What Was The Role of David Herold

[JMadonna]

(02-01-2013 01:32 PM)John Fazio Wrote:  Jerry:

... But does the reference to Booth and Herold having gone to the Kirkwood and having "seen" Johnson truly mean that they actually met him and did business with him, or might it mean only that they had observed him from a distance, presumably to confirm his residence there, size up his m.o., etc., in preparation for the kill?

- It's possible but why didn't Booth go with Atzerodt his designated trigger man? Why did he later tell Atzerodt to get a pass from Johnson and tell how to go through his secretary? Because Booth already did so with Herold seems more likely to me.

(02-01-2013 01:32 PM)John Fazio Wrote:  Granted that the fugitives made it across the bridge, nothing was said by Cobb about passes, nor do his statments and testimony lend themselves to a supposition that passes were a part of their tranactions. My conclusion about Cobb is that:

1. General Order No. 5 was not being strictly enforced, contra Kauffman; or

2. There was foul play, i.e. Cobb's passing them was pre-arranged and paid for.

The second possibility may have more to it than is commonly supposed, because entirely too many things went Booth's way that night. (Roscoe suggests the possibility.) It is hard to believe that Booth and Herold would have approached the bridge unless they were certain they would be passed, but with no mention or suggestion of passes, I look for another reason.

Agreed - too many things went right that night for it all to be a string of lucky coincidences. When things go wrong in government scapegoats are always found.As you once wrote its the grunts that pay the price not the higher-ups. Had Cobb taken a bribe he surely would have been found out and court-martialed. Yet he did not even get a reprimand.This tells me that they couldn't because he did everything by the book.

BtW - Do you have anything new coming out?