Was Stanton a murder target?

[loetar44]

John and others,

Great discussion!

John, David Stanton was certainly not a son of Secretary Stanton. He had a son from his first wife (Edwin Lamson, born Aug 12, 1842; 22 years old in April 1865), and he had a surviving son from his second wife (Lewis Hutchinson, born Jan. 12 1860, too young in April 1865). Was David Stanton a nephew? E(rasmus) Darwin Stanton was Stanton’s only brother, born July 17, 1816. He committed suicide on Sept.23, 1846. He was married with Nancy Hooker and had a son David Erasmus Stanton, born in 1842 (22 or 23 years old in April 1865) and two daughters: Lucy D. Stanton (born in 1845, 19 or 20 years old in April 1865) and Mary Darwin Stanton (born in 1846, married John Hugh Ely). John, I think you are right by saying that David “was surely a relative”. He was (I think) the 22/23 year old David E. (“young David”). And "Miss Lucy Stanton", who was in Stanton's home on the 13th was David’s sister. Both were children of Stanton’s brother Darwin. Riddle solved??? When Darwin committed suicide David was 3 or 4 years old, Lucy was ca. 1 and Mary just born, or posthumous. I don’t know if David, Lucy and Mary grew up in the household of Secretary Stanton. If the answer is “yes” (and I suspect that), than it declares that David was seen as Secretary Stanton’s son!

I agree with you, John, that people (routinely) undervalue circumstantial evidence and overvalue direct evidence. There were 3 eyewitnesses who saw O’Laughlen in or near Stanton’s house. There were 8 eyewitnesses who testified he was not. Eyewitness identifications (direct evidence) are based on what the respective eyewitness claims to have seen, or heard, or felt with his own senses, and the only question here is whether you believe the witness or not. Can you agree with me, that both (O’Laughlen was at Stanton’s house vs. he was not at Stanton’s house) can’t be true at the same time? IMO, there is certainly doubt that O’Laughlen was there on the evening of April 13th. Further, I think that Dave’s point, by saying that O’Laughlin on April 14th “was recovering from a hangover”, is at least “breeding ground” for doubt. We have confessions (direct evidence) and I second Roger by saying that in none of the confessions is said that Stanton was a murder target. Atzerodt certainly would have told that in his last confession. My point, there is reasonable doubt and nobody can prove beyond reasonable doubt from all the evidence we have (direct and circumstantial) that O’Laughlen was commissioned to kill Stanton. John, if I understand you correctly (please correct me if I’m wrong), you don’t ask for the highest standard of proof concerning O’Laughlen, and you are satisfied with evidence in the favor that Stanton was a murder target than that Stanton was not a murder target. And if I’ve understand you correctly, you prefer evidence that establishes a high probability that Stanton was a target is true. That is a choice, but for me I want a greater degree of believability.

Let me give you an example. When John F. Kennedy was murdered, Joseph Milteer was seen standing on Houston Steet, just seconds before Kennedy was fatally shot. Milteer was a political activist in far-right, racist circles from Quitman, Georgia. One piece of evidence offered to support his presence there is a blow-up from a photo by James Altgens. Yes, there was a "Milteer" figure, but was it Milteer? In short: proven is that the spectator wasn't Milteer, he was an unidentified look-alike. He resembled Milteer in age and general facial configuration. He had eyeglasses similar in general style to those of Milteer. But he did not resemble Milteer in upper lip thickness; he was also partially bald and most significantly, Milteer's height was 64 inches and the unknown spectator was 6 inches shorter. Still there are people who say that Milteer was there…

   

Was O’Laughlen (or another man) on the evening of April 14 on Stanton’s porch and/or behind the tree-box? Again the JFK assassination. If all suspect figures who were seen on Daley Plaza (connected with CIA, mafia, Castro, LBJ, teamsters, freemasons, etc, etc.) at the time of the murder, the Plaza was fully overcrowded. I want to say: I don’t put heavy weight on eyewitnesses. Human memory is fragile and malleable. Honest, well-meaning people often misremember or misreport what they have seen (perhaps caused by stress?).

I came to two conclusions: O'Laughlen was not ordered to kill Stanton, and Stanton was not a murder target. That said, a new question: was "evidence"restructured to bring it in line with another version of events? Or, was O'Laughlen drawn into the plot as a fall guy? (by Stanton to cover up his own involvement?). Just a thought.