Life, Crime and Capture of John Wilkes Booth

[Gene C]

A few more interesting quotes from this chapter

p.65, about Payne
"Taller by a whole head than either his
companions or the sentries, Payne, the assassin, sits erect, and flings his
barbarian eye to and fro, radiating the tremendous energy of his colossal
physique."

p. 66 . "The mystery attending Payne's home and parentage still exists to make
him more incomprehensible" (interesting to note, that even at this late stage, little is known about him)

"He is entirely beardless, yet in his boyish chin more of a man physically than
the rest, combined."

p.67 We have this about Atzerott.
" The filthiness of this man denies him sympathy. He is a disgusting little
groveler, of" dry, sandy hair, oval head, ears set so close to the chin that
one would think his sense of hearing limited to his jaws, and a complexion
so yellow that the uncropped brownness of his beard does not materially
darken it. (who says looks don't matter?)

"Atzerott swaggered about Kirkwood's Hotel asking for the Vice-President's room;
Payne or Booth would have done the murder silently. Nobody pities a
dirty man. The same arts of dress and cleanliness which please ladies
influence juries"

O'Laughlin only gets a short paragraph.
About Spangler, he says this
"This man has a simple and pleading face, and there is something genial in
his great, incoherent countenance. He is said to have cleared the stage for
Booth's escape, but this is indifferently testified to."

p 68 . Sam Arnold
"He is, perhaps, the best looking of the prisoners, and the
least implicated. He has a solid, pleasant face ; has been a rebel soldier,
foolishly committed himself to Booth, with perhaps no intention to do a
crime, recanted in pen and ink, and was made a national character. Had
he recanted by word of mouth he might have saved himself unpleasant
dreams. This shows everybody the absurdity of writing what they can so
easily say.

p 69 and about the Military Commission
"Excepting Judge Holt, the court has shown as little ability as could be
expected from soldiers, placed in unenviable publicity, and upon a duty
for which they are disqualified, both by education and acumen."

"This court was needed to show us at least the petty tyranny of martial
law and the pettiness of martial jurists."

There is a whole I left out. Hope you will read the book and perhaps get a feel for what the press was telling the public at the time.