L.C. BAKER
Silver Member
- Thread starter
- #21
Secret service wasnt created until after Lincoln's death. The legislation was supposedly sitting on his desk the night he was shot but also they didnt guard the President until the 1900's. Lincoln went everywhere unguarded. That night he only had one Policeman guarding him and Lincoln released him from duty while the play was on. So of course he went to the tavern. The roads and bridges were closed later that night I would believe. It was pretty common for outlaws to escape capture in those days. Any study of the old west can prove that.
Sometime after 10:30, Booth approached the Navy Yard bridge leading over the Potomac to Maryland. Questioned by the sentry guarding the bridge about his purposes, Booth said he was "going home" to his residence "close to Beantown." The sentry allowed Booth to pass. Five to ten minutes later a second rider, David Herold, approached the bridge. Herold told the sentry his name was "Smith" and had been "in bad company" and wanted to get home to White Plains. The sentry decided to let Herold pass. Shortly thereafter, Booth and Herold met up