Another attempt was planned within an hour's notice of the President's appearance at the Soldier's Hospital. Booth's gang rushed until they saw a carriage approaching which was to be carrying the President, however, once in view of the carriage's contents they found the man inside not to be the President. Instead, once again at the last minute Lincoln's plans changed as he decided to view the arrival of a veteran Indiana regiment (Stackpole 10). At this point Booth and his gang became very mad and discouraged. This disappointment led to the gang drifting apart for some time.
The final plan was put into motion after Booth learned from Mr. Ford that the President, General Grant and their wives would be in attendance on Good Friday, April 14, 1865 at the last appearance of the Laura Keene company (Bishop 128). Booth left the theater to collect his thoughts. He returned to watch the rehearsal of Our American Cousin. He had to choose the moment he would strike very carefully. He was able identify a particular scene in the third act so as to draw one of the biggest laughs so that the sound of the gunfire would be hidden. He timed it to be two hours or a little bit more of the opening curtain (Borreson 7). .
Booth recruited others to assist with his plans. "Like many people throughout the land, Edward Bates, former attorney general, was certain that John Wilkes Booth's "Sic Semper Tyrannis!" was a clue to the unraveling of a grand conspiracy, "for this assination is not the work .
Selinger 3.
of one man" (Hanchett 59). It seemed most likely to the Northern Democrats that "the moving spirits behind the assassination conspiracy "were of the North and South, in combination" (Hanchett 60). There were reasons as to who Booth would include in his band. Booth first recruited Michael O"Laughlin, an old school friend, while in Maryland in 1864. Another old school friend by the name of Samuel Arnold was recruited, however, he withdrew approximately one month prior to the assassination (Weichmann 181).
