![]() ![]() He entered the Seward home and severely injured Seward, Seward’s son, and a bodyguard. When that plan failed, Booth assigned Powell to kill Secretary of State William Seward. Tall and strong, he was recruited to provide the muscle for the kidnapping plot. Lewis Powell - Powell was a former Confederate prisoner of war. Herold surrendered but Booth was shot and died a few hours later. ![]() The two men then continued their escape through Maryland and into Virginia, and Herold remained with Booth until the authorities cornered them in a barn. Samuel Mudd, who set Booth’s injured leg. The four condemned conspirators: David Herold, Lewis Powell, Mary Surratt and George Atzerodt (from left to right).ĭavid Herold - An impressionable and dull-witted pharmacy clerk, Herold accompanied Booth to the home of Dr. The defendants were allowed to have lawyers and witnesses, but they were not allowed to testify themselves. The actual trial began on May 10th and lasted for about seven weeks. On May 1, 1865, President Andrew Johnson ordered the formation of a military commission to try the accused persons. However, the government did charge eight people with conspiracy. Most were soon released due to a lack of evidence. Sweat surely dripped down the accused’s faces as they passed by the cheap pine coffins and shallow graves that had been dug for them.Īfter the Lincoln assassination, the government arrested several hundred people. It was hot that day, reportedly a hundred degrees (38 degrees Celsius). Scottish photographer Alexander Gardner captured the macabre scene, including pictures of the condemned seen moments before they walked to the 12-foot gallows, specially constructed for the executions. ![]() Their deaths were a culmination of sorts of a nation ravaged by war, bitter conflict, and the death of the nation’s commander-in-chief, Abraham Lincoln. This set of pictures from 1865 shows the hanging execution of the four Lincoln conspirators: David Herold, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, and Mary Surratt. The condemned Lincoln conspirators on the scaffold, 1865. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |