Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States, was assassinated by stage actor John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865, while attending the play "Our American Cousin," at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C.
He was the first American president to be assassinated, his funeral and burial marked an extended period of national mourning.
Booth's murder of Abraham Lincoln was only part of the full story, although he was unquestionably the enforcer of the execution, he had help from at least 8 other individuals, including some of Lincoln's own allies.
The initial plan was to allegedly kidnap the president. In March, 1864, Ulysses S. Grant suspended the exchange of prisoners with the confederate army. According to record, this caused Booth to blackmail the union into resuming prisoner exchanges by plotting to kidnap Lincoln, on March 17, 1865, as the president returned from a play at Campbell Military Hospital.
The kidnapping attempt failed due to Lincoln changing plans at the very last minute, and he did not attend the hospital performance. Ironically, his unwitting evasion of the kidnappers may have sealed his fate. As the confederacies surrendered over the next few weeks, the plan escalated from kidnapping to murder.
On April 16, 1865, Booth discovered that Lincoln would be present at Ford's Theatre that evening, in order to view the play, "Our American Cousin."
He and his co-conspirators planned several simultaneous strikes at 10:15 P.M. David Herold and Lewis Powell were instructed to target the home of Secretary of State, William H. Seward and murder him. George Atzerodt was tasked with killing vice president, Andrew Johnson at the Kirkwood Hotel.
John Wilkes Booth was to shoot Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. Booth was familiar with the layout of the the theatre, having performed there in the past. He also recognized the perfect moment to commit the crime, when the audiences' laughter was loudest at one of the best lines throughout the play. Lincoln was, in fact, laughing at the time of his death before being shot in the back of the head, behind his left ear.
In the immediate panic, Booth is recorded to have escaped by jumping 12 feet from the box to the stage, and running through a side door to his horse waiting in the alleyway.
Lincoln died the following day at 7:22 A.M., in the Petersen House opposite the theatre. By 11:00 A.M., Andrew Johnson had been sworn in as President of the United States. Remarkably, he was the only unscathed target. Lewis Powell managed to injure William H. Seward with no casualties.
Booth was the only successful assassin, as he was aided by a peculiar factor. The policemen assigned to guard Lincoln's box at the theatre was not at his post when Booth entered. It remains unknown where the guard was located. When this particular guard was later charged with neglective duty, the case was dismissed, and no transcripts survive today.
1 week after the assassination, and after the largest manhunt in U.S. history, Booth was allegedly cornered in a barn located in Virginia. He died after being shot in the back of the head, behind his left ear.
8 of his co-conspirators were quickly arrested and tried in 7 weeks by a military tribunal. This caused a biased outcome, because unlike a civil court, the tribunal only required a majority to reach a guilty verdict, and only 2/3 to agree to the death sentence.
Investigators discovered a mysterious note left at the Kirkwood Hotel, directed to Andrew Johnson, and dated on the day of the assassination. The note read, "I don't wish to disturb you. Are you at home? J. Wilkes Booth."
Abraham Lincoln's attorney general, Edward Bates, said "a civil court should have presided."
Under President Johnson, the military tribunal continued. The only way for the defendants to appeal was to President Johnson himself. On June 30, 1865, all of the defendants were found guilty, including Mary Surratt.
5 separate jurors wrote personal letters to President Johnson, recommending clemency for her, but he refused. He personally approved all of the convictions.
Mary Surratt became the first woman to be executed by United States government. Later, Johnson claims that he never saw the letters asking for clemency. Some speculate that he was more interested in a quick trial with a harsh sentence, rather than following the course of justice.
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Non-Fiction{COMPLETE} Conspiracy theories rely on the view that the universe is governed by design, embodying three principles Nothing happens by accident, nothing is as it seems, and everything is connected ❝Thought it was royal but all I see is fake kings...
