Frank Ford Letter

[AussieMick]

My opinion is that Booth is not likely to have bored the hole.
I find the Frank Ford letter very convincing.
The suggestion that theatre management claimed to have bored the hole so that it would somehow ease any opprobrium or criticism seems weak. I can just about accept that some people would have put blame on Ford's theatre for the assassination ... but does management claiming responsibility for the hole ease that censure?

The fact that Booth had a gimlet? Er, well I had a gimlet for years and it came in very handy but lost the darn thing. But I had no involvement in Lincoln's death. As for shavings in Booth's possession ? I'm not sure who made that claim..... whenever I used a gimlet the "shavings" were tiny and I didnt retain them! anyway ... so what if he did have shavings ?

Booth would have been well aware of the normal layout of the Presidential box. He'd have known that police or guards did not sit in there with them.

As for actually doing the boring? I know Booth was someone whose presence was accepted in the theatre. But I think it would have been a risky thing to do. Anybody could have passed by and said , "Hey ... whatcha doing, pal ?" I always found using a gimlet took a degree of time and strength (Ok, I'm no workman ... but neither was Booth). The hole would have had to have been of a size which gave a good view.

“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.”
― Flannery O'Connor