An interesting trip to Surrattsville

[emma1231]

(08-30-2016 09:13 AM)L Verge Wrote:  Richard Sloan is well-versed on Withers and Gourlay. Can we get him to join in?

It was, indeed, Withers who first told the story about Spangler and the gas box. It has never been corroborated and I believe it has no basis in fact. Maybe he hated Ned for some reason. Spangler was completely innocent. After Booth ran out the door, I think it was Jake Ritterspaugh said "That was Booth!" Jake said that Spangler yelled at him,"Shut up! What do you know about it?!" That's really all there ever was to lead the gov't into thinking he was in cahoots with Booth. Withers exaggerated a great deal. First of all, he said he was cut through the skin by Booth's dagger and carried a scar for the rest of his life, but a doctor who examined him when he wanted his pension increased noted no such scar. (I would think he would have pointed it out to the dr. in furtherance of trying to get the bigger pension!) Then there's the Spangler story. Tom correctly points out that he often exaggerated and I think he said he was difficult to believe. I don't mean to open a can of worms here, but Tom accepts at face value his claim of being jilted on the afternoon of the assassination -- a tale he told in his final interview. I have enough background re: Withers and Jeannie Gourlay to offer the educated opinion (no proof, darn it!) that he was NOT jilted. By then (again, no proof!) I have good reason to believe that after Jeannie divorced him he carried a torch for her for the rest of his life. Withers was no doubt suffering from dementia when he granted that last interview.