American President Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) was killed during the performance of a play at the Ford Theater in Washington by actor John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865). On the night of April 15, 1865, Booth starred in the scene that made him eternal. He was a Southerner dissatisfied with the defeat in the civil war and was part of a conspiracy involving other people and other targets. Booth fled for 12 days before being killed in Virginia.
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hours of suspense
Follow the dramatic moments of the crime that marked the USA
OPEN THE CURTAINS
The President ascends to the Ford Theater box, half an hour after the play begins, with his wife Mary (1818-1888), Major Henry Rathbone (1837-1911) and his fiancée, Clara Harris (1845-1883)
THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR
Booth arrives at the theater, where he had already gone five times that day, in order to scout out the venue. After entering through the same door used by the president, he goes up to the top floor, where Lincoln is
FREE PASS
In front of the box, the actor takes out a personal card and identifies himself to a man who was on guard at the door. After being consulted, the president allows him to enter the hall
SHOOT IN THE NEAR
Booth crosses the dark anteroom to the box and finds Lincoln and his guests concentrated on the play. 44-caliber Derringer pistol and fires a single shot at the back of the president’s head.
STAB IN THE ARM
Major Rathbone attempts to apprehend the intruder. The two begin a violent fight and the actor stabs the soldier, who is injured with a cut from shoulder to elbow.
CINEMATOGRAPHIC ESCAPE
The killer escapes in an impressive way: he jumps onto the stage from a height of 4 meters, shouts “Sic semper tyrannis” (“So always with tyrants”, in Latin) and leaves through the back, where a horse awaits him.
LONG EARLY DAY
Lincoln is rescued by doctors who were in the area and rushed to a house across the street. But the bullet lodged behind the right eye, and the president succumbed to his injuries.
box office flop
John Booth planned simultaneous action against several authorities, but his cronies failed.
Lewis Powell was on a mission to kill Secretary of State William Seward (1801-1872). In the fight between the two, Powell was dominated. He died on the gallows on July 7, aged 21. George Atzerodt. At age 30, he was supposed to kill the vice president, Andrew Johnson, (1808-1875), but he got nervous and didn’t even try. He ended up hanged with his accomplices. David Herold was 23 years old and with Lewis Powell during the failed attempt to kill Secretary Seward. He was led to the gallows on the same day as his partner. Mary Surrat, owner of a Washington boarding house, Mary kept the weapons of the conspirators. She was also hanged on July 7, aged 42. Samuel Arnold participated in the initial plans, which only provided for the kidnapping of Lincoln, and for this he received life imprisonment. He died in jail in 1906, aged 68.
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