Chasing Lincoln's Killer: A Historical Account of the Assassination
In "Chasing Lincoln's Killer," author Alexandra Chiarappa delves into the events leading up to and following Abraham Lincoln's assassination. The prologue sets the stage with Booth's growing anger towards Lincoln, culminating in the fatal night of April 14th, 1865. Booth meticulously plans the assassination with a group of conspirators and executes his heinous act at Ford's Theater. The narrative unfolds with a detailed account of the crime, including the assassination of the Secretary of State. This gripping historical retelling captures the tension and tragedy of one of America's darkest moments.
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Chasing Lincolns Killer By Alexandra Chiarappa
Prologue March 4th, 1865 was the presidential inauguration (1). Abraham Lincoln was at the height of his power because he had nearly won the civil war and Booth was angered by this (1). Booth missed a good chance to assassinate the while he was giving a very brief speech (2). Four days after the speech Booth was seen with a friend in a Saloon in New York City drinking (5). Booth returned to Washington on April 8th(5). On April 9thgeneral Robert E. Lee and his army of the North surrendered to union general Grant at Appomattox (5). On the night of April 11ththere was a torchlight parade of a few thousand people celebrating the end of the war and Lincoln made another speech (7). During the speech he told two of his companions that he was going to kill Lincoln and that this was the last speech Lincoln would ever make (8). On April 13thWashington celebrated the end of the war with a grand illumination of the city (8).
Chapter One On April 14th, 1865 the confederacy was officially dead (9). Booth picked up a letter at Fords theater that told about the president attending the play Our American Cousin (10-11). Booth had eight hours to come up with a plan and strategies the way he was going to assassinate the president (11). Booth made phone calls and created a group of his close friends to help execute the plan (24). Booths group consisted of Lewis Powell, John Harrison, David Herold, George Atzerodt, Samuel Arnold, Michael O Laughlen and others (24). Booth chose a 44 caliber single shot muzzle-loading pistol manufactured by Henry Deringer in Philadelphia (16). Booth also got a Rio Grande Camp Knife incase the pistol failed (16). Booth decided to travel light and he only packed necessities (20). Booth, being a famous actor could have just asked to see the president and then shoot him, but escaping would be much to hard (22). Booths plan was to assassinate not only the president but also the vice president and secretary of state with the help of his group members ( 26-27).
Chapter Two Booth waited outside of the theater until the Lincolns were inside (33). Booth asked one of the workers at the theater to hold his horse for him (33-34). Booth could not pass behind the stage, so he passed under it (34). Booth climbed a curved staircase up to the balcony, and opened the door to presidents box which was ungraded (34). Lincolns last words were She wont think anything about it, (34). Booth shut the door behind him and prepared his weapons (35). Booth waited for a time of laughter in the play so the sound of the pistol shot would be muffled (35). Lincoln was in very good health. He was strong and muscular, though he looked old and tired (34- 37). The bullet struck the left side of Lincolns head just bellow his ear (38). Rathbone knew the sound of gunshots because he was an experienced army officer (39). Rathbone immediately responded to the shooting (39) Booth broke free and shouted Freedom! (40). Booth climbed down from the box but broke his ankle (40). Audience members heard him say I have done it! (41). The Assassination
Chapter Three The Secretary of State was confide to his bed since a terrible carriage accident the week before (46). Powell was sent by Booth to assassinate the Secretary of State (47). Powell pretended he was a messenger and he was delivering an important package of medicine (48). David Herold went with Powell but waited with the horses outside (47). Powell rang the bell and a servant by the name of William Bell answered it (49). Powell insisted he personally needed to deliver the package to Seward (49). When Powell went to shoot, the gun misfired (53). Instead of firing again, Powell hit Seward with the Pistol in the head (53). William Bell ran into the street yelling Murder! (53). Powell attempted to kill Seward another two times but was unsuccessful (55). After Herold had heard the screaming he ran away leaving Powell behind (57). Seward did not died but was badly injured and was in need of a doctor (59).
Chapter Four To escape, Booth jumped onto his horse and got as far away form the theater as he could (65). Booth rode to the bridge and was looking for some members of his group, but no body came (65). Seward's doctor confirmed that thought the wounds were, and looked very bad, they were not fatal (65). There was chaos in the theater as more people found out the president had just been shot (66). A doctor by the name of Dr. Charles Leale was watching the performance and jumped from his seat to help the president when he heard of the shooting (67). Dr. Leale tried to revive the president by first pulling a blood cot out of his head where the bullet had struck him (68). The doctor opened Lincolns mouth and stuck two fingers down his throat to open his airway (68). He pressed on Lincolns chest and two men moved his arms so that the presidents heart would start beating again (68). Lastly he blew into Lincolns mouth to improve his breathing (68). Lincoln was carried out of the theater and brought to the nearest house across the street (77).
Chapter Five Because no one in Maryland new about the assassination yet, Booth and Herold had time to get to their house safely (78). News of the assassination spread like wild fire. First by word of mouth and then by messenger on horseback (78). Other news spread of the assassination of Seward spread as well, though they were not correct (79). After preparation Lincoln was ready for his wife to see him (87). Lincoln was hanging on by a thread. The only way the doctors were able to keep him alive was by sticking their fingers into the wound to pull out the blood clots (90). Dr. Mudd, a man Booth met in church, helped him with his ankle while he was still in running and hiding (98). Booth was the most wanted person in America at this point in time (99). Booth and Herold slept at Dr. Mudd s farmhouse (100). A cavalry patrol was on its way to Maryland (100). With the patrols coming soon Booth only had about seven hours (100).
Chapter Six As time went by the presidents heart rate continued to fail (102). President Abraham Lincoln dies at 7:22 in the morning (103). The news was spread through a telegram sent to the nation (103). The Vice President took an oath of office at 11:00 A.M after Lincoln died (107). An autopsy was performed on the presidents body, even though the surgeons knew what had happened (109). The First Lady asked the Surgeons for a lock of her husbands hair, to remember him by (110). While all of this was going on, Booth was still facing difficulties of what to do next (112). Booth and Herold continued moving South, keeping watch for any signs of cavalry (114). Mudd did show the men exactly were they needed to go, but they both got lost (114). Luckily they met a man named Oswelll Swann who agreed to take them to captain Cox s place (114).
Chapter Seven The theater was surrounded by guards 24/7 (115). That Easter Sunday was known as Black Easter (115). Booth and Herold asked to stay in Cox s home and they ate the food he offered them (116-117). Booth and Herold rolled out their sleeping bags and slept under the stars (118). Jones promised the men that he would help them cross the Potomac River but at the time he wanted (121). Jones persuade the men that the best way to escape is to stop running and to start hiding (121). Booth was now exhausted and injured and knew that if he were to be found there would be no way he could get away (128-129).
Chapter Eight Authorities went to Mary Surratt s boardinghouse and put pressure on her to tell her and her daughter Anna to see if they had any information on Booth (130). Mary lied and swore before God that she had never seen Lewis Powell in her life (131). Mary Surratt, Anna Surratt, Lewis Powell and Lewis Wichmann were all arrested along with the other boarders ( 113). The only thing authorities gained from Mary was that she admitted knowing Gorge Atzerodt (134). Sam Arnold, Michael O Laughlen and Edman Spangler were arrested on April 17th ( 134). Michael O Laughlen was a childhood friend of Booths but was now a twenty-eight- year -old man. He participated in the kidnapping plot and therefore was arrested (134). Edman Spangler was a thirty-nine-year-old stagehand from Fords theater. He held the reigns of Booths horse and therefore was arrested (135). Manhunters rounded up nearly one hundred men as suspects (135).
Chapter Nine When Booth was planning for the assassination and the escape he packed very light. He did not expect to be hiding and running for as long as he did (137). Even though packing light served him very well for the first few days, it left him very unprepared and cause him to struggle (137). Both men were filthy, smelly, couldn t shave, and couldn t wash their clothes (137). No one had ever mentioned Booths letter in the Newspaper. He had left it with a actor and friend of his who was suppose to publish it in the National Intelligencer but never did (138). Lincoln s coffin was carried up Pennsylvania Avenue while spectators mourned at the countries loss (140). After the procession the presidents coffin was put on a train headed to Springfield (141). Lincolns Procession
Chapter Ten On April 20th Dr. Mudd was questioned by the cavalry (147). Mudd only told half of the truth so that the cavalry couldn t tell he was lying (147). The men were suppose to be crossing the Potomic to get from Maryland to Virginia and then farther south. Instead Herold made a mistake and they ended up back in Maryland (148-149). Clues that were received at Mudds farm were that the men were headed for Virginia, and that Booth was hurt and on crutches (150).
Chapter Eleven The two men needed a place to stay for the night and the Garrett family agreed to let them stay (155). The Garretts found out about the governments $140,000 reward for finding Lincolns killer (161) Herold asked to stay another night at the Garretts, but they refused because they could tell there was something not quite right with the way Booth was acting. The Garretts offered the two men the Tobacco barn (163). The cavalry surrounded the barn the men were in (165). Herold gave up and let the cavalry take him (168). Booth stood in the barn holding his pistol in one hand and a pistol in the other. As he stood there Corbett shot Booth with a revolver (173). Booth fell to the ground but wasn t dead yet. He begged Kill me! Kill me! (175). Just as Booth was about to die, he murmured his last words; Useless, useless, (177). Booth in the Tobacco Barn
Chapter Twelve A wool blanket was wrapped around Booth and then sewed around the corpse (181). Booths corpse was carried to a wagon then was put on a rowboat and then on a steam boat that would take it all the way back to Washington (180). News of the assassins death spread by telegraph, and newspaper (181). Booth was buried in a crate and buried in an unmarked grave after a burial at sea was staged to throw the press off (181). Booth Unmarked Grave
Chapter Thirteen Many such as Thomas Jones, Captain cox, and the Garretts were taken to prison, but Staton let them all go (182). Lewis Powell, David Herold, George Atzerodt, Samuel Arnold, Michael O Laughlen, Mary Surratt, Edman Spangler, and Samuel Mudd were all put on trial. All were sent home except for Mudd who was punished (182). A year after the manhunt had ended the government finally paid out there rewards (186).
Chapter Fourteen Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, David Herold, and George Atzerodt were all hanged on July 17th (188-189). They were prepared and then hanged all together (189). Hanging
