The “rubber box” or did Laura Keene indeed held Lincoln’s head?

[Jim Garrett]

(09-14-2014 07:04 AM)loetar44 Wrote:  

(09-11-2014 07:16 AM)Jim Garrett Wrote:  Hi Roger: I do feel that Gourlay was more credible than Ferguson. There was a back staircase, somewhere on the downhill side of the theatre. I think that the fact that Gourlay did not leave a statement actually may work for him.

I can't imagine in all the chaos in the theatre, that Ferguson would have been successful in getting Keene to the Presidential box in any feasible amount of time. I haven't read Ferguson's book for a couple of years, but I think there were some statements inconsistent with most other statements. Ferguson wrote the book roughly 65 years after the event and I'm sure a few of his memories changed over that time.

Let’s suppose that Jeannie Gourlay is right, by stating that Laura (escorted by Jeannie’s father Thomas Gourlay) indeed reached the box via a route, “known to her father” and did exit the theatre from the stage via the backstage door, into the small alleyway that separated the Star saloon from the theatre, than climbed the outside staircase to the second level of the Star Saloon building, to enter here the lounge (situated above the Star Saloon). Let’s suppose that that all was indeed possible. But was it possible taking the architecture of the building(s) in consideration…. ? Was it possible to reach that outside staircase via the small alleyway? Okay let’s say that that was possible, then Laura was in the lounge, but still not in the presidential box. The lounge was (as I understand approximately at the same level) adjacent to the dress circle, but don’t forget that there is still that small alleyway between the two buildings. Was there a connection between the lounge and the dress circle? Could Laura easily traverse the side of the dress circle? Let’s say she indeed reached the dress circle, than she still was not in the presidential box. Therefore she had to “fight” a huge mass of people at the door …. remember even the doctors had trouble getting in. Can someone give the answers on the two following questions:
1. Was there indeed an easy possibility to reach the outside staircase from the small alleyway?
2. Was there a connecting door between the lounge and the dress circle?
And I have an additional question: I've once read that there was no small alleyway at all between the Star Saloon and Ford's Theatre, ..... , as is seen on the photo. Was the alleyway later removed?

The alley between the theatre and the saloon was a covered alleyway. My understanding is that there was indeed a stairway leading up to the lounge that was part of the second floor. The Fords built the Star Saloon building as part of the reconstruction project after the December 62 Theatre fire. It wasn't a secret alley, it just that if you weren't employed or associated with the theatre, you wouldn't have a reason to know about the side stairway.