Home › Forums › The U.S. Civil War › Did John Wilkes Booth get away and secretly live on after 1865?
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January 6, 2011 at 6:52 am #2583
Phidippides
KeymasterWhile this may be in the realm of historical conspiracy theories, it is one which has caused enough commotion to be the driving force behind the push to use DNA testing on the person left in the barn, traditionally believed to have been Booth. Did Abraham Lincoln's assassin get away? DNA could end questions
January 6, 2011 at 3:31 pm #23566scout1067
ParticipantNow that is an interesting story. It would definitely change American history. Several questions come immediately to mind. 1. Then who died in the barn? 2. Did the Feds know he escaped and let him get away with it? 3. Then who died in the barn? If it wasnt Booth that was shot in the barn, who was it and why did people think it was Booth. Booth was a famous actor like his brother, it is not like there would not have been plenty of people able to recognize his body. He lingered for several hours after he was shot so how would there be any doubt about who it was? Here is an eyewitness account of his death
January 6, 2011 at 4:19 pm #23567skiguy
ModeratorHmm, and they conveniently killed everyone who was near him that day. How do they know it was actually Booth they with all that smoke around?(just adding to the conspiracy)
January 7, 2011 at 10:22 pm #23568Notch
ParticipantWhat purpose would that serve? I don't think Booth had that much clout and his conspirators were not all the sharpests tools in the shed, so do we really think they could pull that off?Again, you have to wonder to what would be gained by faking his death, letting him go, whatever.I think scout nails it... he was recognizable, lingered a bit after being shot, and would have easily been identified. Nah, JWB died that day in April 1865.
January 8, 2011 at 11:43 am #23569skiguy
ModeratorHope everyone realizes I was just kidding.
November 4, 2011 at 3:47 am #23570Joshism
Participant“American Brutus” (which seemed to me a excellent and definitive book on all things JWB) is staunchly in the “Booth died in 1865” camp. The author noted that Booth was fairly well known from his stage career and also had his initials tattooed on him (his arm? – regardless, that's terribly narcissistic IMO) so he was fairly easy to identify.
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