Derringer

[Steve]

According to Philip Henson's 1887 authorized biography, he moved to a farm a few months away from Corinth, Mississippi:

https://archive.org/stream/philiphensons...0/mode/2up

I found Philip Henson in the 1870 census in Alcorn County, Mississippi (near Corinth) with a wife and two children (aged 8 and 5).

I also found Philip Henson as a witness in several Southern Claims Commission applications dating from 1871 - 1877 with his residence being listed in/near Corinth and his occupation as farmer. Apparently, his service to the Union made him a good witness to the character of applicants. This Unionist farmer near Corinth matches the description Henson gives of himself in his book.

I don't see how it's possible he could be a "Secret Service agent" working for President Grant secretly investigating the Lincoln assassination while also being a small farmer in rural Mississippi and frequently testifying on neighbors/friends behalf in Mississippi. Am I missing something here? If the "Philip Henson papers" do exist, why do they contradict both the account he gave during his lifetime and the records of his whereabouts. So, I don't see how the story of Henson giving Booth the derringer is credible, he didn't mention it in his 1887 account - even to just bemoan it!