Time for a memorial honoring Boston Corbett?

[RJNorton]

(11-22-2017 03:35 PM)J. Beckert Wrote:  I think the important thing about the Richter/Smith article is that for the first time, it was shown how easy it could have been for Booth to have shot himself. No one had yet thought of the very simple way Booth could have easily inverted the pistol and done this without being a contortionist as most, if not all folks had speculated he had to be. The photo in the article clearly shows this.

Right, Joe. I am including a photo from Dr. Lattimer's book that shows the way Dr. Lattimer thought Booth would have to hold it. Bill and Rick showed Dr. Lattimer was wrong. Dr. Lattimer wrote:

"In order to make the bullet go slightly downhill, as did the wound through Booth's vertebrae, it would have been necessary for Booth to reverse the pistol in his small hand and to press the trigger with his thumb."

Despite this error, Dr. Lattimer's book remains a fascinating read.