Frederick Demond

[L Verge]

Gene, I think that is a very astute observation. One thing that has bothered me with the claim that Booth (and Herold) had been detained while trying to enter the city in the morning is that no record of this has shown up in the guards' reports for that day. Once the assassin's identity was known, I would think that Demond and others on the Maryland side of the bridge would have rushed to tell someone that they had detained the man/men earlier that day when he/they were attempting to come into the city.

I realize that the authorities' procedures and tactics at that time left a lot to be desired, but it would seem that even an 18-year-old would have sense enough to think such a story was relevant. Also, wouldn't the guards have been asked to make a statement regarding the day's events - or even been summoned before the military court? When you attempt to wade through the trial transcripts, you see some things dwelt upon that seem much more irrelevant than what Demond claimed happened a half-century later.

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Forgot to add that the letter to his brother, written within a week of the assassination, mentions that Booth is the one who told them the President had been murdered as he rode past them into Maryland. Did he ever report that to the authorities? Especially if he recognized Booth from that morning's detainment.