Lucy Hale

[Thomas Kearney]

A question for the group. I just finished reading Lincoln's Assassins by Chamblee. He makes the point that Booth's secret fiancé Lucy Hale was not interrogated after the murder or called to testify at the trial. Is this true? If so, anyone know why? Was the relationship that secret? It seems like she could have unique insight.

Maybe it was too "political" to talk to her....soil the family name......

At the time of the assassination, Lucy was in a pickle. Her father had recently been promoted to ambassador of Spain and was to move at the end of the month. When her family learned word of the assassination, she couldn't believe that John Wilkes Booth was the assassin. When Senator Hale heard this, he attempted to whisk her away from her beloved Wilkes but failed. It is rumored that Lucy went to visit Booth's badly burnt body on the ironclad and had to be dragged out of the room after throwing herself on his body. According to the Richmond papers, Lucy was not called to testify because Stanton feared that her relationship with Booth would increase the reputations of the conspirators, and she had moved to Spain by the time the trial started.

Thomas - what is your source for that quote? I have never read about "Booth's badly burned body." Some ill-informed people have stated that Booth burned to death in the barn, but I have never seen reference to him being badly burned when dragged out alive from the barn.

Laurie,

Why are you bringing me down man? I told my mother my theory and she agreed. Ah but what did she agree on? Here is my theory:

According to the Confederate States Almanac, the evening of April 25th was pleasant weather, with sunset at 6:36 PM. But as for being inside the barn, the fire made it hundreds of degrees inside, so it was basically like being in an oven. So it is possible that Booth got at least first or second degree burns. His dentist and dermatologist were called on to the Montauk to make sure it was him, probably because of the potential burns. I am posting a link to the Almanac and an article about the different burn types on Healthline (try not to gag while reading the burn articles, this could be a breakthrough in the death of John Wilkes Booth).

https://ia600408.us.archive.org/8/items/...shm_bw.pdf

http://www.healthline.com/health/burns#Second-Degree4

http://www.healthline.com/health/burns#First-Degree3