My Journey on Lincoln's Assassination

[mikegriffith1]

(10-26-2018 05:58 PM)AussieMick Wrote:  For a person that is supposed to be cunning and evil (deceitful to Lincoln and Seward and many 'friends' in the US Cabinet), Stanton must have had enormous regard and loyalty towards Booth. We're asked to believe that Stanton went to all this trouble in order to switch some deluded person for Booth (I wonder what persuasion was used to induce Boyd to impersonate Booth?). Not only that , we have to believe that Stanton was willing to risk all this Machiavellian impersonation by unreliable fruitcakes would never come to light.

If I had been Stanton and was indeed involved in the assassination, I would have made sure Booth was killed as soon as possible ... maybe in a barn by soldiers.

One, you might want to read some of the better books that posit a Radical Republican conspiracy, because your arguments indicate you have not ready many, partly because your arguments contain several strawman arguments that no one has made.

Two, Stanton was in fact cunning, evil, and deceitful to Lincoln and others. Just read Gideon Welles' diary. I provide just a sampling of what Welles said about Stanton and other Radicals in "Gideon Welles and the Radical Republicans." And also read Lloyd Paul Stryker's book Andrew Johnson: A Study in Courage. Stryker, as you might know, was one of the most famous attorneys in his day. He defended Alger Hiss.

Three, surely you have read in history that on occasion two enemies will agree to conspire against a common enemy whom they hate/fear worse than each other. "The enemy of my enemy is my friend." In such arrangements, each side often makes the other aware of damning information that they have on them and that they will release it if they are double-crossed.

Four, Stanton would have wanted Booth dead?! REALLY?! Humm, then it is extremely odd and baffling that the first several wires that Stanton sent out on the murder, ostensibly to begin the manhunt, said nothing about Booth, even though there is ample evidence that Stanton knew almost immediately that Booth was the shooter.

Five, if Stanton came to an agreement with Booth's side, one logical condition would have been that Booth be allowed to escape, and there is very good evidence that Booth did in fact escape.

Six, who says Boyd agreed to be Booth's substitute? I am not aware of any alternative-conspiracy book that claims that Boyd agreed to impersonate Booth. So there is no need to assume that Boyd was "deluded."

Seven, who were the "unreliable fruitcakes"? Who would they be, in your opinion?

Your suppositions are far more problematic than mine. Mine are more logical and supported by more credible evidence than yours are.