Does anyone know...?

[John Fazio]

Everyone:

There are stumbling blocks, true. That's nothing new.

Gene, I believe it more likely that Booth, Herold and Atzerodt were that stupid. I also believe it likely that she had the date wrong ("As near as I can recollect, between the 12th and the 15th of April"). I can place Booth and Herold together then, but not Atzerodt, who does not appear to have joined the conspiracy earlier than the winter of 1864-1865.

Steve, it is possible that Booth was in Washington while en route from New Orleans to Boston, but I doubt it. More likely is it that Mrs. McClermont erred with respect to the date. She was, after all, recalling an event that occurred about some years earlier. Your point about John Surratt not being mentioned in her testimony is a good one. It most likely accounts for the fact that she was not cross examined.

Susan, the fact that defense counsel did not cross-examine her could not have had anything to do with their believing her testimony was "so improbable". If they believed that, they would have been salivating like a starving pit bull to get at her. Further, the reference to the Soldiers' Home is ambiguous; we can't be certain she was talking about Lincoln's being there at that time, as opposed to being there at various times, which fact was known to the conspirators. I agree with you that she most likely meant a date in the spring of 1865 rather than 1864, at which time the three conspirators named are known to have been together and in gear. If that is true, it would explain why she hadn't been heard from before the trial. There may have been other reasons she failed to come forth with her story until 1867. One can speculate, but little if anything is gained by so doing.

In my judgment, the equities favor credibility, but there are problems, unquestionably.

John