Why was Booth admitted into the presidential box?

[RJNorton]

(04-30-2015 02:27 AM)Thomas Thorne Wrote:  3 JWB trips to the boarding house? The 1 PM visit is certain as Anna Surratt even verified it. . The second visit just before Smoot is barely likely but a third? Are are we not conflating this with the second?

Please explain.

Hi Tom. I am using Art Loux's John Wilkes Booth: Day By Day. (p. 209)

1. Before noon Booth "walked to Mary Surratt's boardinghouse and learned she was going to drive to Surrattsville on business, making it unnecessary for Atzerodt to go. Booth said he would return with his binoculars before she left so that she could drop them off at the Surratt Tavern. He also asked her to tell tavern-keeper John Lloyd to take the carbines from their hiding place; they would be picked up that night."

2. "At 2:30 P.M. Booth returned to the Surratt boardinghouse with his binoculars."

3. "At 9:00 P.M., according to Weichmann, Booth visited Mary Surratt perhaps to confirm that she had seen Lloyd and delivered his binoculars."

In his book Weichmann supports his contention that a third visit took place by writing that when the detectives left on the morning of the 15th Anna Surratt cried out, "Oh, Ma! Mr. Weichmann is right; just think of that man (John W. Booth) having been here an hour before the assassination. I am afraid it will bring suspicion upon us."

One question which I think has been discussed before is how Mary planned on getting to Surrattsville. If she told Booth about her planned trip in the morning...what was her planned method of transportation? Was she going to drive alone? The reason I bring this up is, as far as I can tell, she would not have known at that time that Stanton was going to release workers on Good Friday. Weichmann had left the boardinghouse in the morning and was already at work when he learned of Stanton's circular letter to War Department employees.