|
|
Post by TheGoodMan19 on Oct 26, 2021 6:42:45 GMT
I remember reading a book, The Web of Conspiracy, by Theodore Roscoe when I was a teenager. And I was convinced the Assassination was a conspiracy. But the book raised questions that seemed nefarious but actually had answers
Why did Lincoln have such pitiful security? A drunken DC cop, John Parker, is all. Answer, well presidential security was a joke. You could stroll into the White House in those days and ask to see the President. And probably not searched. If you could get close at the WH, why not at Ford's Theater?
Why did Booth and David Herold take the only bridge across the Potomac that wasn't guarded. Coincidence. That bridge (The Chain Bridge?) was rarely guarded. And, hey, the War was over.
The Wanted Poser Snafus. Several questions. Why was John Surratt, a man who swore off Booth when the plan changed from kidnapping to murder, on the poster? Why was the photo not of Surratt? Gee, maybe because Surratt was a nobody. Why nothing of William Seward's attacker Lewis Paine/Powell? Maybe because no photo of Powell existed and no one knew his name.
How could Booth roam around Ford's at will? The author really set this out. Booth in Ford's Theater was as odd as Mickey Mantle in Yankee Stadium?
Why didn't General and Mrs Grant go to the theater? Because Mary Lincoln was loony. She had insulted Julia Grant a few weeks before and she sure as hell wasn't going to play nice.
There are still unanswered questions. Booth left a note for Andrew Johnson at the Kirkwood Hotel. "I don't wish to disturb you. Are you at home? J. Wilkes Booth." No evidence that Johnson answered or they met. Note could be a fake, but...
Why the Kangaroo Trial. It was an utter travesty of justice. Eight civilians tried by a military court. The defendants were shackled and hooded. never allowed to speak in their defense. Why? Was the court afraid of what they would see or say?
Mary Surratt's role. She knew a lot, no doubt. But enough to hang her? Powell and Harold deserved to hang and so did George Atzerodt (he was in on the assassination plot). But not Mary Surratt. There was a huge blunder she made during interrogations. She said time and a gain she never met Lewis Powell when it was a fact that Powell was a boarder. Why she lied, I don't know but it wasn't enought to stretch her neck.
The Assassination WAS a conspiracy. Four knuckleheads, Booth, Atzerodt, Powell and Herold had a plot to kill Lincoln, Johnson and Seward and destabilize the government. Even though Lincoln died and Seward nearly did (a neck brace kept Lewis Powell from hitting his Jugular). But the enemies on Lincoln weren't in on it. And it hurt the South.
|
|
|
|
Post by truecristian on Oct 26, 2021 12:39:03 GMT
conspirators, including Mary Surratt, were ardent Catholics.
The fact that John Surratt turned up at the Vatican after he fled the United States helped cause false speculation that the Pope was involved in the Lincoln assassination.
This led to the theory that the Pope, or at least some high-placed Roman Catholics had a hand in Lincoln’s assassination. Irish immigrants generally opposed the war and supported the Democratic Party. A bloody riot in New York and other cities in 1863 against the Republican-initiated draft featured violence by Irish residents. The theory received further credence by the fact that Lincoln had once defended a priest against the Bishop of Chicago. And John Surratt, the son of Mary Surratt, fled the United States and, oddly, turned up at the Vatican.
|
|
|
|
Post by Winter_King on Oct 26, 2021 16:08:00 GMT
Wasn't the Lincoln assassination a conspiracy by definition?
|
|
|
|
Post by TheGoodMan19 on Oct 26, 2021 21:38:04 GMT
Wasn't the Lincoln assassination a conspiracy by definition? A conspiracy among Booth's minions. David Herold, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, John Surratt, Samuel Arnold, Michael O'Laughlin, Dr. Samuel Mudd and maybe Edmund Spengler and Mary Surratt. The book painted a conspiracy among members of the US government, led be Secretary of State Edwin Stanton. Theory was they wanted harsh treatment for the South and Lincoln didn't. Poppycock
|
|
|
|
Post by TheGoodMan19 on Oct 30, 2021 0:22:23 GMT
Some of them were English Roman Catholic recusants whose ancestors had settled in Catholic colonial haven of Maryland. As such they had cultural ties to Guy Fawkes and the Protestant English Americans were very antipapists and still celebrated Guy Fawkes Day. However, the religion of the conspirators wasn’t a factor. Like Dr Mudd, a slaveholder, they sympathized with the Confederacy and probably just got caught up in the charismatic Booth’s delusion. I can imagine people would be as weak kneed around a handsome celebrity then as they do today. I blocked that nitwit truecristian a while ago. Just for his fucked up fonts. Thanks for the migraine
Booth was a B actor. One modern comparison might be Colin Hanks. Pale example of a much more famous actor. His brother Edwin and his father Junius were two of the greatest actors of the 19th Century. J.W. wasn't. I've also read that he excelled at lighter dramas and comedies but Shakespeare wasn't his strong point. but he was undoubtedly charismatic. Kind of remarkable that he didn't have more of a following than his ragtag band of eight of nine, whittled down to three on the big day. Then again, Lee Harvey Oswald was nothing but a two bit, Commie, wife-beating zilch.
|
|
|
|
Post by TheGoodMan19 on Oct 30, 2021 0:36:58 GMT
I blocked that nitwit truecristian a while ago. Just for his fucked up fonts. Thanks for the migrane
Booth was a B actor. One modern comparison might be Colin Hanks. Pale example of a much more famous actor. His brother Edwin and his father Junius were two of the greatest actors of the 19th Century. J.W. wasn't. I've also read that he excelled at lighter dramas and comedies but Shakespeare wasn't his strong point. but he was undoubtedly charismatic. Kind of remarkable that he didn't have more of a following than his ragtag band of eight of nine, whittled down to three on the big day. Then again, Lee Harvey Oswald was nothing but a two bit, Commie, wife-beating zilch.
I’m not talking about his acting skills. Even so, he was very well known and this all went down in the DC area of Maryland where going to seeing the Booths perform would have been common, I daresay. Guys like Mudd got taken in by him because he was charming, handsome, and being in his presence made them feel important. That's what I was trying to say. Even though JW wasn't the greatest actor, he was still a star. He was better looking than his brother and more charismatic. Best modern comparison might be Tom Cruise. I'm not cure if he was as famous outside of DC/Baltimore or the East Coast. his father and brother were known worldwide. I always thought that the jealousy he must have had pushed him to do what he did. He much more famous than Edwin now. And the assassination was right out of a cheap melodrama. An audience, a surprise, Booth jumping onto he stage, shrieking Latin, clutching a dagger, riding off into the night on a black chargers.
|
|
|
|
Post by truecristian on Oct 30, 2021 16:04:25 GMT
The cold hard fact of life is that men will be men. Jesus blessed man with an holy desire to go forth and multiply (Genesis 9:7). If he wakes up one morning and realizes the creature in his bed is less the bride of his dreams than the fat, greasy lunch lady he grew up to loathe, then he's naturally going to seek greener pastures. Paul tells us this is the reason Jesus invented marriage (1 Corinthians 7:4;9). If wives can't see this, they have no one to blame but themselves.
|
|
|
|
Post by politicidal on Oct 31, 2021 2:41:13 GMT
Wasn't the Lincoln assassination a conspiracy by definition? A conspiracy among Booth's minions. David Herold, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, John Surratt, Samuel Arnold, Michael O'Laughlin, Dr. Samuel Mudd and maybe Edmund Spengler and Mary Surratt. The book painted a conspiracy among members of the US government, led be Secretary of State Edwin Stanton. Theory was they wanted harsh treatment for the South and Lincoln didn't. Poppycock
Sounds like an Oliver Stone script.
|
|
|
|
Post by TheGoodMan19 on Oct 31, 2021 2:54:01 GMT
A conspiracy among Booth's minions. David Herold, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, John Surratt, Samuel Arnold, Michael O'Laughlin, Dr. Samuel Mudd and maybe Edmund Spengler and Mary Surratt. The book painted a conspiracy among members of the US government, led be Secretary of State Edwin Stanton. Theory was they wanted harsh treatment for the South and Lincoln didn't. Poppycock
Sounds like an Oliver Stone script. It does. Typical bending of facts to fit a narrative that doesn't exist. But there's zero evidence of any link between Booth and anyone in the US government of he Republican Party. The Radicals knew that Congress would dictate Reconstruction policies and they could probably make their will into law, Lincoln or no Lincoln.
|
|
|
|
Post by TheGoodMan19 on Oct 31, 2021 3:37:11 GMT
funny, TCM is showing a short "Who's Superstitious". So? The intro said it was part of a series produced by John Booth Nesbitt. Grandson of Edwin Booth and great nephew of JW. Nesbitt never emphasized his middle name
|
|
|
|
Post by truecristian on Oct 31, 2021 16:58:50 GMT
There are a lot of biographies of Lincoln and many are very good. I am not certain but this biography by Ronald White seems unique in two ways. One is the emphasis on Lincoln’s personal writings to himself. I had not known of Lincoln’s tendency all his adult life of writing brutally honest notes to himself. I found these deeply humanizing, whether it be Lincoln’s real thoughts about himself in his adult years or his personal thoughts about slavery. These self-reflective, highly personal notes let the reader get to know Lincoln and not just the mythic image. Americans accept as a sort of cultural doctrine how great Lincoln was. These personal notes, never intended for publication, display the heart and mind of the man and they showed me what “great” means not just for a president but for a human being. Brilliant, self-reflective, deeply honest – this was our 16th president.
|
|
|
|
Post by lunda2222 on Nov 6, 2021 23:39:36 GMT
Of course it was a conspiracy.
The definition for a conspiracy is two or more people comes together to do something that is harmful or illegal.
Nothing out of the ordinary about that.
|
|
|
|
Post by TheGoodMan19 on Nov 7, 2021 8:40:47 GMT
Of course it was a conspiracy. The definition for a conspiracy is two or more people comes together to do something that is harmful or illegal. Nothing out of the ordinary about that. Well, I said it was a conspiracy. Just not the conspiracy that the book laid out. There's no evidence of any connection with Booth and anyone in the Northern government. Or the Confederate government.
|
|
|
|
Post by yougotastewgoinbaby on Nov 7, 2021 19:46:57 GMT
The cold hard fact of life is that men will be men. Jesus blessed man with an holy desire to go forth and multiply (Genesis 9:7). If he wakes up one morning and realizes the creature in his bed is less the bride of his dreams than the fat, greasy lunch lady he grew up to loathe, then he's naturally going to seek greener pastures. Paul tells us this is the reason Jesus invented marriage (1 Corinthians 7:4;9). If wives can't see this, they have no one to blame but themselves. Yes, there were no marriages before Jesus invented it.
|
|
|
|
Post by TheGoodMan19 on Nov 7, 2021 20:00:45 GMT
The cold hard fact of life is that men will be men. Jesus blessed man with an holy desire to go forth and multiply (Genesis 9:7). If he wakes up one morning and realizes the creature in his bed is less the bride of his dreams than the fat, greasy lunch lady he grew up to loathe, then he's naturally going to seek greener pastures. Paul tells us this is the reason Jesus invented marriage (1 Corinthians 7:4;9). If wives can't see this, they have no one to blame but themselves. Yes, there were no marriages before Jesus invented it. This cumbubble is just doing this because he knows I blocked him. This "person" is the internet version of the bratty kid i the backseat. if you can't beat him, you ignore him
|
|
|
|
Post by hi224 on Nov 11, 2021 23:36:07 GMT
A conspiracy among Booth's minions. David Herold, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, John Surratt, Samuel Arnold, Michael O'Laughlin, Dr. Samuel Mudd and maybe Edmund Spengler and Mary Surratt. The book painted a conspiracy among members of the US government, led be Secretary of State Edwin Stanton. Theory was they wanted harsh treatment for the South and Lincoln didn't. Poppycock
Sounds like an Oliver Stone script. Starring John Cusack as Stanton and Edward Norton as booth because why not as well. |
|
|
|
Post by TheGoodMan19 on Nov 12, 2021 0:11:11 GMT
Sounds like an Oliver Stone script. Starring John Cusack as Stanton and Edward Norton as booth because why not as well. Bruce McGill as Stanton. He was the spitting image of the Secretary of War in Lincoln, Nearly creepy
|
|
|
|
Post by hi224 on Nov 12, 2021 0:17:39 GMT
Starring John Cusack as Stanton and Edward Norton as booth because why not as well. Bruce McGill as Stanton. He was the spitting image of the Secretary of War in Lincoln, Nearly creepy
I'm merely being coy. |
|
