(10-16-2013 01:36 PM)My Name Is Kate Wrote:  Was Rathbone armed at Ford's Theater on the night of April 14?

Personally I do not ever recall reading that he was armed. We have also debated whether he was in uniform or civilian clothes.

My bet is unarmed and almost certainly in civilian attire.

I have heard he was not in uniform, but I would lean toward him being in uniform based on Booth stating in his diary "A colonel was at his side." If he had no uniform, Booth would have no idea that Rathbone was military (except for the newspapers).

I believe that Booth made that statement after reading newspaper accounts in the pine thicket. If I'm not mistaken, Rathbone had just been promoted to colonel, but would still have been a major that night because all the paperwork wasn't complete? Caleb, where are you?

(10-16-2013 04:10 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I believe that Booth made that statement after reading newspaper accounts in the pine thicket. If I'm not mistaken, Rathbone had just been promoted to colonel, but would still have been a major that night because all the paperwork wasn't complete? Caleb, where are you?

He was in civilian attire, I've found a couple sources that stated this fact, he was referenced as being "in mufti". It seemed to be common practice among soldiers going out for social activities, because if they were in uniform the provost marshals of DC could stop them and question their activities. This is why he was unarmed. He later carried a gun and knife at all times.

Also, he was promoted to Major in late March of that year, just a few weeks prior to the assassination. I believe Booth got his info from the papers as well.

Did Major Rathbone have to stand trial for what he did, or was he judged mentally incompetent, and sent to an asylum?

I'm wondering if anyone ever tried to explain to him what he did, for instance, when he was calling out to Clara after he had just finished murdering her (it boggles my mind...) Did he ever have a glimpse of insight into what he did, or why he did it? I don't suppose...

There is a psychiatric evaluation of sorts printed somewhere, but right now my brain has used all its energy at work today. Eva??? Caleb??? (but I don't want to make you reveal too much of your book's information).

(10-17-2013 06:25 PM)L Verge Wrote:  There is a psychiatric evaluation of sorts printed somewhere, but right now my brain has used all its energy at work today. Eva??? Caleb??? (but I don't want to make you reveal too much of your book's information).

Yes. Rathbone did start a trial, but it was stopped shortly after determining his insanity. He remained in a paranoid state the rest of his life. There are some interesting details regarding the evaluation which I do discuss in my book.

Laurie, maybe you are thinking of this one?
http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2009-...tal-asylum

From Eva's link:

"He became obsessed with the notion that Clara was going to leave him and take the children."

I'm willing to bet that is why he killed his wife and almost killed his children. It had nothing directly to do with the assassination. And his radical decline in mental health started after he failed to get the Denmark job.

(10-15-2013 04:10 PM)calebj123 Wrote:  

(10-07-2013 07:41 PM)My Name Is Kate Wrote:  

(10-03-2013 01:22 PM)calebj123 Wrote:  Henry had been sleeping with a loaded gun under his pillow for the few weeks before the murder. His post traumatic stress and depression was worsening. The night before the murder he actually sat in a family room "staring blankly and picking at a handkerchief". There's no doubt his ruminations and paranoia was at its height. Clara herself mentioned to her sister that "the end was not far off", however she assumed he was going to commit suicide.

By "they" I mean primarily his wife and her sister. And why would Clara not have done so? And why did they allow him to have a loaded gun when they feared he was going to commit suicide?

I think part of the issue was the time period. Rathbone was still the husband and there were many social stigmas, so speaking up and forcing him to do things he didn't want would have been difficult. There's no way he would give up his new gun and knife at that point of his depression. Clara did entertain the idea of divorce, however she still loved him dearly and felt that it was her duty to stay with him. With that said, however she also feared that a divorce would be a social blight on the Harris and Rathbone names.

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(10-08-2013 04:49 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(10-05-2013 06:57 PM)My Name Is Kate Wrote:  If he had just come clean right after the assassination, and admitted that he saw Booth enter the theater box (if he did, and from where he was sitting, he probably did),

Hi Kate. I brought this up once before (long ago). It seems like a difficult angle, even if Booth entered through Door 8 and not Door 7. Door 8, I believe, is closer to where Rathbone was sitting. It seems to me that Rathbone's head would have to be turned away from the play (at least to some degree) to have seen Booth enter. If he was sitting watching the play then it's difficult for me to imagine him seeing Booth entering the box.

Roger, I agree with you. The possibility that Rathbone did see Booth enter is plausible. The truth will probably never be known, but there is evidence to argue both sides.

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(10-05-2013 06:57 PM)My Name Is Kate Wrote:  

(10-05-2013 06:30 PM)Gene C Wrote:  I think it is very likely he would have killed them. He didn't show much reluctance in killing Clara, and almost killing himself.
There is no telling what was going through his head. He was certainly battling some some dark and evil thoughts, and he lost.

If he had just come clean right after the assassination, and admitted that he saw Booth enter the theater box (if he did, and from where he was sitting, he probably did), and the assassin would have had his gun drawn, so there would be no doubt of his intentions, maybe Rathbone wouldn't have had to keep piling lies on top of lies to save face and his reputation, until it drove him to criminal insanity.

(That's my take on it, anyway, FWIW.)

I agree, it would have compounded the issue. However, regardless of if he saw Booth enter prior to shooting, he still let Booth escape after having him in his grasp and as a soldier he lost a fight with an actor. There probably wasn't a day that went by, where he didn't play that night's events over in his mind, realizing that he let the assassin get away.

Well, perhaps he couldn't stop the bullet, but in regards to "stopping" Booth, even though he tried to grab him, Booth jumped from the box, however, without harming anyone else after the deed. He was eventually cornered in Port Royal VA and killed. I don't see why Rathbone would chide himself for not stopping Booth (after the bullet was fired) as ultimately Booth was cornered and killed?