"Alias Paine"

[RJNorton]

(01-28-2013 08:41 PM)J. Beckert Wrote:  I believe Powell was taking his orders from Booth

I have believed that since the 1960's when I first read Jim Bishop's book. In thinking about it, however, what is the evidence that JWB specifically assigned Powell to assassinate Seward? Did "the hit" come from Booth? From Mosby? From Benjamin? From someone else?

I wish we had a tape recording of the "final meeting" in which assignments were apparently made. In truth, we don't even know when the "final meeting" occurred. Most books say it was in Powell's room at the Herndon House on April 14th about 8:00 P.M. However, Mike Kauffman thinks it took place on the night of the 13th. And Betty O makes an extremely logical argument that it took place on the 14th but considerably earlier in the day because Powell had vacated him room at the Herndon House.

Right now the only specific piece of evidence I can think of is in Atzerodt's April 25, 1865, statement where he says, "Booth proposed that we should kill the president. said it would be the greatest thing in the world. This was about half past six or seven o'clock on Friday, that Wood would go up to Seward's house and kill him."

Is there more evidence that the specific order to kill Seward came from JWB? How much credence do we put in Atzerodt's statements?

Could the order have come from elsewhere despite Atzerodt's claim?

Did Powell ever tell Eckert, Doster, or anyone else specifically who give him the order to kill Seward?