More Questions About Lewis Powell

[My Name Is Kate]

I have been doing some more thinking about LTP, and have come up with a few more questions. All comments/opinions/insights from anyone are welcome.

Being from the South, Powell must have had a southern accent, and when he went to the Seward home on April 14, wouldn't that have raised the first red flag?

When Powell was tipped off which room the secretary of state was in, first by Fred peeking into his father's room to see if he was awake, then by Fanny opening the door to the room, why didn't he immediately rush into the room and do his job, instead of haggling with Fred? Fred was unarmed, and Powell was well-armed. What was the point of pretending to leave? He could have finished the job right then and there. Was he having second thoughts about his mission?

After being rebuffed by Fred, he turned and started back down the stairs, when William Bell, the black or mulatto servant, once again told him to walk more quietly. That is when Powell erupted into violence and wheeled around and tried to shoot Fred. Could Bell's insistence have been what triggered Powell's reaction, after he had apparently decided to leave?

After attempting to escape, and after losing his hat and his horse, could Powell have become confused as to what to do next, so he went back to the Surratt house for guidance? He also needed a change of clothes and food, but he had plenty of money with him, and he could have bought another hat and food somewhere.

[Jim Garrett]

Good questions. Washington is and probably always has been a city of accents. Today, most distinguishable accents are foreign. But 150 years ago, the majority of the accents would have been regional. There is no one Southern accent. Just in Virginia, someone from Norfolk has a different accent than someone from the Piedmont, and still Southside another. Powell was from mostly rural Florida and Alabama. He would certainly have an accent, but it might be one that would have stood out from the many accents in Washington.

Did LTP turn away to take a moment to re-group, and also so maybe Fred would let his guard down?

[My Name Is Kate]

That is a possibility.

Was it common practice for strangers to knock on the door of private residences at such a late hour, or would that also have immediately raised suspicions?

Why wasn't LTP wearing some sort of disguise? And why wasn't he wearing one if he had been casing the residence in the days prior to the attack?