Lincoln Reward Money Fraud?

[Dave Taylor]

(01-07-2016 07:23 AM)maharba Wrote:  Checking as best I could, I see several different listings of the Reward Money paid for the murder of John Wilkes Booth. The Federals advertised $100,000. The apparent official listing totals up to $75,000. In that listing Boston Corbett and crew got $1,000 apiece. In another listing, it lowers the fat
checks (which were to be paid?) to higher officers, and there it lists Corbett getting instead, $1,653.85. In that accounting, I cannot figure the total amount paid out. It does look the government withheld $25,000 from their $100,000 figure.
So, it looks like there was an outstanding $25,000 reward on Booth that went unpaid.

You need to look at actually period sources, maharba, and not random things you find online. Your biggest mistake here is thinking the government offered a $100,000 reward for Booth. They never did. The reward posters clearly offer $50,000 for Booth, $25,000 for David Herold, and $25,000 for John Surratt. The government paid out the $75,000 for Booth and Herold's capture (and also included rewards to those who helped arrest Atzerodt and others as well) and then rescinded the reward for Surratt in 1866.

Going back to original, period sources is the only way to do accurate research, otherwise you start falling down rabbit holes that lead you far astray from the truth.