Coincidence or Murderer

In last weeks post, I eluded to Secretary of War Edwin Stanton possibly misdirecting the manhunt for John Wilkes Booth.  Or even, that he could have persuaded Mrs. Lincoln to hire the body guard John Parker.  Secretary Stanton had another strange occurrence on April 14th.  He refused President Lincoln's request to let Major Thomas Eckert escort the President's little group to Ford's Theater.  When the President suggested to Secretary Stanton that Major Eckert might go with him as an escort that night to the theater, Stanton's reply was they were much too busy in the War Department that he had some important work for the Major that night and couldn't work without him.  Lincoln then went to Eckert and asked him, but the reply was the same.  Major Eckert refused saying the work could not be put off.  President Lincoln left without the escort who could have saved his life had Major Eckert been with him at the theater April 14th.

There was no important work to be done in the War Department that night.  There were only 3 telegrams that came in that night.  Neither Secretary Stanton nor Major Eckert was at the War Department that night.  They had both gone home early.  Later Secretary Stanton said the President did not visit the War Department on April 14th. 

So, was Secretary Stanton in league with the devil, or did he just have the bad luck of lying to his boss and get caught.  Coincidence seems to stack up against the Secretary of War Edwin Stanton.  Was there a conspiracy?