Booth escape route north

[L Verge]

Gene first: Lewis Powell was not a highly recognized person and stood a better chance of hiding in Baltimore than Booth would. Also, Powell had a girlfriend in Baltimore with a family that could assist him as well as others in the city with whom he had had contact previously. Those people were not as easily identifiable as any member of the Booth family would be.

Now, I said FINALLY before, but I lied!

1. "Nowadays" is not 1865, while a Civil War was going on and a President had just been shot. Think of the situation in April 1865.

2. Reverting back to the "nowadays" theme regarding the touchy subject of the Catholic Church assisting the Nazis - not relevant to the 1865 situation.

3. Being a cad in a love relationship is quite different than deliberately endangering a woman's life.

4. No further comment on the broken leg since it has been discussed ad nauseum on this forum.

5. Weichmann also testified that he took leave on April the 11th and that Mrs. Surratt asked him to borrow Booth's buggy to get her to Surrattsville. He was given $10 by Booth to rent one. They met Lloyd near Anacostia and had the whispered coversation. They went on and met with Nothey on that trip, and returning to D.C. stopped to inquire about when pickets would be pulled in for the night.

6. Actually, Michael O'Laughlen knew Booth the longest, I believe. His older brother was Booth's good friend when they were growing up together on Exeter Street in Baltimore, and Mikey tagged along with the "older boys." Some believe that Mike actually substituted for his brother when the plot to kidnap came along because his brother's wife was pregnant with their first child.

7. I don't believe that any of my esteemed friends ever discussed any of Starkey's theories, let alone took the time to include them in their writings. Since it has been about thirty-five years since I read Starkey's book, I'm trying to hypnotize myself into the past.

Going home now. Thank the lord that my job requires me to impart the history of the Surratt family and the Lincoln assassination. Otherwise, I would be canned for wasting company time.