Was it Booth in the Barn?

[RJNorton]

Thanks, Laurie. I had seen references to Kenzie's affidavit but didn't think I had a book that included the text of it. I was wrong. It's on p. 250-251 of Ed Steers' Blood on the Moon. It reads:


I went in pursuit with them (the Sixteenth New York Cavalry); and we all brought up at the Garrett barn where Booth was supposed to be; and Corbett's company surrounded the barn. Boston Corbett shot the man through a crack in the barn and killed him instantly. They brought the man out and put him on the porch and covered him with a blanket except his feet. Joe Zisgen had discovered that it wasn't J. Wilkes Booth and they had covered him up so no one could see his face, as I rode up Joe Zisgen called "Here, come here Sergeant, this ain't J. Wilkes Booth at all." At he attempted to uncover the corpse, he was stopped by some of the officers, but the face was exposed enough so I could see the color of his hair and side of his face that this man had sandy hair and Booth had very dark hair, I knew at once it wasn't he. His body was exposed, the lower part of it, and he had no injured leg that I could see and he did not have on riding boots, but I think ordinary shoes and I sized him up as being an ordinary Virginia farmer. What I do know and positively state is that it was not the body of John Wilkes Booth."

Dr. Steers goes on to write that Zisgen issued another statement in which he said:

"This fellow's a red-headed Virginian....he was red-headed and red haired. There was no chance of a mistake...one of the three officers of high rank (Conger, Baker, Doherty) seized the blanket and shouted to me, "Don't repeat that."...My company commander, Lieutenant Norris (Lieutenant Harman P. Norris, commanding Battery F, First United States Artillery), husband of a niece of Secretary Stanton, warned me also to keep quiet."

[RJNorton]

In the post above, regarding the second statement, I meant Kenzie where I wrote Zisgen.

[L Verge]

(10-31-2014 02:22 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  In the post above, regarding the second statement, I meant Kenzie where I wrote Zisgen.

All I can say is that Mr. Miller's refutation of Kenzie and his statement takes up several pages in the booklet - and I'm not going to quote those pages here. He does cite sources that refute Kenzie.

[RJNorton]

I agree. I have had that booklet for at least 15 years, and it contains numerous wonderful articles in addition to Steve Miller's. I simply cannot find the article by Nate Orlowek convincing. Mr. James O. Hall, John C. Brennan, Steve Miller, and others make the case that Booth died at Garrett's overwhelming IMO.

[Houmes]

(10-31-2014 04:24 PM)RJNorton Wrote:  I agree. I have had that booklet for at least 15 years, and it contains numerous wonderful articles in addition to Steve Miller's. I simply cannot find the article by Nate Orlowek convincing. Mr. James O. Hall, John C. Brennan, Steve Miller, and others make the case that Booth died at Garrett's overwhelming IMO.

A fellow physician at the Army Medical Museum quoted Dr. J. Janvier Woodward (the surgeon who autopsied Booth) saying that he "...recognized Booth from the photographs, although his face was much freckled and tanned by exposure to the sun."

[L Verge]

If you are keeping track of the various places that Booth supposedly escaped to after April 16, 1865, member Danny West just sent this interesting link http://andspeakingofwhich.blogspot.com/2...i.html?m=1 Be aware of some historical errors (of course).

A few years ago, I had interesting phone conversations with a man who was trying to prove/disprove the Guntown, Mississippi claims. Never heard anything further.

[Dennis Urban]

Just to be correct, the hair product was spelled "Brylcreem". Admitting my age, I was a daily user in the early to mid-1960s. Used to slop so much on, it gathered at the bottom of the tines of the comb. Great for making ducktails. TMI, I know; couldn't resist. Thanks for resurrecting old thoughts.