Worst Seat in the House

[STS Lincolnite]

(06-28-2015 06:21 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Caleb spoke about the book at our 2014 conference and gave a good explanation as to why Rathbone might be diagnosed with PTSD in today's medical world. That kind of "presentism" I approve of...

The thing I found most interesting about Caleb's talk was he said that Clara's initial statement (reported in the Public Ledger, May 5, 1865 and purported to have been given to Stanton inside the Petersen house) and her official affidavit given a few days later, differed. The first stating that Booth had appeared in the box earlier in the evening and also stating then when Booth entered the second and fatal time, Rathbone arose and asked the intruder his business, Booth rushed past him without replying and shot the President. In this second statement there is apparently no mention of Rathbone having risen and spoken to Booth before he shot Lincoln. Within that second and official affidavit, it says that Clara "read the foregoing affidavit of Major Rathbone, and knows the contents thereof." As Caleb states, she would have also had time between the statements to converse with Rathbone and "synch" the stories. This is discussed in Caleb's book on p. 103-105. Did Clara change her story to conform with what Henry said? Who knows. Did the circumstances of that night affect him the rest of his life? PTSD or no, how could it not?