Booth's Day on April 14

[Dennis Urban]

(01-03-2017 07:03 PM)L Verge Wrote:  I'm not "seeing" what you're "seeing," Dennis. I think Joe Beckert once posted a good diagram from either the NPS or the restoration book.

I have not been to the box in years, but I don't think there is much space between doors 7 & 8. Booth entered door 8 behind Rathbone's settee, crossed behind Harris and MTL (maybe a distance of six feet?), and shot the President at close range. I think he then leaped over the railing to the right of Mrs. Lincoln. That's the only way I envision him striking the Washington litho or the flag on his way down.

Laurie, you are correct. There was not much space between the two doors. I am using the "Historic Structures Report, Restoration of Ford's Theatre" (1963). This restoration book does not include JWB's path through the box, just his path from the point at which he hit the stage. Page 48 contains a contemporary drawing showing the relationship between the two doors. The opposite page pictures the box (Brady photo) with the furniture in position (correctly I hope)and stating the Booth entered through the Box 7 door (which I now believe to be incorrect). The Box 7 door is visible behind the Lincoln rocker. Further, Page 41 is a copy of the original drawing of the plan for the dress Circle which depicts the boxes on both sides of the DS but fails to show the east door for Box 8 as it does for Box 6 on the opposite side.

Somewhere recently I read that the door to Box 8 was open and JWB could see Rathbone through the open door (maybe not though). JWB clearly had to act fast, crossing behind Ms. Harris (there are no accounts of him crossing in front of her) and act quickly to take his fatal shot. I suspect Rathbone saw JWB at some point just before he took the shot and Rathbone began to approach him thus engaging JWB before he approached the Box 7 front rail. I will consider this path to be correct. If a drawing of JWB's path through the box is extant, I'd love to see it.

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