Thursday, June 28, 2018

DC TRIP: Booth did NOT act alone . . .


. . . or so the Military Court ruled, and had these other four people hanged. It's pretty certain Payne and Atzerodt knew what Booth was up to. David Herold was just a fan who did his best to help Booth escape. These rope souvenirs and the rest of this stuff reside in the Ford's Theater museum. 


This lucky duck had a ticket to the hanging.

 George Atzerodt was supposed to kill VP Andrew Johnson, but chickened out. This knife was found in his hotel room.

Lewis Payne (or Powell) did his best to kill Secretary of State Seward with a knife, but it wasn't good enough. He used this gun to bludgeon others in the house. 

Mary Surrat ran the boarding house where the conspirators met. She may or may not have known what they were planning.

The key to Mary's cell.

Shackles worn by Dr. Mudd, who treated Booth's leg when he was on the run, and probably knew nothing of the assassination. He spent a couple of years in prison before being released.

Mudd's handcuffs. 

1 comment:

Cap'n Bob said...

Seward's life was saved by a mustard plaster, He had one on his chest when Payne stabbed him and the knife caused only a minor wound. John Surratt was the only conspirator to get away with it but his mother, who, as you say, might have been innocent, took the big drop.