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Page 393 in American Brutus: Mike Kauffman says that Mrs. Lincoln first blamed Forbes for allowing Booth into the Presidential Box (and he should have been the one blamed). To deflect the blame, Mike says that Forbes filed charges against Parker for leaving his post to have a drink. Parker was tried and acquitted. He also says that testimony at the hearing was not recorded. Did both Richards and Forbes file charges?

Right now, I have in front of me the photocopy of the charge and specifications filed against Patrolman John F. Parker of the 5th Precinct on May 1, 1865. Strangely Richards not only filed the charges and specifications with the Secretary of the Board of Metropolitan Police - T.A. Lazenby - he signed as his own witness along with Charles Forbes. Parker acknowledged receipt of the document the same day.

To add to the confusion, Joan Chaconas showed me a copy of a list of items "received of the Metropolitan Police Department, D.C. the personnel record of John F. Parker consisting of the following listed items, in folder." 29 items are listed, most of them related to incidents in 1863-64, one in Nov. of 65, and several in 1868. Number one on the list is "Specifications, Neglect of duty, allowed man to shoot President Lincoln, 5-1-65." At the bottom, it reads, "Received the above for Campbell's Photo Service, 917 F Street, N.W. for Photostat purposes to be returned immediately. The items were sent on May 28, 1940, and "File returned in good order 5-29-40" with initials. Frank Dodson is listed as the messenger who carried the files to Campbell's and back to the MPD.

Attached to that sheet is the previously mentioned charge and specification against Parker, but nothing pertaining to a transcript of any sort from a police board hearing. Could Mike be correct that no written record was made? Are the Parker papers that were supposedly retrieved from the trash really this personnel file with only the 29 pieces mentioned on the transit paper to the photographer?

One of the absolute best parts of American Brutus is the detailed chapter notes at the end of the text. On page 403 and page 475, Mike makes further statements favoring Parker and debunking Richards. He cites Parker's record as being in the office of the D.C. Corporation Counsel in D.C. (??), also says that Crook and Pendel were unreliable sources, and that coachman Francis Burke had drinks with the uniformed officer that was paid by the Fords to stand in front of the theater for security purposes - not Parker. He finally states that the debunking process of these statements would be very tedious and could make up an entire volume.

Personally, I consider Hall and Kauffman the best researchers in the field to date. The rest of us pale in comparison. That's what I will go with.