial, actually wanting to die for what he'd done. He'd had three days of very personal introspection as he lay in hiding, and perhaps, who knows, some part of him wanted to just hand himself in, and take his chances and he was just fatalistic about being caught. With his army background and the year spent with Mosby, I'm not sure Powell could not have been resourceful enough to get himself out of Washington in some way. But if you put as a barrier, a state of mind that has just given up, was defeated by guilt and remorse, etc then perhaps that explains the madness of returning to Mary Surratt's. Just a thought.