Was Stanton a murder target?

[John Fazio]

(10-28-2016 04:06 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  

(10-27-2016 08:07 PM)John Fazio Wrote:  Neither does it square with Powell's statements to Eckert.

John, maybe I do not understand what you are saying, so please excuse if I am. But are you saying Powell told Eckert that Stanton was an intended target of Booth's? I do not remember reading this in Bates' book. Where might I read about this?

Roger:

Powell said to Eckert, after his capture: "All I can say about this is that you (meaning Federal prosecutors) do not have the one-half of them". Inasmuch as they had nine, that places the number of conspirators, at an absolute minimum, at 19. That squares well with Herold's telling Bingham that Booth told him there were 35 involved in the conspiracy. It also squares well with Chester's telling the Commissioners that Booth told him there were 50 to 100 involved in the conspiracy. Powell also said to Eckert that it was his impression that arrangements had been made with others for the same disposition as he was to make of Seward. Even allowing for exaggeration, especially in what Booth said to Chester, it is clear that there was no shortage of assassins, which squares well with the T.I.O.S. letter, which states that one had been assigned for each member of Lincoln's cabinet. It is also consistent with the other items of evidence referred to in earlier entries. Remember, too, that Booth's band of street louts and amateurs was only one part of the underground mosaic, most likely a back-up team for Harney, another would-be assassin. That would explain why Booth contacted Surratt the day after the failure of the Harney mission on April 9, advising him that their plans had changed and that he was to get back to Washington immediately.

John