Why did Conger not kill Booth?

Why did Conger not kill Booth?

• A. He admired Booth's resolve.
• B. He lacked the means to kill Booth.
• C. He wanted to take him home to Washington to claim the reward.
• D. He planned to try Booth in a local court.

Answer: (C)

Capturing Booth to deliver him for reward and trial was the key idea guiding Conger’s actions. After Lincoln’s murder, the government put a large bounty on Booth and the goal was to bring him back alive to face federal authorities in Washington. Killing Booth would have bypassed that process and the chance to claim the reward, so Conger and his team prioritized arrest and transportation over immediate elimination. The other notions—admiration, lacking the means, or sending him to a local court—don’t fit the pursuit’s purpose, which was to secure Booth for federal proceedings and the reward rather than to execute him on the spot.

Capturing Booth to deliver him for reward and trial was the key idea guiding Conger’s actions. After Lincoln’s murder, the government put a large bounty on Booth and the goal was to bring him back alive to face federal authorities in Washington. Killing Booth would have bypassed that process and the chance to claim the reward, so Conger and his team prioritized arrest and transportation over immediate elimination. The other notions—admiration, lacking the means, or sending him to a local court—don’t fit the pursuit’s purpose, which was to secure Booth for federal proceedings and the reward rather than to execute him on the spot.