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[Pamela]

(07-03-2016 08:37 AM)Susan Higginbotham Wrote:  In the same 1885 interview (in the April 17, 1885 Washington Critic) in which Richards claimed to have been at the theater, he also claimed to have gone to Mary Surratt's house on the evening of the assassination and found her in her usual dress, with no appearance of having retired for the evening. I simply don't believe that Richards would have suppressed such incriminating evidence in 1865 had it been true.

It's also noteworthy that in the 1885 account, Richards has the stage empty when Lincoln is shot, and also has Grant at the theater, as he claims that, "In a few seconds word went round that General Grant had been shot. Then we had it that President Lincoln had been shot."

I think Richards was suffering from "rubber room" syndrome.

You are wrong when you said that Richards said the stage was empty when Lincoln was shot. From We Saw Lincoln Shot, "We had been seated probably about 15 minutes, when at a time the stage in front of the scenery was nearly free of all persons, a shot was heard."-A.C. Richards
As for Richard's account of his visit to the Surratt house and his description of Mary and her behavior, I suggest you read Richard's letters to Weichmann with Risvold's thoughtful comments. The facts and circumstances of his account are not as simplistic as you have expressed.
Richards does not have Grant at the theater, "In making our (with Capt. Reed) usual rounds of the area we were in the vicinity of Ford's theater. Captain Reed suggested that as General Grant was supposed (my italics) to be in the theater to go in."