A short post for the conspiracy naysayers.

[Prism]

261. I meant more in the Stanton vein

Maybe the better phrase is "alternative theories" rather than conspiracy theory. But many people didn't fully accept Booth and his conspirators were solely responsible for the attacks. It must've come from Jefferson Davis. It must have been the Secretary of War who disagreed with Lincoln's policies on Reconstruction. Etc etc.

And many of the questions and historical perspectives were similar. Who benefited from Lincoln's death? How did it change the course of the next fifty years of American history? Isn't it convenient Booth was shot and killed when specific orders were given to take him alive? That sort of thing.

I did a quick google search and found a site with a list of some of the alternative theories. Most of them I'd read about, some of them are new to me.

http://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln74.html

Notice the similarities in concept between what was being said following Lincoln's death and Kennedy's.