Musical chairs in the State Box?

[wsanto]

(09-26-2014 04:02 PM)loetar44 Wrote:  I’ve tried to visualize the route via the (closed) door of box 7 and via the (easy to open) door of box 8. Lincoln's head was leaning slightly forward and turned somewhat to his left. I’ve pictured Lincoln as a black silhouette. IMO: if Booth took the route via 7 he was bumped into the rocker and could not see Lincoln. If Booth took the route via 8 he had a clear view of Lincoln, and was able to jump quicker across the railing (after fighting Rathbone). Did Booth push Mary aside when he passed her?

I've always been in the approach from doorway to box 8 until I was able to peer into the box from the doorway to box 7.

If I were planning the assassination of the person sitting in the rocker, knowing there was a military officer sitting on the settee, I would come in to the box via the doorway to box 7. That would allow me a better approach to my target and less chance that someone else could intervene before I reached my target.

If the door to box 7 was locked then I would be forced to go through the doorway to box 8 and take my chances. Also, if the door to box 8 was already open I could also enter the room more quietly and that has its advantages as well.

Looking into the box there is a lot of heavy, large pieces of furniture. This furniture takes up a lot of the room between the doorway to box 8 and the rocker.

If Lincoln was leaning far enough forward to look over the rail., his rocker would have tilted forward as well. Considering this and the height of the back of the rocker it seems to me that Booth would have had to shoot around the back of the rocker-- either from the left side approaching from the doorway to box 7 or from the right approaching from the doorway to box 8.

Considering Mary was sitting very close by Lincoln's right side, If Booth approached from the doorway to box 8 and shot around the right side back of the rocker he would have had to fire close by Mary's face between Mary and Mr. Lincoln. That's hard for me to wrap my head around md not having heard any report that the shot was fired in Mary's personal space.

I'm not sure what I believe at this point. Just trying to think outside the box.

Bill C