What Was The Role of David Herold

[J. Beckert]

I think he turned to feign leaving so he could discreetly pull his revolver. I also think if that gun didn't misfire/malfunction, he'd have killed Seward and his son. I don't think he planned on having to use the knife and after he started with it, he may have found it was too brutal for him. Booth stabbed Rathbone once to get him away and slashed back at him as he grabbed his coat. He wasn't concerned with killing him. If Booth's gun had misfired, he may have made the same mess at Ford's as Powell did at Seward's.