Ford's Theater stage diagram

[Dave Taylor]

This diagram is in the Benn Pitman trial transcript at the very end:

https://archive.org/details/55931160R.nl...1/mode/2up

It was originally drawn by Lt. Simon Currier. On April 22, Currier reassembled as much of the cast of Ford's Theatre as he could in order to recreate Our American Cousin. Currier and his assistants kept track of movement of the set pieces and measured the wings and backstage areas. Currier was especially interested in seeing what the backstage area was like at the moment the shot was fired. From what he gathered during the recreation, Currier composed this diagram and sent it to Col. Foster, one of the men then gathering evidence on the crime, on April 24. The government consulted it when they were laying out their case against Spangler, as Lt. Currier felt that the backstage passageway that Booth escaped through was kept, "remarkably clear". Currier's drawing appeared at the trial of the conspirators as Exhibit 48. It was shown to Joseph Stewart who used it to point out his movements at Ford's as he climbed onto the stage and pursued Booth.

As he was working on his edition of the trial transcript, it seems that Pitman had Currier's drawing duplicated for his book.