What Was The Role of David Herold

[John Fazio]

Ms. Ownsbey:

If Herold was the point man, who was going to kill Johnson, with Booth on the President, Powell on Seward and Atzerodt refusing to kill, as confirmed by Powell? The confirmation is mentioned in your book, which I read with great interest. Anything is posssible, of course, but I view the "point man" theory as weak. I believe it is more believable that Booth, Powell and Herold were assigned to kill, the latter because Atzerodt refused, and that Powell was to go to Baltimore and the other three were to ride off together and leave the country, per Smoot. Booth probably knew that Atzerodt wouldn't follow them, or thought it highly unlikely (or perhaps he planned to dump him when he was sure he had Herold to guide him), because a witness at the trial (I don't have it in front of me) testified that Lloyd said that Mrs. Surrat told him that two men (not three) would show up that night to call for the shooting irons. And two did.

John C. Fazio (please call me John)