The Spur Question

[RJNorton]

FWIW, I don't believe Booth wore a spur at Ford's theater that night

Jerry, how do you explain the spur that was found at the theater (along with JWB's hat)?

[JMadonna]

[quote='JMadonna' pid='88504' dateline='1709598628']

Jerry, how do you explain the spur that was found at the theater (along with JWB's hat)?

Roger, I said that I don't believe he WORE a spur. He could have had one in his pocket or it could have been someone elses since the stage was literally inundated with people after the event. It was not a secure crime scene.

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Very true, but the damage to the flag looks to be minimal. No clue how securely it was fastened, but Booth only tore a small bit of it off. Reports have stated the a small part of it was pulled to the stage by his spur. I'm a proponent that it was not on a staff that night, but spread out displaying it's eagle. But hey - who knows....

https://www.awesomestories.com/images/us...3e1c02.jpg

The laws of physics say that a body in free fall travels at 32ft/sec. The height of the balcony was 12 ft. This means that Booth would have hit the stage in less than 1/2 a second (closer to 1/3 of a second). Assuming he jumped feet first and his spur was somehow attached to the flag, he would have had to make a mid-air adjustment to avoid landing on his face.

Could he have done it in a literal split-second? Possibly, but I don't like the odds. However, if he meant to grab the flag to slow his momentum on the way down no adjustment would have been needed.

[wpbinzel]

Jerry - I think you are on the right track. There were many people (including military) in the box at Ford's after the assassination, so we cannot assume that all objects found there later belonged to JWB.

[JMadonna]

Jerry - I think you are on the right track. There were many people (including military) in the box at Ford's after the assassination, so we cannot assume that all objects found there later belonged to JWB.

Especially not when you realize that one of Booth's spurs was found on the stage, one donated to the naval academy and one found with his boot at Dr. Mudd's.

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Another reason why Booth did not wear spurs. Booth had to know that when landing feet first on the stage his knees would have absorbed the impact driving his body to the ground. All horsemen know (or will learn the hard way) that you never squat while wearing spurs.

I suppose you can make the case that was why he jumped up so quickly as recorded by witnesses but since no one saw holes in the buttocks of his pants one has to assume there were none because Booth knew what would happen if he wore spurs on his jump.

[JMadonna]

Jerry - I think you are on the right track. There were many people (including military) in the box at Ford's after the assassination, so we cannot assume that all objects found there later belonged to JWB.

Especially not when you realize that one of Booth's spurs was found on the stage, one donated to the naval academy and one found with his boot at Dr. Mudd's.

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Another reason why Booth did not wear spurs. Booth had to know that when landing feet first on the stage his knees would have absorbed the impact driving his body to the ground. All horsemen know (or will learn the hard way) that you never squat while wearing spurs.

I suppose you can make the case that was why he jumped up so quickly as recorded by witnesses but since no one saw holes in the buttocks of his pants one has to assume there were none because Booth knew what would happen if he wore spurs on his jump.

Dr. Charles Sabin Taft – “Springing quickly to his feet with the suppleness of an athlete,” “RAPID stage stride”

Sheldon P. McIntyre – “SPRANG to his feet," “RAN across the stage”

[Steve]

I think the best description of Booth's attire that night came from Joseph Hazelton. He also expressed shock at seeing Booth arrive wearing "heavy riding boots, spurs, a blue flannel shirt and an Army slouch hat" after having seen him earlier in the day "dressed in the height of fashion". He also wondered "what he was doing there on such a gala night dressed in such a garb".

Joseph Hazleton was a boy who was about 11 years old at the time who did chores for actors at Ford's and who was handing out programs that night. His account comes from years later as an adult actor.

https://archive.org/details/accountsofas...3/mode/2up

Memory is very malleable especially with a young kid as a witness. He noticed the change of Booth's clothing from earlier in the day. Hearing retellings of the story of Booth's spur getting caught in the flag could've convinced that he did see spurs along with the riding boots all those years ago. Are there any other sources which claim they saw Booth wearing spurs in the theater?

Roger, do you know if Tom Bogar has any sources on what Booth was wearing and if they saw him was wearing spurrs?

[RJNorton]

Roger, do you know if Tom Bogar has any sources on what Booth was wearing and if they saw him was wearing spurs?

Steve, I will try to find out.

[Tom Bogar]

Roger, do you know if Tom Bogar has any sources on what Booth was wearing and if they saw him was wearing spurs?

Steve, I will try to find out.

It's always been my contention that he was wearing spurs, because (a) that was simply a given when one was to ride, much less race away at top speed on, a horse in those days, and (b) the spur found in the booth. But I admittedly have no cold hard proof. I will check with Terry Alford, whose Fortune's Fool I consider the definitive word on all things JWB.

[JMadonna]

Roger, do you know if Tom Bogar has any sources on what Booth was wearing and if they saw him was wearing spurs?

Steve, I will try to find out.

It's always been my contention that he was wearing spurs, because (a) that was simply a given when one was to ride, much less race away at top speed on, a horse in those days, and (b) the spur found in the booth. But I admittedly have no cold hard proof. I will check with Terry Alford, whose Fortune's Fool I consider the definitive word on all things JWB.

In those days there were no rest stops. If you had to relieve yourself, you did it on the road. This is where the rule of thumb 'DON"T SQUAT IN YOUR SPURS' came from. It's still advised today.

I'll bet you that the myth of the flag and the spur came after Booth said he broke his leg in his diary some 2 years after the event, in order to bring the hand of God into the situation. None of the eyewitnesses saw the spur grabbing the flag. Neither do I believe that the person who 'found the spur' was ever identified.

Yet this has become an 'accepted truth' much like the 'shots from the grassy knoll during the Kennedy assassination.

[Gene C]

Speaking of spurs, this reminds me of a song.
According to an unidentified witness, Booth was singing (minus the big band acompaniment) while on his escape route to the Surratt Tavern and
Lillie Bell was one of the soiled doves that he dumped Lucy Hale for

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s0ofuXYkYi0