A Man On The South Side Of The Capitol

[L Verge]

In his book, The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, Osborn H. Oldroyd notes that as Booth headed to the Navy Yard Bridge he was seen by a man on the south side of the Capitol Building. I have included a copy of the page from his book with a highlight of that sentence.

What do we know about this man? Did he submit a letter of evidence before the trial? Did he provide an affidavit? Did he testify at the trial of the conspirators? I have read a similar account someplace, but can’t remember where. As I have searched for additional information about this man, I have not had much success. Maybe I’ve missed it.

Any help for this old inquiring mind will be greatly appreciated.
Robert

So far as I know, this story has been repeated by other authors after Oldroyd. I have never seen a man's name given as the source of its beginnings.

It is very likely that someone did report seeing a man riding fast near the Capitol, but his name was not entered into the records OR he is one of the hundreds listed in the evidence files, but hard to find if you don't know the name. Surely someone in the 20th century would have included it in a book if they knew the source.