Atzerodt Confession

[L Verge]

We need to get Jane Singer back on the forum to discuss the Kate Thompson, Kate Brown, Sarah Slater confusion. She has done extensive research on these females. I believe John Stanton's theory is that Jacob Thompson used his wife's identity to cross the border and get to D.C. We carried at least one article in the Surratt Courier on this a number of years ago. We then had a member of the Surratt Society who was descended from Thompson's line and pooh-poohed the idea.

Jerry, please don't discount the intelligence of David Herold. He attended Rittenhouse Academy and Georgetown College, both top-notch schools in the 19th century, and while frivolous in many things, knew enough to work in a pharmacy and also to give a very tricky confession to the authorities in 1865. His cleverness in the latter was highly regarded by Hall and Tidwell. Some other authors have discredited him because of his father's insistence that he not be the executor of his estate. That does not prove that David was mentally incapable of doing it. I can see the young man just not wanting to take the time to sit down and deal with the legalities of settling a will -- hunting and fishing was more fun.