Was Stanton a murder target?

[John Fazio]

(11-06-2016 10:42 AM)RJNorton Wrote:  How do we even know Booth traveled to Baltimore on April 13th?

I do not see it mentioned in Art Loux's book. (Maybe it's there and I am missing it?)

Mike Kauffman writes, "Someone calling himself "Justice" reported seeing Booth talking to O'Laughlen in Baltimore, and said that O'Laughlen was supposed to accompany Booth to Washington that day. The story has the ring of truth; and makes O'Laughlen's trip to Washington appear less coincidental."

So is this letter from someone named "Justice" the only tangible evidence Booth went to Baltimore on April 13th? Is there more than "a ring of truth" to the alleged trip?

Roger:

You ask a good question. I can only say that I followed Mike Kauffman on this, citing p. 213 of American Brutus. Mike cited the letter from "Justice" as his authority and gives its provenance on p. 444. Interestingly, two other letters from "Justice" appear in Edwards and Steers The Lincoln Assassination, but the relevant one does not. Loux appears to have missed this item. His book is a fine one, but he cannot be expected to have recorded every detail. He has O'Laughlen visiting Booth at the National between 4:00 and 5:00 pm, for example, whereas my information is that the train did not arrive until 5:30 and that the men took a drink at Ruhlman's before O'Laughlen made his visit. In any case, why would Justice say he saw Booth talking with O'Laughlen in Baltimore that day if he didn't? Further, the fact that O'Laughlen came to Washington at this time and made two trips to the National to see Booth support the veracity of Justice's letter. I disagree with Kauffman's implication that O'Laughlen went to Washington to talk Booth out of his plans. That strikes me as wholly inconsistent with everything else we know about this episode. Which is the more reasonable conclusion: that he went to the National to persuade Booth not to kill Lincoln, did not succeed, so returned the following morning to give it another go; or, that he came to Washington for the purpose of helping Booth in some way, went to see him on the 13th to confirm his assignment, carried it out that night, and returned to see him the following morning to report the results of his assignment?

John