What Was The Role of David Herold

[John Fazio]

(02-10-2013 01:47 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  I wonder why Francis P. Burke was not called as a witness at the conspiracy trial. I would think he might have seen what was going on outside the theater during the performance (except for the period of time he was drinking in Taltavul's).

Roger:

A good question, and one that would apply as well to Charles Forbes (the footman-messenger) and John F. Parker (Lincoln's armed guard). The answer I give is that these were small fry who, at worst, had committed errors of judgment, and that at the time, Stanton and his department were after the big fellows, convinced, as they were, that Davis, Benjamin, Seddon and the Canadian Cabinet were all behind the assassination. Holt never stopped believing it, despite his disappointing experience with Charles Dunham, alias you name it, Montgomery and Merritt. Tidwell, Hall and Gaddy believe these were all set-up men, manipulated by George Sanders, to shift the blame away from Davis, et al. With Benjamin, it didn't matter; he was long gone to England, never to return.

John