Booth's Horse Fell....

[L Verge]

(12-22-2016 10:26 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(12-22-2016 10:04 AM)BettyO Wrote:  Thanks, John.

We've been over this before, as Laurie said -

The pain and severity of JWB's injury was probably due to the style of riding in the 19th Century.

In the 19th Century, men rode with a straighter leg, with most of the seat and balance being utilized by the pressure of the thighs, lower leg (calf) and feet in the stirrups. See the photo of Allen Pinkerton on horseback; notice how straight his leg is - most of the pressure/weight is in the stirrups.



One jumped fences leaning back in the saddle with straight legs and pressure in the stirrups.

This changed in the early 20th Century when the knee was bent more and emphasis on the seat/balance was placed on the thighs and knees -



I've ridden all my life (lived in a saddle as a kid.)

JWB would have experienced severe pain with pressure on the broken/fractured ankle/leg focused primarily on the foot and calf of the injured leg in the stirrup.

Betty:

Excellent analysis. It explains much. Thank you for the information, which was previously unknown to me.

John

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(12-22-2016 09:38 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(12-22-2016 09:14 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  (perhaps, if he initially rode away from Dr. Mudd's farm and then doubled back to it, for which there is some evidence),

John, I am curious. You say "some evidence." To what do you refer? Many thanks.

Roger:

Booth and Herold reached the tavern at about midnight, some 10 miles or so from the bridge. They left within five minutes. They did not arrive at Dr. Mudd's farm until 4:00 a.m., some 15 or so miles away. Four hours to do 15 miles? On July 10, 1865, Thomas Ewing, Dr. Mudd's counsel, appealed to President Johnson for a "remission" of Dr. Mudd's sentence. In support of the appeal, Ewing claimed that Herold's lawyer, Frederick Stone, told him that Herold had tried to dissuade Booth from going to Dr. Mudd's farm, which was very far from his planned route, but that Booth insisted that his leg had to have professional attention. If this is true, it might explain, at least partially, Booth's reference in his diary to having ridden 60 miles that night instead of the approximately 25 from the bridge to Dr. Mudd's farm, i.e. they may have ridden beyond the farm and then doubled back to it. (See also Steers and Holzer, The Lincoln Assassination Conspirators, pp. 42 and 101.) I hasten to add, however, that such a scenario ignores Atzerodt's May 1 confession, in which he stated that Dr. Mudd "knew all about it" and that "liquors and provisions" had been sent to him for pick-up by the fugitives when they made their way south. (See Steers, The Trial, p. cv).

John

I believe the slow down from tavern (which is about 14 miles from the Navy Yard Bridge) to Dr. Mudd's farm (about another 14 miles) can be accounted for in considering how hard the fugitives had pushed their horses in the first 14 miles.

These were not race horses, nor were they stallions from the plains out West. Even race horses are not long distance runners. Booth was counting on out-distancing the cavalry pursuers enough in the first few hours to make it to an obscure refuge in Southern Maryland. Trust me, even today, the back roads between TB and Mudd's home are obscure -- especially if one uses the route that the old-timers (and I) believe he used.

Where do you think Booth rode to before deciding to "double-back" to Dr. Mudd's?

---

Betty,

Would the different style of riding in 1865, made a difference in whether or not a man's leg could be broken in his horse rolling on him? Straight leg vs. bent leg...?

I ask this because I suffered a bad break of my arm about two inches from my shoulder when I was ten and walking a large trunk of a fallen tree with my father. I slipped and my father tried to catch me, but we both ended up falling with him on top of me, snapping the bone in my upper arm, which was tucked behind me. The doctor said that, if my arm had been straight, it might not have been broken or only the shoulder dislocated.

[BettyO]

Quote:Would the different style of riding in 1865, made a difference in whether or not a man's leg could be broken in his horse rolling on him? Straight leg vs. bent leg...?

I don't think that with the leg being bent or straight would make much difference in the break other than the fact that if you have a horse weighing almost a ton falling on you and crushing your leg, that break (if such it could be called - would be more of a crushing type injury) could be far more severe than simply being thrown or jumping from a 12 foot drop (which I believe the drop is at Ford's) -

Quote:These were not race horses, nor were they stallions from the plains out West. Even racehorses are not long distance runners. Booth was counting on out-distancing the cavalry pursuers enough in the first few hours to make it to an obscure refuge in Southern Maryland.

These were most certainly not race horses, although Booth's little mare may have had some Thoroughbred in her from the descriptions of her skittishness and high spirits. Herold's Charlie was more or less a pacer; i.e. a horse of Standardbred or perhaps Morgan breeding. We'll never know, of course as the majority of breeds known today (except for Thoroughbreds) were not well defined in the middle of the 19th Century. Most horses can only run at top speed for about 1 - 1 1/2 miles; and those which do are Thoroughbred racehorses trained to do such. I agree that JWB and Herold were only attempting to outdistance any pursuers in the first few hours.

[loetar44]

Yes, Booth wrote in his diary: “in jumping broke my leg”, NOT “in jumping from the state box broke my leg”. So what exactly did he mean with “jumping”, his “jump” or a “jump” of his horse? In other words, was his leg NOT broken when he left the theatre and DC? Did he at some point broke his leg when he had his "restive" (Silas T. Cobb words) horse (which Booth had called a “bad little b itch”) no longer fully under control and crashed. I think Booth broke his leg when he jumped from the state box. Why?

   

The autopsy revealed that Booth’s left FIBULA (calf bone) was broken 2 inches (5 cm) above the ankle. A broken fibula makes walking possible (especially in a tight close-fitting boot). It is possible to feel no pain at all (or less pain) when adrenaline is running through your body (my 90y old mother broke her fibula and walked a whole day without pain!). Dr. Mudd considered the fracture as NOT "a peculiarly painful or dangerous wound" (so little pain and the bone did not perforate the skin). According to experts a fibula fracture commonly occurs in association with a rolled ankle with significant weight bearing forces. An awkward landing from a jump certainly can cause a fractured fibula. But, there is something strange. Booth jumped out of the state box and landed on the stage, 12 feet beneath. The force is then facing down and in that case the break must have a sloping profile. However during Booth’s autopsy it was seen that the fibula was broken straight off.

Dr. Mudd had only a brief examination of Booth’s leg and diagnosed a fractured TIBIA (shin bone). Was he wrong? A fracture of the tibia is one of the worst fractures and makes running and even walking using a crutch impossible, because the tibia is the weightbearing bone in the lower leg. Also, it is not possible to mount a horse with a broken tibia and riding would have caused a lot of pain. A fracture of the tibia is a serious and complicated fracture and extremely painful. A fractured tibia occur with (high) velocity injuries and usually involves some sort of direct contact. For example, these fractures are quite common when your galloping horse makes a fall, with your leg planted (fixed) in the stirrup and with your foot hitting the ground awkwardly (putting too much stress on the tibia) and ending up under the horse. In most cases a broken tibia leads to an open lower leg . Eliza B. Rogers said, after she saw Booth’s corpse in Weaver’s Undertaking Parlor, when Booth’s coffin was opened: “His leg was broken square off below the knee and the bones had passed each other, and was protruding out of the flesh” (source: “What Really Happened to the Assassin?” article in “The Civil War Times Illustrated”, 1992). This indicates that the tibia was broken.

However:

Booth had used a crutch when walking and had ridden a horse. Both is impossible with a fractured tibia. There were people who saw Booth limp. Also not possible with a broken tibia. Note the following eyewitness accounts: A.M.S. Crawford (Dress Circle) declared: “I saw him [Booth] as he RAN across the stage”. Harry Hawk said: Booth was “RUSHING toward [me] with a dagger” in his hand. William Withers, Sheldon P. McIntyre, John Downing Jr, Dr. Charles Sabin Taft, Major General B.F. Butler, Samuel Koontz, all saw a RUNNING Booth, not a cripple, and he seemed without pain. Frederick Sawyer said that Booth "RAN with lightning "speed.” “Peanuts” Burroughs said that Booth RAN out of the backdoor and also said: “ … he [Booth] was mounting his horse, with one foot in the stirrup”. Anderson declared: “He [Booth] came out of the theatre so quick that it seemed as if he but touched the horse and it was gone like a flash of lighting.” Silas T. Cobb did not see “any discomfort" when Booth passed him. When Mrs. Garrett asked Booth if she could dress his wound for him, Booth replied, “No, Madam. I thank you, though it does give me pain, yet there are other things I think of more than my wounds.” And to Jack Garrett Booth remarked that his leg did NOT hurt that much, only when touched.

My conclusion: everything point to a broken fibula, not a broken tibia. So I'm with all of you saying that Booth broke his leg after his jump from the state box, while landing on the stage.

[J. Beckert]

Although I favor the horse fall theory, one thing I don't think has been mentioned is that the stage at Ford's had a slight downwards slope towards the orchestra pit.

[L Verge]

Bless you, Kees, for your support on how Booth broke his leg. People tend to quote his diary, and as I have pointed out before, Booth wrote in chronological order. Yes, he exaggerated; but he also placed his "in jumping" right after his dastardly deed -- NOT halfway through his narrative.

[Ed Steers]

This (newspaper) statement appeared AFTER Booth had been killed. The information came from Dr. Mudd's two statements prior to his arrest. Obviously, Mudd could not state that Booth broke his leg jumping to the stage after shooting the president. John Lloyd testified that Herold told him Booth's "leg was broke, and he wanted to find a surgeon and have it set." In a second statement Lloyd said that Herold told him, he [Booth] could take no carbine; that he had his leg broken." So it appears Dr. Mudd is the source of the horse falling and breaking Booth's leg. He said so twice. The other contradictary statement is Booth's, "In jumping broke my leg." Some believe Mudd told the truth while Booth lied. I rather think Mudd lied and Booth told the truth.

[L Verge]

I believe that the newspaper article that Betty posted is dated two days before Booth's death, but you are absolutely correct that Dr. Mudd had already spoken to authorities by that time. Thanks for confirming what I had previously posted about Dr. Mudd having to be the source.

[Rick Smith]

(12-22-2016 10:26 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(12-22-2016 10:04 AM)BettyO Wrote:  Thanks, John.

We've been over this before, as Laurie said -

The pain and severity of JWB's injury was probably due to the style of riding in the 19th Century.

In the 19th Century, men rode with a straighter leg, with most of the seat and balance being utilized by the pressure of the thighs, lower leg (calf) and feet in the stirrups. See the photo of Allen Pinkerton on horseback; notice how straight his leg is - most of the pressure/weight is in the stirrups.



One jumped fences leaning back in the saddle with straight legs and pressure in the stirrups.

This changed in the early 20th Century when the knee was bent more and emphasis on the seat/balance was placed on the thighs and knees -



I've ridden all my life (lived in a saddle as a kid.)

JWB would have experienced severe pain with pressure on the broken/fractured ankle/leg focused primarily on the foot and calf of the injured leg in the stirrup.

Betty:

Excellent analysis. It explains much. Thank you for the information, which was previously unknown to me.

John

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(12-22-2016 09:38 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(12-22-2016 09:14 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  (perhaps, if he initially rode away from Dr. Mudd's farm and then doubled back to it, for which there is some evidence),

John, I am curious. You say "some evidence." To what do you refer? Many thanks.

Roger:

Booth and Herold reached the tavern at about midnight, some 10 miles or so from the bridge. They left within five minutes. They did not arrive at Dr. Mudd's farm until 4:00 a.m., some 15 or so miles away. Four hours to do 15 miles? On July 10, 1865, Thomas Ewing, Dr. Mudd's counsel, appealed to President Johnson for a "remission" of Dr. Mudd's sentence. In support of the appeal, Ewing claimed that Herold's lawyer, Frederick Stone, told him that Herold had tried to dissuade Booth from going to Dr. Mudd's farm, which was very far from his planned route, but that Booth insisted that his leg had to have professional attention. If this is true, it might explain, at least partially, Booth's reference in his diary to having ridden 60 miles that night instead of the approximately 25 from the bridge to Dr. Mudd's farm, i.e. they may have ridden beyond the farm and then doubled back to it. (See also Steers and Holzer, The Lincoln Assassination Conspirators, pp. 42 and 101.) I hasten to add, however, that such a scenario ignores Atzerodt's May 1 confession, in which he stated that Dr. Mudd "knew all about it" and that "liquors and provisions" had been sent to him for pick-up by the fugitives when they made their way south. (See Steers, The Trial, p. cv).

John

I will add to Betty's good information. Like Betty, I spent a lot of time in the saddle as my family raised thoroughbred horses and we were also fox hunters. Thing to remember is that a horse walks at 4 mph; trots at 8 mph and canters, or hand gallops, at 12 mph. So, average speed is 8 mph. Booth's ride to Surratt's in the dark on muddy roads was just fine, especially considering conditions. His ride to Mudd's took much longer, probably due to his physical condition and the possibility of his having to stop and rest. He would be exhausted most likely having to ride with one foot out of the stirrup and the other in, leaning forward on his hands to help maintain his seat. My hunter, who was 17 hands high and about 1,100 lbs., came down on me in a muddy cornfield during a hunt. Neither of us was injured, but my nice English riding clothes were covered in muck. Where is there a reference to the mare being muddy on her left side and having a fresh cut on her left shoulder by the time they arrived at Mudd's? If she was injured, that would also account for the long ride to the Dr's. place.

[RJNorton]

(12-22-2016 05:26 PM)Rick Smith Wrote:  Where is there a reference to the mare being muddy on her left side and having a fresh cut on her left shoulder by the time they arrived at Mudd's? If she was injured, that would also account for the long ride to the Dr's. place.

Rick, I believe this came from Mudd's farmhand, Thomas Davis. He told detectives that the horse had a swollen left shoulder and a fresh cut on its leg.

[Rick Smith]

Thanks, Roger.

I would bet that the mare may have been going lame before they arrived at Mudd's. She would have needed rest, and treatment, just as much as Booth, who would have been utterly done in.

[John Fazio]

(12-22-2016 01:31 PM)L Verge Wrote:  

(12-22-2016 10:26 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(12-22-2016 10:04 AM)BettyO Wrote:  Thanks, John.

We've been over this before, as Laurie said -

The pain and severity of JWB's injury was probably due to the style of riding in the 19th Century.

In the 19th Century, men rode with a straighter leg, with most of the seat and balance being utilized by the pressure of the thighs, lower leg (calf) and feet in the stirrups. See the photo of Allen Pinkerton on horseback; notice how straight his leg is - most of the pressure/weight is in the stirrups.



One jumped fences leaning back in the saddle with straight legs and pressure in the stirrups.

This changed in the early 20th Century when the knee was bent more and emphasis on the seat/balance was placed on the thighs and knees -



I've ridden all my life (lived in a saddle as a kid.)

JWB would have experienced severe pain with pressure on the broken/fractured ankle/leg focused primarily on the foot and calf of the injured leg in the stirrup.

Betty:

Excellent analysis. It explains much. Thank you for the information, which was previously unknown to me.

John

---

(12-22-2016 09:38 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(12-22-2016 09:14 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  (perhaps, if he initially rode away from Dr. Mudd's farm and then doubled back to it, for which there is some evidence),

John, I am curious. You say "some evidence." To what do you refer? Many thanks.

Roger:

Booth and Herold reached the tavern at about midnight, some 10 miles or so from the bridge. They left within five minutes. They did not arrive at Dr. Mudd's farm until 4:00 a.m., some 15 or so miles away. Four hours to do 15 miles? On July 10, 1865, Thomas Ewing, Dr. Mudd's counsel, appealed to President Johnson for a "remission" of Dr. Mudd's sentence. In support of the appeal, Ewing claimed that Herold's lawyer, Frederick Stone, told him that Herold had tried to dissuade Booth from going to Dr. Mudd's farm, which was very far from his planned route, but that Booth insisted that his leg had to have professional attention. If this is true, it might explain, at least partially, Booth's reference in his diary to having ridden 60 miles that night instead of the approximately 25 from the bridge to Dr. Mudd's farm, i.e. they may have ridden beyond the farm and then doubled back to it. (See also Steers and Holzer, The Lincoln Assassination Conspirators, pp. 42 and 101.) I hasten to add, however, that such a scenario ignores Atzerodt's May 1 confession, in which he stated that Dr. Mudd "knew all about it" and that "liquors and provisions" had been sent to him for pick-up by the fugitives when they made their way south. (See Steers, The Trial, p. cv).

John

I believe the slow down from tavern (which is about 14 miles from the Navy Yard Bridge) to Dr. Mudd's farm (about another 14 miles) can be accounted for in considering how hard the fugitives had pushed their horses in the first 14 miles.

These were not race horses, nor were they stallions from the plains out West. Even race horses are not long distance runners. Booth was counting on out-distancing the cavalry pursuers enough in the first few hours to make it to an obscure refuge in Southern Maryland. Trust me, even today, the back roads between TB and Mudd's home are obscure -- especially if one uses the route that the old-timers (and I) believe he used.

Where do you think Booth rode to before deciding to "double-back" to Dr. Mudd's?

---

Betty,

Would the different style of riding in 1865, made a difference in whether or not a man's leg could be broken in his horse rolling on him? Straight leg vs. bent leg...?

I ask this because I suffered a bad break of my arm about two inches from my shoulder when I was ten and walking a large trunk of a fallen tree with my father. I slipped and my father tried to catch me, but we both ended up falling with him on top of me, snapping the bone in my upper arm, which was tucked behind me. The doctor said that, if my arm had been straight, it might not have been broken or only the shoulder dislocated.

Laurie:

"Where do you think Booth rode to before deciding to "double back" to Dr. Mudd's."

I'm not sure he did double back; for that scenario we have only Herold's statement, through Doster and Ewing. But let us tie it with other evidence that is relevant. Smoot twice refers to co-conspirators who were to have fresh horses for three conspirators at T.B.(presumably Booth, Herold and Atzerodt, because the evidence is persuasive that Powell was headed for Baltimore). See Smoot, pp. 7, 13; see also Kauffman, American Brutus, p. 454, N. 1. There are also references in the literature to the intention of the fugitives to first cross a minor river and then make their way to an Atlantic port, where a ship would be waiting for them to take them to Spain. I cannot lay my hands on a reference to this right now, but it is relevant that Herold told friends in Port Tobacco, before the assassination, that the next time they heard from him he would be in Spain and have a barrel of money. Atzerodt, too, had indicated to friends in Port Tobacco his intention to leave the country. (Lafayette C. Baker, pp. 483, 491) Another indication that Spain was in the cards, or may have been, is Ste. Marie's affidavit to Seward in 1866. In it he referred to a statement made by Surratt to the effect that his handlers suggested that he go to Spain. Spain was chosen because there was no extradition treaty between the U.S. and that country at the time.

John

[RJNorton]

(12-23-2016 04:32 AM)John Fazio Wrote:  There are also references in the literature to the intention of the fugitives to first cross a minor river and then make their way to an Atlantic port, where a ship would be waiting for them to take them to Spain.

I wonder what was more important in Booth's mind - the lack of an extradition treaty with Spain or the fact that Lucy Hale was headed there...

[Gene C]

He can't hear the adoring praise of his fellow Confederates for what he had done, in Spain.
I think he liked her family political connections and the social circle she moved in more than he did her.

IMO his ego wouldn't let him go to Spain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH-pk2vZG2M

[John Fazio]

Everyone:

The evidence is strong that there were a lot of women in Booth's life. That he was smitten with Lucy Hale, more so than the others, somehow just doesn't ring true. The photos I have seen or her are not impressive, though it is always possible that something other than physical beauty attracted him to her. As my father would say when he was unimpressed with a woman's looks: "She's no Marilyn MON-roe". For this reason, I would say that the greater likelihood is that he was going to Spain, assuming he was going to Spain, to find sanctuary, not to follow Lucy. The possibility always exists, of course, that Spain was talked about as a possible place of refuge, but then abandoned in favor of a different destination. That would account for the references to it that appear here and there in the record.

John

[wpbinzel]

As usual, this has been a very good discussion. The consensus appears to in favor of Booth’s account that he broke his left fibula at Ford’s Theater. Because of a lack of certainty and my firm belief that your guess is as good as mine, I have not weighed into the debate. However, for the sake of the discussion, I offer the following observations in support of the competing notion, that Booth’s horse fell, trapping his foot in the stirrup:

1. Most telling are the statements and letters of the Ford’s Theater eyewitnesses that were written within forty-eight hours after the shot was fired. They are fairly consistent that Booth landed awkwardly, but then he bounced back to his feet and “ran,” “rushed rapidly,” or “ran with lightning speed” across the stage and out the back door of the theater. I am not aware of any immediately contemporaneous report or statement of Booth limping. It’s not until some years later that “eyewitness” and second-hand accounts included verbiage suggesting that Booth limped or otherwise struggled to reach the back door of Ford’s Theater.

2. Joseph “Peanut John” Burroughs was question on April 15, 1865 and said: “I had been sitting on the carpenter bench [outside the rear of Ford’s Theater] holding the horse for three or four minutes when I heard a pistol go off in the direction of the stage. I then went up towards the door leading the horse when here comes Mr. Booth out of the door. He haloed ‘Give me that horse’; when he had one foot in the stirrup. I had hold of the bridal and Mr. Booth struck me with the butt of a knife or dagger he had drew in his hand. He struck me on the breast and knocked me down. He then kicked me.” A man with a broken left fibula two inches above the ankle, even if fueled by adrenaline, likely would have found it difficult to mount a horse and try to kick someone with his right foot as he mounted.

3. We know that Booth rented “a bay mare, 16 hands high, a small star [o]n the forehead, large black legs tail and mane” from a livery stable on C Street owned by James M. Pumphrey. David Herold visited Naylor’s Stables on E Street and rented a horse described by Naylor’s manager, John Fletcher, as “a light roan with black legs, black tail & mane.”

4. After he fled Ford’s Theater, the next person to see Booth for certain was Sergeant Silas T. Cobb, the captain of the guard at the Navy Yard Bridge. Cobb testified that Booth “was mounted on a bright bay horse, rather below medium size, dark legs, long tail and mane.” He was allowed to pass. Ten minutes later, Cobb allowed another rider “on an iron gray or roan horse, with a long tail” pass as well. The second rider was identified as David Herold.

5. By the time they reached Surratt’s tavern, Booth and Herold had changed horses. John Lloyd testified that two men on horseback, “David Herold and a man I did not know,” arrived at the tavern around 12:15 a.m. on the morning of Saturday, April 15, 1865. According to Lloyd: “Herold rode a bay horse, medium-sized, about 15 hands high, dark mane and tail; she appeared to be a tolerably smart animal. The horse the other man rode was a large horse and seemed to be a gray or roan in the night. Herold went into the bar and got a bottle of whiskey which he brought out to the other man, who remained on his horse. I asked Herold if he wanted the other carbine, when the other man spoke and said he could not carry a carbine as his leg was broke, and he wanted to find a surgeon and have it set.” The roan horse may have a gentler ride, but it questionable whether someone with a broken left leg would have voluntarily dismounted one horse in order to mount another.

6. After leaving Surratt’s tavern, their next stop was the home of Dr. Mudd. According to Mudd’s statement: “Last Saturday morning, April 15th, about four o’clock, two men called at my house and knocked very loudly. I was aroused by the noise, as it was such an unusual thing for persons to knock so loudly. I took the precaution of asking who were there before opening the door, but before doing so they told me they were two strangers on their way to Washington, that one of their horses had fallen, by which one of the men had broken his leg. On opening the door I found [a man] on a horse led by the other man, who had tied his horse to a tree nearby. I aided the man in getting off his horse and into the house, and laid him on a sofa in my parlor. He seemed to be very much injured in the back, and complained very much of it. On examination, I found there was a straight fracture of the tibia [sic] about above the ankle. My examination was quite short and I did not find the adjoining bone fractured in any way. I do not regard it a peculiarly painful or dangerous wound; there was nothing resembling a compound fracture.” If Dr. Mudd is to be believed – and that is open to discussion – Booth’s main source of discomfort was his back, which could have been injured in a fall with his horse.

7. Mudd helped Booth up a flight of stairs to a guest bedroom, set his leg, and invited Booth and Herold to rest. In the morning, Herold came down for breakfast and then returned to bed. Herold reappeared around noon, in time for lunch. Mrs. Mudd later said that she became concerned about the sick man: “As he had nothing to eat during the day, I took up to his room some cake, a couple of oranges, and some wine on a tray. I placed the tray on the table by the bed, asked him how he was feeling and if I could do anything for him. His reply was, ‘My back hurts me dreadfully. I must have hurt it when the horse fell and broke my leg.’” Perhaps Dr. Mudd and Mrs. Mudd coordinated their stories about Booth’s injured back, but toward what end?

8. Thomas Davis, a laborer at the Mudd farm, was questioned on April 29th. He said that he did not see Booth and Herold arrive, but he did see their horses. Davis described one as “a light roan horse, medium size.” “The other horse,” he said, “was a small bay mare.... [S]he was lame in her left front leg she was very lame before taken out of the stable and taken to water about 10 or 11 o’clock.”

9. While hiding in the pine thicket, Booth wanted newspapers. He likely wanted to read the “reviews” of what he considered to be his greatest performance on the stage. He was not prepared for what the papers reported. It was inconceivable to him that he was cast as a cowardly villain, who struck from behind and without warning. His letter of vindication to the editor of the National Intelligencer, left in the care of John Mathews, never appeared in print. Greatly troubled that his view of events was not reported, Booth utilized the only means available to him to make them known. He made notes in an 1864 daybook that he carried. Sitting in the damp pine thicket, cold, hungry and frustrated, on or about April 17th, Booth began to use the daybook as a “diary” to record his version of events: “[1] I walked with a firm step through a thousand of his friends, was stopped, but pushed on. [2] A Col[onel]- was at his side. [3] I shouted Sic semper before I fired. [4] In jumping broke my leg. [5] I passed all his pickets, rode sixty miles that night, with the bones of my leg tearing the flesh at every jump.” Sentence [4] is the touchstone on which the belief that Booth broke his leg at Ford’s Theater is anchored. However, sentences [1], [2], [3], and [5] all contain falsehoods, intentional or otherwise. If we know that four out of five claims are false, it certainly raises a question about the credibility of the remaining claim, [4].

As several have already said, we know that Booth had a broken fibula, but probably will never know for certain how or when he broke it. Other than Booth’s naked assertion, there is not much to support his claim that he broke his leg at Ford’s Theater. Riding at night was hazardous, especially if the riders were in a hurry. A horse’s misstep in on a rut, rock, fallen branch, root, or any number of obstacles in the dark could cause the horse to fall and roll on its side, trapping the rider’s foot in the stirrup. A broken leg just above the ankle seems to have been a common result of such an incident. To me, that seems to be more likely to have been what occurred.