What did Herold do with Booth's horses?

What did Herold do with Booth's horses?

• A. Released the horses to avoid detection.
• B. Shot the horses in a pit of quicksand and sank their bodies.
• C. Tied the horses to a tree and deserted them.
• D. Fed the horses to draw attention away.

Answer: (B)

When people are fleeing after a crime, erasing evidence of the escape becomes a crucial part of the plan. After the assassination, Booth and Herold needed to disappear as quickly as possible, and the best way to do that was to remove a clear clue of where they had gone—the horses they rode. Historically, they disposed of Booth’s horses by shooting them and letting them sink in a swampy area containing quicksand. This choice was about hindering pursuit: if the horses were left alive, their tracks, scent, and carcasses could point searchers right to the fugitives. By killing the animals and sinking their bodies, they reduced the chance that the escape route would be traced and slowed down responders who were closing in. Other options wouldn’t fit the situation as well. Releasing or tying the horses would almost certainly leave evidence or at least visible signs of their flight path. Feeding them would attract people and attention. The action described—shooting and sinking—fits the goal of concealing the route and buying time.

When people are fleeing after a crime, erasing evidence of the escape becomes a crucial part of the plan. After the assassination, Booth and Herold needed to disappear as quickly as possible, and the best way to do that was to remove a clear clue of where they had gone—the horses they rode.

Historically, they disposed of Booth’s horses by shooting them and letting them sink in a swampy area containing quicksand. This choice was about hindering pursuit: if the horses were left alive, their tracks, scent, and carcasses could point searchers right to the fugitives. By killing the animals and sinking their bodies, they reduced the chance that the escape route would be traced and slowed down responders who were closing in.

Other options wouldn’t fit the situation as well. Releasing or tying the horses would almost certainly leave evidence or at least visible signs of their flight path. Feeding them would attract people and attention. The action described—shooting and sinking—fits the goal of concealing the route and buying time.