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I'm headed back to a time
when the American dream

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00:00:03,638 --> 00:00:07,406
hung in the balance
to investigate the killing

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00:00:07,408 --> 00:00:10,409
of President Abraham Lincoln

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00:00:10,545 --> 00:00:13,613
and to reexamine
the motives and schemes

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00:00:13,748 --> 00:00:17,149
behind America's first
political assassination

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00:00:17,151 --> 00:00:19,552
and the mastermind
behind it all,

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00:00:19,621 --> 00:00:21,754
the infamous John Wilkes Booth.

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They can even hear
the cavalry.

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And they gotta get out.

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00:00:25,927 --> 00:00:28,026
There we go. Wow.

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Press the trigger.
(Don)
It's an American tragedy...

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(man)
Fire again.
...filled with conspiracy...

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That's incredible.

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...and secrets...

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Where are we?

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...that continue
to haunt us today.

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And this just blows everything
out of the water.

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I'm Don Wildman.

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I've explored the world's
greatest mysteries,

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00:00:48,516 --> 00:00:51,717
examined rare artifacts
and epic monuments.

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00:00:51,786 --> 00:00:53,586
That is unbelievable.

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Now, I'm digging deeper into
some of the most perplexing

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and famous cases in history.

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My goal? To get closer
to the truth.

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Let's burn this place down.
Let's burn it down.

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On this special episode of
"Mysteries at the Museum,"

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00:01:07,935 --> 00:01:10,303
the Lincoln Assassination.

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[distant shouting]

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There may be no more enduring
legacy in American politics

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than that of the 16th president
of the United States.

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From his humble beginnings
in Hodgenville, Kentucky,

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to his victory in America's
only Civil War,

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00:01:41,903 --> 00:01:45,338
Abraham Lincoln was destined
to be remembered forever.

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When it comes to Lincoln,

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it's not just his life
that is legendary.

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Tragically, nothing quite
captures the imagination

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more than the fact that
he was the first

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U.S. President
to be assassinated.

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But what do we really know
about Lincoln's assassination,

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00:02:04,993 --> 00:02:08,060
and why would somebody want
to shoot America's

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00:02:08,062 --> 00:02:10,796
most beloved president?

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Was it the work of
a deranged lone wolf

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00:02:13,501 --> 00:02:16,268
or something more?

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Part of a deeper conspiracy
to topple the U.S. government?

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On the evening of
April 14, 1865,

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President Lincoln was en route
to Ford's Theatre.

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Imagine Abe Lincoln
in a carriage

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just like this
but a much different city.

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The United States was barely
100 years old

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when it found itself
in the throes

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of a bloody civil war
that divided the country.

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The Union of the North
was pitted

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against the Confederate South.

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The catalyst of
this vicious battle? Slavery.

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In 1861,

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seven slave-holding states
wanted to secede

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and become independent
from the United States

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00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,387
and attacked the fortress
of Sumter in South Carolina,

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setting off what would become
the most violent war

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on American soil.

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During four years of combat,

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nearly 3 million fought,

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and more than 600,000 died.

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As cities across the South
fell to the Union,

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the Confederacy lost ground.

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By early spring,
the South had surrendered,

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slavery had been abolished,
and Lincoln was looking

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forward to serving out
his second term.

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All that changed
on April 14, 1865.

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First stop--
scene of the crime.

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[camera shutter clicks]

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The historic Ford's Theatre,

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where it all happened.

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[camera shutter clicks]

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The unsuspecting president
was enjoying

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a night of theater...

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[camera shutter clicks]

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00:04:17,492 --> 00:04:20,192
when a gunshot
altered history.

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00:04:20,261 --> 00:04:22,261
[distant screaming]

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00:04:24,265 --> 00:04:25,998
We've all heard
what happened the night

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00:04:26,133 --> 00:04:28,734
of April 14, 1865,

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00:04:28,803 --> 00:04:30,202
[camera shutter clicks]

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00:04:30,204 --> 00:04:32,671
but do we really know
the whole story?

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Who was John Wilkes Booth,

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00:04:35,543 --> 00:04:38,077
and how did he
even gain access

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to a United States president?

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Dr. Guelzo?

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Dr. Allen Guelzo is
a foremost expert

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on the Lincoln story.

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Very good.
Wow, that's the box!

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That is the box, that is where
Lincoln sat the evening

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of April 14, 1865.
(Don)
Uh-huh.

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That production that night was
of a British written play

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00:05:02,236 --> 00:05:04,569
about Americans

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called Our American Cousin .

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It's sort of like
the Beverly Hillbillies

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but very popular.

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[distant crowd noise]

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00:05:17,685 --> 00:05:21,386
(woman, reciting lines)
I don't know how you may feel
as a visitor, Mr. Buddicombe,

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but I think this is a most
uncomfortable family.

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00:05:24,725 --> 00:05:26,992
(man, reciting lines)
Very uncomfortable.

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00:05:27,127 --> 00:05:29,261
[laughter]

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00:05:29,297 --> 00:05:30,863
(Dr. Guelzo)
Being able to sit
up in the box

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got Lincoln away
from the stress,

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and he could be alone
with his own thoughts

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and enjoy the play, as well,
which he did hugely.

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For him,
this was a relaxation moment.
[camera shutter clicks]

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(man, reciting lines)
Old Solomon has made
a crop of it.

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Lincoln loved the theater.

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He could recite chunks
of Shakespeare off by heart.

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He loved to meet actors,
Really?

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and sometimes
after a production,
he would invite actors

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to come up to the box,
and they would do

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a little professional
theater chitchat.

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(Don)
One Ford's Theatre regular
was stage actor,

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00:06:03,431 --> 00:06:05,497
John Wilkes Booth.

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John Wilkes Booth,
born in 1838.

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Youngest son of one of
the great actors of his day,

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Junius Brutus Booth.

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So the Booths were a huge
acting family in America.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.

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(Dr. Guelzo)
They were dashing,
they were handsome,
they were talented.

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By the 1860s,
John Booth is pulling in

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$20,000 a year as an actor,
which, in the 1860s,

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that was a lot of money.

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00:06:37,064 --> 00:06:40,399
(Don)
He lives nearby here.
Yes, he lives
at the National Hotel,

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and he picks up his mail
at Ford's Theatre.

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It's there when he stops
on the morning

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00:06:46,807 --> 00:06:49,474
of April 14th that John Ford,

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the proprietor, seeing Booth
there for his mail,

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00:06:52,146 --> 00:06:54,679
strikes up a little banter
and conversation, says,

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"Well, you know the President
of the United States

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"is going to be here
this evening

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00:06:59,353 --> 00:07:01,420
for the performance of
Our American Cousin ."

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00:07:01,422 --> 00:07:04,757
So that's where he gets the news
about Lincoln coming tonight

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00:07:04,759 --> 00:07:07,292
to the theater.
Exactly.

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00:07:07,361 --> 00:07:10,029
(Dr. Guelzo)
At that moment,
the powder train

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has been ignited.

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(Don)
Hearing of the president's
imminent arrival,

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Booth put in motion
a series of very specific

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calculated actions
that unfolded

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into the infamous events
of that evening.

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First, he returned to his room
at the National

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and packed a bag.

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He then prepares his weapons--

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his knife, his single shot
.44 caliber

147
00:07:35,656 --> 00:07:38,590
Philadelphia-made Deringer.

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00:07:38,726 --> 00:07:40,792
It's the pocket pistol
that's right behind us.

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[camera shutter clicks]

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00:07:43,263 --> 00:07:45,264
This is the gun that killed
Abraham Lincoln.

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00:07:45,399 --> 00:07:48,333
(Dr. Guelzo)
That, all too sadly, is true.

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00:07:51,839 --> 00:07:54,073
(Don)
That night, Lincoln was
in his box,

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00:07:54,208 --> 00:07:56,341
enjoying the play
with his wife and friends

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while his footman,
Charles Forbes,

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kept watch on the other side
of the door.

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00:08:01,282 --> 00:08:05,217
(Dr. Guelzo)
On the sofa
at the far end of the box

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00:08:05,219 --> 00:08:08,020
would have been Clara Harris
and Major Rathbone,

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then Mrs. Lincoln,
and in the rocking chair

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right here would have been
President Lincoln.

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00:08:16,964 --> 00:08:19,498
Now, the curious thing is
in this door,

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which originally, of course,
was a solid door,

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there was a small peephole
that had been drilled...

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...so that Charles Forbes,
Lincoln's footman,

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would be able to come
to the door here, peek in,

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make sure everything
was fine in the box

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without disturbing the Lincolns.

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(woman, reciting lines)
I hate mysteries, sir,

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but you see, I have come
to the rendezvous.

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(Don)
An hour into the play,
John Wilkes Booth

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arrived at the theater.

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This guy was famous, I mean,
these people all recognize him.

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Of course, very well known.

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(Don)
People greeted Booth
as he entered the main doors

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00:08:55,236 --> 00:08:57,870
and made his way upstairs
to Lincoln's box.

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00:08:58,005 --> 00:09:02,006
Once there,
he encountered Lincoln's
footman standing guard.

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00:09:02,042 --> 00:09:05,611
And Booth produces
a calling card,

177
00:09:05,746 --> 00:09:07,880
hands it to Forbes,
as if to say,

178
00:09:08,015 --> 00:09:10,882
"I'm John Wilkes Booth,
the famous actor.

179
00:09:10,951 --> 00:09:13,151
President Lincoln
has asked to see me."

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00:09:13,220 --> 00:09:16,087
Forbes obligingly
opens the door,

181
00:09:16,157 --> 00:09:19,357
Booth enters the vestibule,

182
00:09:19,393 --> 00:09:22,561
and...effectively

183
00:09:22,696 --> 00:09:24,963
signs Lincoln's death warrant.

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00:09:28,102 --> 00:09:30,235
There's now just one door

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00:09:30,237 --> 00:09:33,505
between John Wilkes Booth
and Abraham Lincoln.

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00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:37,242
(Don)
To confirm Lincoln's position,
Booth used the peephole

187
00:09:37,278 --> 00:09:39,378
designed to check
on the president

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00:09:39,513 --> 00:09:41,446
without disturbing him.

189
00:09:41,515 --> 00:09:43,248
He can hear what's going on
in the play,

190
00:09:43,383 --> 00:09:45,984
and he knows that the big line
that he is waiting for

191
00:09:46,053 --> 00:09:48,187
is about to be delivered.

192
00:09:48,322 --> 00:09:52,123
(woman, reciting lines)
I am aware, Mr. Trenchard,
you are not

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00:09:52,193 --> 00:09:54,459
used to the manners
of good society...

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00:09:54,495 --> 00:09:56,728
(Don)
Booth knew that one
specific line

195
00:09:56,764 --> 00:09:59,331
would cause the audience
to burst into laughter,

196
00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:01,867
masking the sound
of a gunshot.

197
00:10:01,869 --> 00:10:05,537
(man, reciting lines)
Well, I guess I know enough
to turn you inside-out, old gal,

198
00:10:05,672 --> 00:10:09,141
you sockdologizing
old man-trap.

199
00:10:09,276 --> 00:10:12,144
[laughter and cheering]

200
00:10:14,214 --> 00:10:15,814
When the punch line is given,

201
00:10:15,949 --> 00:10:19,184
he then opens the door,
steps right up behind Lincoln...

202
00:10:21,288 --> 00:10:24,422
The ball hits Lincoln,
back of the head,

203
00:10:24,491 --> 00:10:27,158
behind he left ear--
Lincoln slumps forward.

204
00:10:27,194 --> 00:10:30,161
Major Rathbone jumps up
from the sofa,

205
00:10:30,231 --> 00:10:32,363
grapples with Booth.

206
00:10:32,399 --> 00:10:35,233
Booth has his hunting knife
in his hand.
Yeah.

207
00:10:35,302 --> 00:10:38,103
He slashes Rathbone,
grabs the balustrade,

208
00:10:38,238 --> 00:10:41,306
and leaps over to jump
to the stage.

209
00:10:41,342 --> 00:10:44,375
(Don)
Booth broke his leg
in the process,

210
00:10:44,411 --> 00:10:47,913
but fueled by adrenaline,
he felt no pain.

211
00:10:47,915 --> 00:10:51,783
Stands up, brandishing
the hunting knife, and shouts,

212
00:10:51,785 --> 00:10:55,053
"Sic semper tyrannis!

213
00:10:55,189 --> 00:10:58,090
The South is avenged!"

214
00:11:02,663 --> 00:11:06,398
Sic semper tyrannis is
the state motto of Virginia.
Okay.

215
00:11:06,533 --> 00:11:10,002
Latin for
"Thus always to tyrants."

216
00:11:10,137 --> 00:11:14,072
And with that, he turns,
bolts off the stage

217
00:11:14,141 --> 00:11:17,275
to stage right,
opens the back door,

218
00:11:17,344 --> 00:11:20,478
walks out,
jumps onto his horse,

219
00:11:20,547 --> 00:11:23,682
and gallops off down
Baptist Alley

220
00:11:23,684 --> 00:11:25,550
into the night.

221
00:11:25,553 --> 00:11:27,619
(Don)
But the night's drama
was far from over.

222
00:11:27,754 --> 00:11:31,223
What would drive
a famous stage actor

223
00:11:31,358 --> 00:11:33,959
to shoot America's most
beloved president?

224
00:11:34,028 --> 00:11:37,295
Who really was
John Wilkes Booth?

225
00:11:37,364 --> 00:11:39,765
And where was he headed?

226
00:11:47,548 --> 00:11:50,516
April 14, 1865

227
00:11:50,518 --> 00:11:53,786
will forever be marked as one
of America's darkest days.

228
00:11:53,921 --> 00:11:57,656
John Wilkes Booth had shot
President Lincoln

229
00:11:57,692 --> 00:12:00,592
at point blank range
inside Ford's Theatre

230
00:12:00,628 --> 00:12:04,129
and then charged into
the back alley where
his horse was waiting

231
00:12:04,131 --> 00:12:06,866
and rode unfollowed into
the Washington night.

232
00:12:13,107 --> 00:12:15,273
The wounded president was moved
across the street

233
00:12:15,309 --> 00:12:17,876
to the Peterson house.

234
00:12:17,945 --> 00:12:20,679
As a vigil formed around
Lincoln,

235
00:12:20,748 --> 00:12:23,948
Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton,

236
00:12:23,985 --> 00:12:26,418
immediately launched a manhunt.

237
00:12:26,487 --> 00:12:29,288
He knew they were looking
for the famous American

238
00:12:29,423 --> 00:12:31,757
stage actor,
John Wilkes Booth,

239
00:12:31,759 --> 00:12:35,561
but Booth's whereabouts
were as much of a mystery

240
00:12:35,696 --> 00:12:37,763
as his motives.

241
00:12:37,765 --> 00:12:41,099
Secretary Stanton acted fast,

242
00:12:41,168 --> 00:12:43,301
closing the perimeter
of the city

243
00:12:43,337 --> 00:12:45,304
and triggering what is
considered today to be

244
00:12:45,439 --> 00:12:47,840
the largest manhunt
in American history.

245
00:12:47,975 --> 00:12:49,975
Even though Stanton
acted quickly,

246
00:12:50,011 --> 00:12:52,911
it still took several hours to
lock down the D.C. perimeter,

247
00:12:52,947 --> 00:12:56,382
and by that time,
Booth was long gone.

248
00:12:59,587 --> 00:13:01,653
To try and get
a better understanding

249
00:13:01,656 --> 00:13:03,922
of what Booth's life was like
on the run,

250
00:13:03,991 --> 00:13:06,125
I'm following
in his footsteps.

251
00:13:08,829 --> 00:13:10,996
Booth had a multi-step plan
in place

252
00:13:11,065 --> 00:13:13,732
to get from Ford's Theatre
to freedom.

253
00:13:13,867 --> 00:13:16,135
What we know is his first stop

254
00:13:16,270 --> 00:13:18,938
was 13 miles
from the crime scene,

255
00:13:19,073 --> 00:13:21,406
but why there?

256
00:13:21,475 --> 00:13:23,408
Booth's escape route
would lead him right here

257
00:13:23,477 --> 00:13:25,544
to a tavern called
Surratt House

258
00:13:25,613 --> 00:13:28,213
in what is today
Clinton, Maryland.

259
00:13:28,215 --> 00:13:30,215
[camera shutter clicks]

260
00:13:30,217 --> 00:13:32,151
The Surratt House was
a clandestine

261
00:13:32,286 --> 00:13:34,486
Confederate hideaway.

262
00:13:34,488 --> 00:13:36,154
Hey, how you doin'?

263
00:13:36,190 --> 00:13:40,092
(Don)
Historian Michael Kauffman
is a foremost expert on Booth.

264
00:13:42,296 --> 00:13:44,830
The first thing he reveals
is that when Booth arrived,

265
00:13:44,965 --> 00:13:47,232
he wasn't alone.

266
00:13:47,268 --> 00:13:49,234
On the way,
Booth hooks up

267
00:13:49,270 --> 00:13:51,704
with a guy named
David Herold.
Okay.

268
00:13:51,706 --> 00:13:55,173
(Don)
The two had met each other
years earlier

269
00:13:55,242 --> 00:13:57,243
through the proprietors
of the tavern,

270
00:13:57,378 --> 00:13:59,911
but more importantly,

271
00:13:59,947 --> 00:14:03,248
like Booth, Herold was
a known staunch supporter

272
00:14:03,384 --> 00:14:05,217
of the Confederacy.

273
00:14:12,626 --> 00:14:15,327
And from then on,
it's Booth and Herold

274
00:14:15,329 --> 00:14:17,329
throughout the escape.

275
00:14:17,331 --> 00:14:21,333
Booth had arranged for some guns
to be hidden at this tavern.
Okay.

276
00:14:21,335 --> 00:14:24,068
First thing he wanted to do
was come out here and get them.

277
00:14:24,105 --> 00:14:26,337
And they stay here
how long?

278
00:14:26,374 --> 00:14:28,473
Well, they only stay
a few minutes.

279
00:14:28,509 --> 00:14:31,743
Booth stays on his horse
outside the door.

280
00:14:31,746 --> 00:14:35,014
David Herold knocks on the door
and gets the guns.

281
00:14:35,149 --> 00:14:37,616
He's in a hurry.

282
00:14:37,618 --> 00:14:39,818
He could be pursued
by any number of people.

283
00:14:43,491 --> 00:14:45,424
(Don)
With guns in hand,

284
00:14:45,559 --> 00:14:48,227
the first step of Booth's
escape plan was a success.

285
00:14:48,362 --> 00:14:50,895
The next step was to flee South,

286
00:14:50,931 --> 00:14:53,765
but Booth had a problem--
he hadn't expected

287
00:14:53,768 --> 00:14:56,068
traveling with a broken leg.

288
00:14:58,139 --> 00:15:00,739
So instead of heading straight
to the Southern border,

289
00:15:00,808 --> 00:15:03,375
Booth needed to find
medical attention.

290
00:15:03,377 --> 00:15:06,644
Enter Dr. Samuel Mudd.

291
00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:09,247
While circumstances are unclear,

292
00:15:09,316 --> 00:15:11,850
Booth had previously
met the physician.

293
00:15:18,525 --> 00:15:20,525
Booth and Herold rode
for four more hours

294
00:15:20,561 --> 00:15:22,661
to reach Mudd's house.

295
00:15:22,796 --> 00:15:24,863
(Michael)
That's Dr. Samuel Mudd's house.

296
00:15:24,932 --> 00:15:27,599
In addition to being
a practicing doctor,

297
00:15:27,635 --> 00:15:30,202
Mudd was also
a tobacco farmer

298
00:15:30,204 --> 00:15:32,604
and an ardent supporter
of slavery.

299
00:15:32,673 --> 00:15:36,074
He believed that it was
an institution ordained by God,

300
00:15:36,143 --> 00:15:38,877
and his business suffered
greatly when the state

301
00:15:38,946 --> 00:15:41,346
of Maryland abolished
the practice.

302
00:15:44,485 --> 00:15:46,418
[door creaks]

303
00:15:46,553 --> 00:15:48,520
Wow, just as it is.

304
00:15:50,157 --> 00:15:53,558
Dr. Mudd led Booth and Herold
into his house.

305
00:15:53,627 --> 00:15:56,762
(Don)
It's 4 o'clock
in the morning

306
00:15:56,831 --> 00:15:58,964
on Saturday, April 15th,

307
00:15:59,099 --> 00:16:02,301
about six hours after
President Lincoln was shot.

308
00:16:02,436 --> 00:16:05,837
It's hard to imagine a time
before the internet

309
00:16:05,906 --> 00:16:09,308
or 24-hour media,
but in Lincoln's day,

310
00:16:09,310 --> 00:16:11,577
news only traveled so fast.

311
00:16:11,579 --> 00:16:13,712
The New York Times was only
14 years old.

312
00:16:13,781 --> 00:16:16,782
Outside of D.C.,
it would take days,

313
00:16:16,784 --> 00:16:19,784
in some cases more than a week,
for news to reach

314
00:16:19,820 --> 00:16:22,054
about Abraham Lincoln.

315
00:16:22,189 --> 00:16:24,790
This would be an enormous
advantage for Booth.

316
00:16:29,530 --> 00:16:31,529
(Don)
But the question is,
did the doctor know

317
00:16:31,565 --> 00:16:33,732
about the plan to kill Lincoln?

318
00:16:33,734 --> 00:16:35,667
Is Mudd part of this?
I mean, this is

319
00:16:35,802 --> 00:16:37,669
the first thing you wonder--
are they talking like

320
00:16:37,804 --> 00:16:40,539
co-conspirators at this point?
I don't think there is any

321
00:16:40,541 --> 00:16:43,408
single issue that is
more contentious.

322
00:16:43,544 --> 00:16:47,412
He certainly didn't know
when Booth showed up here.

323
00:16:47,548 --> 00:16:49,748
Word would not have gotten
this far down.

324
00:16:49,750 --> 00:16:51,483
No, word didn't get here
in the middle of the night.

325
00:16:51,552 --> 00:16:55,320
I mean, Mudd was probably
in bed asleep when it happened
in the first place.

326
00:17:00,761 --> 00:17:03,828
(Don)
How much Mudd may have known
is still unclear.

327
00:17:03,864 --> 00:17:06,431
But what we do know is that
the doctor treated

328
00:17:06,500 --> 00:17:09,300
the ailing Booth.
They came upstairs,

329
00:17:09,336 --> 00:17:11,970
and John Wilkes Booth
lay down on a bed,

330
00:17:12,006 --> 00:17:14,539
and then Dr. Mudd
makes up a splint

331
00:17:14,575 --> 00:17:18,143
and immobilizes the fracture.
Okay.

332
00:17:20,815 --> 00:17:22,781
(Don)
While Booth was being
tended to,

333
00:17:22,916 --> 00:17:25,049
a major new development
took place

334
00:17:25,085 --> 00:17:27,385
that changed everything.

335
00:17:27,454 --> 00:17:29,855
At 7:22 a.m.

336
00:17:29,990 --> 00:17:32,991
that same morning,
back in the nation's capital,

337
00:17:33,060 --> 00:17:37,129
President Abraham Lincoln
was pronounced dead.

338
00:17:46,941 --> 00:17:49,874
Booth was no longer
just a wanted fugitive.

339
00:17:49,910 --> 00:17:52,144
He was now an assassin.

340
00:17:54,815 --> 00:17:57,149
With his leg set,
Booth was back on the run,

341
00:17:57,151 --> 00:17:59,685
but where was he headed?

342
00:17:59,687 --> 00:18:02,287
That was the question
the U.S. cavalry

343
00:18:02,323 --> 00:18:05,290
was trying to answer.
[camera shutter clicks]

344
00:18:05,392 --> 00:18:07,893
They already interrogated
patrons of the Surratt House

345
00:18:08,028 --> 00:18:10,428
and learned that he was there
just hours before

346
00:18:10,464 --> 00:18:12,830
on the evening of
April 14th.

347
00:18:12,866 --> 00:18:16,034
And through other key
witness interviews,

348
00:18:16,169 --> 00:18:19,971
authorities uncovered Booth's
fanaticism for the Confederacy.

349
00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:23,675
This gave them a clue as to
where he might have gone.

350
00:18:28,382 --> 00:18:31,316
Armed with this information,
the cavalry figured

351
00:18:31,318 --> 00:18:33,986
he would head south
to the Potomac River,

352
00:18:33,988 --> 00:18:35,921
where he could cross
into Virginia,

353
00:18:36,056 --> 00:18:38,190
the home of the Confederacy.

354
00:18:38,325 --> 00:18:40,926
The U.S. Army assumed

355
00:18:40,928 --> 00:18:43,462
Booth and Herold would take
one of these regular routes,

356
00:18:43,464 --> 00:18:45,631
and they blocked
all of those off.

357
00:18:49,136 --> 00:18:52,204
(Don)
And they were right.
Booth was headed south.

358
00:18:52,339 --> 00:18:54,773
But Booth and Herold
were a step ahead.

359
00:18:54,875 --> 00:18:57,476
The two men rode 20 miles

360
00:18:57,478 --> 00:18:59,744
to a thicket near
the Potomac River,

361
00:18:59,813 --> 00:19:02,481
where they received assistance
from like-minded sympathizers,

362
00:19:02,616 --> 00:19:06,418
part of a vast network called
the Confederate Underground.

363
00:19:06,487 --> 00:19:10,221
So he's getting delivered
by the Confederate Underground

364
00:19:10,257 --> 00:19:13,358
through different hiding places
they've been using for years.

365
00:19:13,427 --> 00:19:15,160
Well, that's right.

366
00:19:15,295 --> 00:19:17,563
(Don)
The Confederate Underground
harbored fugitives,

367
00:19:17,698 --> 00:19:20,298
spied on the Union,
and funneled money

368
00:19:20,367 --> 00:19:22,968
into pro-Confederate causes.

369
00:19:22,970 --> 00:19:25,103
They get here about
5 o'clock in the morning

370
00:19:25,172 --> 00:19:27,873
on Easter Sunday,
April 16th.

371
00:19:27,975 --> 00:19:30,642
(Don)
Their plan was to ditch
their horses, lay low,

372
00:19:30,777 --> 00:19:33,445
and wait for the Federal troops
to pass them by,

373
00:19:33,580 --> 00:19:37,616
and for the next five days,
that's exactly what they did.

374
00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:43,522
And sure enough,
the cavalry arrived,

375
00:19:43,524 --> 00:19:46,792
but they stayed on the main road
and never entered the woods,

376
00:19:46,927 --> 00:19:49,861
not realizing that the assassin
they were hunting

377
00:19:49,897 --> 00:19:52,464
was only 200 yards away.

378
00:19:52,466 --> 00:19:54,399
And here they sit,
day after day.

379
00:19:54,534 --> 00:19:56,667
They can even hear the cavalry,
they can hear the neighing

380
00:19:56,704 --> 00:19:59,137
of the horses,
every little snap.
Wow.

381
00:19:59,139 --> 00:20:01,806
And they gotta get out.

382
00:20:01,875 --> 00:20:04,209
(Don)
After laying low for
as long as they could,

383
00:20:04,211 --> 00:20:07,946
Booth and Herold decided
to go for the final leg
of their escape.

384
00:20:07,948 --> 00:20:10,548
Where are we?

385
00:20:10,584 --> 00:20:13,351
Well, we're at a small,
unnamed creek

386
00:20:13,387 --> 00:20:16,421
that feeds into
the Potomac River.
Okay.

387
00:20:16,457 --> 00:20:19,691
And it's about two miles
from the pine thicket.

388
00:20:19,693 --> 00:20:23,695
The man who kept Booth
and Herold in the thicket,

389
00:20:23,697 --> 00:20:25,830
he owned a little rowboat.

390
00:20:25,899 --> 00:20:28,400
This is right where the boat
was hidden.

391
00:20:30,471 --> 00:20:32,504
Booth and Herold's only option

392
00:20:32,506 --> 00:20:35,107
is to cross the powerful
currents of the Potomac River.

393
00:20:35,242 --> 00:20:39,044
This is the boundary between
freedom and execution.

394
00:20:44,785 --> 00:20:46,852
[grunts]

395
00:20:49,156 --> 00:20:51,122
On April 23rd,

396
00:20:51,158 --> 00:20:53,258
seven days after arriving
in the thicket,

397
00:20:53,393 --> 00:20:57,362
Booth and Herold crossed
the river to the shores
of Virginia.

398
00:21:02,136 --> 00:21:04,803
But by the time they arrived,
the news of Lincoln's

399
00:21:04,805 --> 00:21:07,005
assassination
had already spread,

400
00:21:07,140 --> 00:21:09,474
and the reaction
from the Southerners

401
00:21:09,476 --> 00:21:11,143
wasn't what they'd expected.

402
00:21:15,816 --> 00:21:18,150
Booth assumed he would be
greeted as a hero

403
00:21:18,152 --> 00:21:20,351
for murdering Lincoln,
but instead,

404
00:21:20,387 --> 00:21:22,753
he was a pariah.

405
00:21:22,790 --> 00:21:25,089
Killing the president
in the name of the South

406
00:21:25,159 --> 00:21:29,060
was a reprehensible act
and sickened the people
of the Confederacy.

407
00:21:31,498 --> 00:21:33,297
Now on their shores,

408
00:21:33,333 --> 00:21:36,301
Booth's presence would only
bring trouble.

409
00:21:36,370 --> 00:21:39,504
Everybody he talked to
couldn't wait to get
rid of him.

410
00:21:39,506 --> 00:21:42,540
They'd unload him on some
neighbor somewhere.
Yeah.

411
00:21:42,543 --> 00:21:44,576
(Don)
For the cavalry,
the pressure was on

412
00:21:44,645 --> 00:21:47,579
to catch the assassin--
as they raided the area,

413
00:21:47,714 --> 00:21:51,383
Booth tried a different tactic,
assuming an alias.

414
00:21:51,385 --> 00:21:54,385
This time,
his plea for help worked.

415
00:21:54,421 --> 00:21:57,455
And he ended up here at the home
of Richard Garrett.

416
00:21:57,491 --> 00:21:59,391
[camera shutter clicks]

417
00:22:01,862 --> 00:22:04,195
(Don)
Garrett was always willing
to help someone in need.

418
00:22:04,264 --> 00:22:07,499
He put the men up in his barn.

419
00:22:09,636 --> 00:22:12,537
On the evening of
April 26, 1865,

420
00:22:12,573 --> 00:22:15,006
the cavalry arrived
at his doorstep.

421
00:22:15,075 --> 00:22:18,009
And they surround the house
in the middle of the night.

422
00:22:18,144 --> 00:22:21,413
The Garretts come out and say,
"They're over there
in the barn."

423
00:22:21,415 --> 00:22:24,749
(Don)
The cavalry was under
strict orders to take

424
00:22:24,818 --> 00:22:27,419
Booth alive so
he could be questioned.

425
00:22:27,421 --> 00:22:29,487
(Michael)
Herold surrenders right away.

426
00:22:29,523 --> 00:22:31,756
Booth refuses to come out.

427
00:22:31,792 --> 00:22:34,492
One of the detectives
just said, "Enough of this."

428
00:22:34,495 --> 00:22:37,295
And he sets fire to the barn.

429
00:22:37,297 --> 00:22:39,831
(Don)
The plan was to smoke
Booth out.

430
00:22:39,833 --> 00:22:42,901
(Michael)
One of the soldiers
saw Booth spin around

431
00:22:42,903 --> 00:22:45,303
like he's going to make
for the door,

432
00:22:45,305 --> 00:22:47,438
so he fired at Booth,

433
00:22:47,508 --> 00:22:49,841
and the bullet went right
through his neck

434
00:22:49,843 --> 00:22:52,110
and out the other side.

435
00:22:52,112 --> 00:22:55,180
He collapsed,
and he suffocated to death.

436
00:22:55,182 --> 00:22:57,515
(Don)
Believing in his cause
until the end,

437
00:22:57,651 --> 00:23:00,184
Booth uttered the words,

438
00:23:00,220 --> 00:23:02,821
"Tell my mother I died
for my country."

439
00:23:06,059 --> 00:23:08,860
Twelve days after
Lincoln's assassination,

440
00:23:08,995 --> 00:23:11,296
John Wilkes Booth lay dead.

441
00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:15,533
The story might
have ended there,

442
00:23:15,569 --> 00:23:18,069
but in reality,
it was just the beginning.

443
00:23:18,205 --> 00:23:20,338
Secretary Stanton had caught
his man

444
00:23:20,374 --> 00:23:23,141
and avenged Lincoln's death
just 12 days after

445
00:23:23,276 --> 00:23:25,877
that fateful night
at Ford's Theatre.

446
00:23:25,946 --> 00:23:28,680
But with Booth dead,
was the United States

447
00:23:28,682 --> 00:23:30,882
still in danger?

448
00:23:31,017 --> 00:23:33,117
Was Booth a lone wolf?

449
00:23:33,153 --> 00:23:36,321
Or was there a deeper conspiracy
behind Lincoln's killing?

450
00:23:46,326 --> 00:23:49,459
(Don)
On April 14, 1865,

451
00:23:49,495 --> 00:23:52,196
Abraham Lincoln was the first
U.S. president

452
00:23:52,265 --> 00:23:54,265
to be assassinated.

453
00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:57,535
Twelve days later, his assassin,
John Wilkes Booth,

454
00:23:57,537 --> 00:24:00,137
was shot dead
in nearby Virginia,

455
00:24:00,272 --> 00:24:03,641
but was Booth a lone wolf,
or was there a deeper

456
00:24:03,743 --> 00:24:06,844
conspiracy behind the killing
of President Lincoln?

457
00:24:12,218 --> 00:24:14,951
To fully understand
the assassination of one of

458
00:24:14,988 --> 00:24:17,220
America's most cherished
presidents,

459
00:24:17,257 --> 00:24:19,823
you have to account for
the circumstances preceding it.

460
00:24:19,893 --> 00:24:23,761
So let's rewind to one year
before Lincoln was killed.

461
00:24:23,896 --> 00:24:26,497
In the summer of 1864,

462
00:24:26,566 --> 00:24:29,633
even Abraham Lincoln thought
his reelection was unlikely.

463
00:24:29,669 --> 00:24:32,103
The Civil War was raging on,

464
00:24:32,105 --> 00:24:35,439
a body count now soaring
into the hundreds of thousands.

465
00:24:35,508 --> 00:24:38,776
The North was losing
their faith in him,

466
00:24:38,845 --> 00:24:41,178
and the South's contempt
for the president

467
00:24:41,180 --> 00:24:43,114
was unbridled,

468
00:24:43,249 --> 00:24:45,116
but on September 2nd,

469
00:24:45,251 --> 00:24:47,251
the tide seemed to
shift overnight.

470
00:24:47,386 --> 00:24:50,921
General Sherman and the Union
forces took Atlanta.

471
00:24:50,923 --> 00:24:54,725
His telegram to Lincoln--
"Atlanta is ours, fairly won."

472
00:25:00,199 --> 00:25:02,866
This win helped prove
to the American people

473
00:25:02,902 --> 00:25:05,736
that Lincoln could finally
end the war.

474
00:25:05,805 --> 00:25:08,406
Propelled by this victory,
Lincoln was reelected

475
00:25:08,408 --> 00:25:10,674
on November 8th with a promise

476
00:25:10,743 --> 00:25:13,744
to end the bloodshed
and reunite the country,

477
00:25:13,746 --> 00:25:17,682
none of which sat well
with John Wilkes Booth.

478
00:25:19,686 --> 00:25:21,618
But here's the big question--

479
00:25:21,688 --> 00:25:23,954
how and where did Booth
conceive his plan?

480
00:25:24,090 --> 00:25:26,757
Had he always intended
to kill the president?

481
00:25:26,892 --> 00:25:28,492
You must be Kate.
Yes.

482
00:25:28,528 --> 00:25:30,361
(Don)
And did he act alone?

483
00:25:30,496 --> 00:25:33,731
One person as the answers--
historian Kate Larson.

484
00:25:33,833 --> 00:25:37,568
What is now a Chinese restaurant
[camera shutter clicks]

485
00:25:37,703 --> 00:25:41,172
was once a secret meeting spot
for Confederate rebels
and spies.

486
00:25:41,307 --> 00:25:44,575
This is Mary Surratt's
boarding house.

487
00:25:44,577 --> 00:25:46,177
That's right--it was
her boarding house.

488
00:25:48,514 --> 00:25:51,048
(Don)
Surratt was a well-known
area proprietor.

489
00:25:51,084 --> 00:25:54,585
You might remember her name
as the owner of the tavern

490
00:25:54,587 --> 00:25:56,653
in Maryland where Booth stopped

491
00:25:56,689 --> 00:25:59,322
after he fled Ford's Theatre.

492
00:25:59,359 --> 00:26:02,126
Both of her establishments were
considered safe havens

493
00:26:02,261 --> 00:26:04,795
for supporters of the South.

494
00:26:04,930 --> 00:26:07,131
John Wilkes Booth had become
very close friends

495
00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:09,500
with Mary Surratt's son,
John Surratt.

496
00:26:11,637 --> 00:26:13,871
He sought John's friendship

497
00:26:14,006 --> 00:26:16,407
precisely because John Surratt
and his family were

498
00:26:16,542 --> 00:26:18,542
Confederate sympathizers.
Oh, okay.

499
00:26:18,677 --> 00:26:20,945
John Wilkes Booth became
much more passionate

500
00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:24,748
about the system of slavery
and the social structure

501
00:26:24,817 --> 00:26:27,818
that went along with it.
He really found that

502
00:26:27,820 --> 00:26:29,820
it was a system
that should be preserved.

503
00:26:34,827 --> 00:26:38,295
Booth organized
this co-conspirator crowd.

504
00:26:38,331 --> 00:26:41,165
(Don)
The core members
of Booth's group

505
00:26:41,167 --> 00:26:43,099
were Mary Surratt,

506
00:26:43,136 --> 00:26:45,435
George Atzerodt,

507
00:26:45,505 --> 00:26:49,039
and Lewis Paine,
also known as Powell,

508
00:26:49,108 --> 00:26:51,709
a former Confederate soldier.

509
00:26:51,711 --> 00:26:54,511
It was pretty clear
that the Union was going
to win the war.

510
00:26:54,580 --> 00:26:57,848
(Don)
But that didn't stop the group
from trying to devise a plan

511
00:26:57,917 --> 00:27:01,384
to help tip the war back
into the South's favor.

512
00:27:01,421 --> 00:27:04,255
There were a lot of
Confederates in prisons,

513
00:27:04,257 --> 00:27:07,524
and Booth felt that if he could
just liberate those prisoners,

514
00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:10,527
they would be rallied together
to fight back
Mmm.

515
00:27:10,596 --> 00:27:12,263
and win the war.

516
00:27:15,968 --> 00:27:18,469
(Don)
The original plan was not
to kill Lincoln

517
00:27:18,604 --> 00:27:20,804
but was equally complicated.

518
00:27:20,873 --> 00:27:23,941
John Wilkes Booth decided
that he would kidnap

519
00:27:24,076 --> 00:27:27,744
Abraham Lincoln and carry him
through southern Maryland,

520
00:27:27,814 --> 00:27:31,081
which was a friendly location,
and bring him across

521
00:27:31,083 --> 00:27:33,750
the Potomac River
into Virginia and ransom him

522
00:27:33,820 --> 00:27:37,420
for the liberation of
Confederate prisoners.

523
00:27:37,457 --> 00:27:41,424
(Don)
And two weeks after Lincoln's
second inauguration,

524
00:27:41,461 --> 00:27:44,962
the group of conspirators
got their opportunity.

525
00:27:45,031 --> 00:27:48,432
John Wilkes Booth hears that
President Lincoln is going

526
00:27:48,434 --> 00:27:51,502
to the soldiers' home
on the outskirts of
Washington, D.C.,

527
00:27:51,504 --> 00:27:54,438
so he plans to have
the conspirators located

528
00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:57,241
along the road capture
and kidnap Lincoln

529
00:27:57,243 --> 00:28:00,444
on his return,
but what Booth did not know

530
00:28:00,513 --> 00:28:03,314
was that Lincoln decided
to cancel the trip.

531
00:28:03,449 --> 00:28:07,050
So this whole conspiracy
just collapses.
It fell apart,

532
00:28:07,086 --> 00:28:10,287
and it drives Booth even
further over the edge.
Right.

533
00:28:13,993 --> 00:28:16,994
(Don)
Within a month of Lincoln's
second term inauguration,

534
00:28:17,063 --> 00:28:20,130
the city of Richmond, Virginia,
fell to the Union.

535
00:28:20,266 --> 00:28:23,400
On April 9th,
General Robert E. Lee

536
00:28:23,469 --> 00:28:25,803
surrendered at
the Appomattox Courthouse,

537
00:28:25,872 --> 00:28:28,339
bringing an end
to the Civil War,

538
00:28:28,341 --> 00:28:30,540
solidifying a victory
for the Union,

539
00:28:30,576 --> 00:28:32,676
and putting a final nail
in the coffin

540
00:28:32,811 --> 00:28:34,812
of the South's secession.

541
00:28:40,453 --> 00:28:42,419
But Booth wasn't done.

542
00:28:42,455 --> 00:28:45,755
In fact, his ambitions
only grew.

543
00:28:45,791 --> 00:28:48,158
Further enraged by the South's
surrender,

544
00:28:48,294 --> 00:28:50,160
Booth met
with his co-conspirators

545
00:28:50,296 --> 00:28:53,030
and outlined a new plan
that, if successful,

546
00:28:53,099 --> 00:28:55,533
would topple
the U.S. Government.

547
00:28:59,038 --> 00:29:02,039
George Atzerodt would murder
Vice President Andrew Johnson.

548
00:29:04,210 --> 00:29:06,443
Secretary of State
William Henry Seward

549
00:29:06,579 --> 00:29:09,179
would be executed
by Lewis Paine.

550
00:29:09,182 --> 00:29:12,683
And Booth would assassinate
President Lincoln.

551
00:29:16,455 --> 00:29:18,922
On the night of April 14th,

552
00:29:19,024 --> 00:29:21,659
this second plot was put
into action.

553
00:29:23,396 --> 00:29:25,629
The results would
alter history forever.

554
00:29:37,070 --> 00:29:39,837
John Wilkes Booth
and his co-conspirators

555
00:29:39,972 --> 00:29:42,707
wanted to bring down
the United States government.

556
00:29:42,709 --> 00:29:45,776
To make it happen,
they intended to murder

557
00:29:45,778 --> 00:29:48,245
Vice President Andrew Johnson,

558
00:29:48,281 --> 00:29:50,848
William Henry Seward,
Lincoln's Secretary of State,

559
00:29:50,917 --> 00:29:53,451
and President Lincoln.

560
00:29:58,791 --> 00:30:01,192
On April 14, 1865,

561
00:30:01,327 --> 00:30:03,593
they executed their plan.

562
00:30:03,630 --> 00:30:05,329
[gunshot blasts]

563
00:30:05,365 --> 00:30:07,331
[distant screaming]

564
00:30:07,466 --> 00:30:09,734
(Don)
While Booth is successful,
Atzerodt backs out

565
00:30:09,869 --> 00:30:11,935
of killing
Vice President Johnson,

566
00:30:12,005 --> 00:30:15,006
and Seward survives a brutal
knife attack by Paine.

567
00:30:22,281 --> 00:30:24,148
Their attempt to topple
the American Government

568
00:30:24,283 --> 00:30:26,483
that fateful night failed.

569
00:30:26,552 --> 00:30:29,954
After Booth's death,
more information emerged,

570
00:30:30,023 --> 00:30:32,757
and details of the plots
came to light.

571
00:30:32,759 --> 00:30:35,392
Eight people were brought
to trial for treason,

572
00:30:35,428 --> 00:30:37,494
including Dr. Samuel Mudd,

573
00:30:37,530 --> 00:30:39,563
Mary Surratt,

574
00:30:39,632 --> 00:30:42,099
and David Herold.

575
00:30:42,168 --> 00:30:44,568
This is rarely seen,
but this is

576
00:30:44,604 --> 00:30:46,837
the courtroom where the trial
took place.

577
00:30:46,873 --> 00:30:50,174
(Don)
In an unusual move,
the Attorney General stated

578
00:30:50,309 --> 00:30:53,310
that the assassination of
Lincoln was an act of war,

579
00:30:53,379 --> 00:30:57,181
so the civilian conspirators
would have a military trial.

580
00:30:57,183 --> 00:31:00,117
The assassination happens
on April 14th.

581
00:31:00,119 --> 00:31:02,787
When does the trial begin?
Uh, May 10th.

582
00:31:02,789 --> 00:31:04,655
The trial ends June 29th.

583
00:31:04,724 --> 00:31:06,991
(Don)
The testimony presented
was powerful.

584
00:31:07,126 --> 00:31:10,661
Atzerodt and Paine both
confessed to parts of
the assassination plan.

585
00:31:10,730 --> 00:31:14,265
Their statements combined
with other witness accounts

586
00:31:14,267 --> 00:31:15,866
were damning.

587
00:31:15,868 --> 00:31:18,669
They determined by vote
that all of them are guilty.

588
00:31:18,738 --> 00:31:21,739
Four of them will go to prison,

589
00:31:21,741 --> 00:31:24,141
and four of them will hang.

590
00:31:31,284 --> 00:31:34,018
On July 7th
at 1:22 in the afternoon,

591
00:31:34,020 --> 00:31:37,421
they hang the four conspirators
in this yard.
Wow.

592
00:31:37,556 --> 00:31:40,491
(Don)
Mary Surratt, the first
woman to be executed

593
00:31:40,626 --> 00:31:43,093
by the Federal government,
along with Lewis Paine,

594
00:31:43,162 --> 00:31:45,496
George Atzerodt,
and David Herold,

595
00:31:45,565 --> 00:31:48,565
all paid for their crime
with their lives.

596
00:31:48,634 --> 00:31:51,968
The trial of Booth's
conspirators concluded

597
00:31:52,005 --> 00:31:54,905
down here on what is today
a set of tennis courts,

598
00:31:54,941 --> 00:31:57,875
where the gallows stood,
and they were hung on this spot.

599
00:32:00,279 --> 00:32:03,046
Everyone from the group
was now dead...

600
00:32:03,082 --> 00:32:06,050
...or were they?

601
00:32:06,052 --> 00:32:09,186
Is it possible that the man
killed by a single bullet

602
00:32:09,222 --> 00:32:12,623
that night at Garrett Farm
wasn't John Wilkes Booth?

603
00:32:22,035 --> 00:32:24,335
Hey, Nate. How you doin'?
Hi, Don. Nice to see you.

604
00:32:24,337 --> 00:32:25,669
Thanks for meeting me.

605
00:32:25,672 --> 00:32:27,872
(Don)
I'm meeting historian,
Nate Orlowek,

606
00:32:28,007 --> 00:32:31,542
who believes that Booth's story
has a very different ending

607
00:32:31,611 --> 00:32:33,711
than the one
in the history books.

608
00:32:36,015 --> 00:32:39,349
So the alternative theory
about this world-famous

609
00:32:39,385 --> 00:32:40,951
incident is what?

610
00:32:41,086 --> 00:32:44,421
That John Wilkes Booth
was not the man killed
in Garrett's barn.

611
00:32:44,457 --> 00:32:47,825
That he escaped,

612
00:32:47,894 --> 00:32:50,694
and that he lived for
another 38 years

613
00:32:50,830 --> 00:32:54,698
under many different aliases
in many different places

614
00:32:54,834 --> 00:32:58,702
and died on January 13, 1903,
in Enid, Oklahoma Territory.

615
00:32:58,838 --> 00:33:00,904
No kidding.

616
00:33:00,973 --> 00:33:03,641
And this just blows everything
out of the water.

617
00:33:03,776 --> 00:33:06,977
According to Orlowek,
this theory has been around

618
00:33:07,113 --> 00:33:10,381
since the 1870s and was first
brought to light

619
00:33:10,383 --> 00:33:12,783
by a man named Finis Bates,

620
00:33:12,852 --> 00:33:15,452
who wrote a book about
his experience.

621
00:33:15,455 --> 00:33:19,323
Finis Bates was a young attorney
in the small town

622
00:33:19,392 --> 00:33:21,925
of Granbury, Texas,
in the 1870s,

623
00:33:21,961 --> 00:33:24,462
and he was friendly
with a man

624
00:33:24,597 --> 00:33:26,597
who called himself
John St. Helen.

625
00:33:30,603 --> 00:33:32,870
And John St. Helen...

626
00:33:33,005 --> 00:33:35,405
got very ill one night

627
00:33:35,441 --> 00:33:37,674
and thought he was about to die,

628
00:33:37,710 --> 00:33:40,343
and he called Bates
to his bedside,

629
00:33:40,379 --> 00:33:42,746
he said, "I want to tell you
who I really am.

630
00:33:42,782 --> 00:33:45,916
Huh.
I'm really John Wilkes Booth."

631
00:33:49,021 --> 00:33:52,355
It turns out that St. Helen
recuperated, recovered,

632
00:33:52,391 --> 00:33:54,625
and a couple weeks later,
he went to Bates,

633
00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:56,627
and he said,
"I want to tell you
the full story."

634
00:33:59,432 --> 00:34:02,232
He gave him a detailed account
of what happened

635
00:34:02,268 --> 00:34:05,835
leading up to the assassination
of President Lincoln.
Fascinating.

636
00:34:05,872 --> 00:34:08,372
One of the things he told him
about was that the original plan

637
00:34:08,507 --> 00:34:10,841
was to kidnap President Lincoln.

638
00:34:10,843 --> 00:34:13,777
Now, this was not known
till 1935

639
00:34:13,779 --> 00:34:16,313
when the United States
Government finally released

640
00:34:16,382 --> 00:34:18,782
the documents that they had.

641
00:34:18,818 --> 00:34:21,185
(Don)
The knowledge of classified
information about

642
00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:23,587
the proposed kidnapping
of Lincoln

643
00:34:23,623 --> 00:34:25,589
was not the only bombshell--

644
00:34:25,625 --> 00:34:29,593
St. Helen revealed a darker plot
than anyone could've imagined.

645
00:34:29,629 --> 00:34:32,329
He told Bates that the man
who was really behind

646
00:34:32,331 --> 00:34:35,466
the conspiracy was Vice
President Andrew Johnson.

647
00:34:35,601 --> 00:34:36,933
Wow.

648
00:34:36,969 --> 00:34:40,070
(Don)
Could Vice President
Andrew Johnson really

649
00:34:40,072 --> 00:34:43,874
be the architect of
the greatest conspiracy
in United States history,

650
00:34:44,009 --> 00:34:47,344
and why would he want
President Lincoln dead?

651
00:34:56,188 --> 00:34:59,823
(Don)
Historian, Nate Orlowek,
and I are exploring a theory

652
00:34:59,892 --> 00:35:02,759
that Vice President
Andrew Johnson was

653
00:35:02,828 --> 00:35:06,263
the mastermind behind
the assassination of
President Lincoln.

654
00:35:09,101 --> 00:35:11,501
The fact that Johnson was
the only one not harmed

655
00:35:11,537 --> 00:35:14,438
in Booth's plan adds credence
to the theory.

656
00:35:14,573 --> 00:35:17,041
Lincoln never liked him--
Andrew Johnson showed up

657
00:35:17,043 --> 00:35:19,176
drunk at his own inaugural.
Mmhm.

658
00:35:19,245 --> 00:35:22,046
President Lincoln did not
allow him to go to
cabinet meetings.

659
00:35:22,181 --> 00:35:25,315
(Don)
The two men disagreed
on how to handle the South.

660
00:35:25,351 --> 00:35:28,385
Johnson didn't like that
Lincoln wanted to heal

661
00:35:28,454 --> 00:35:30,988
the wounds by simply allowing
the Confederacy

662
00:35:31,123 --> 00:35:33,057
back into the Union.

663
00:35:33,059 --> 00:35:35,125
He wanted punitive
reconstruction,

664
00:35:35,260 --> 00:35:37,561
and according to Bates,
Booth said Johnson

665
00:35:37,663 --> 00:35:40,064
would stop at nothing
to obtain it.

666
00:35:40,199 --> 00:35:42,532
Booth told Bates

667
00:35:42,602 --> 00:35:44,868
Johnson said to him,

668
00:35:44,904 --> 00:35:47,304
"You now have to shoot
the president."

669
00:35:53,179 --> 00:35:56,013
So this is all very convincing,
Nate, but there's also

670
00:35:56,082 --> 00:35:58,815
a lot of convincing evidence
on the opposite side.

671
00:35:58,884 --> 00:36:01,418
Okay? I mean, there were
pictures taken,

672
00:36:01,553 --> 00:36:03,553
there was an autopsy done.

673
00:36:03,589 --> 00:36:05,956
According to Alexander Gardner,
a very famous photographer,

674
00:36:06,091 --> 00:36:08,659
he took one picture--
this is in the document

675
00:36:08,661 --> 00:36:10,760
in the National Archives--
he took one picture

676
00:36:10,796 --> 00:36:12,963
and handed it in
to be developed,

677
00:36:13,032 --> 00:36:15,632
and it never saw
the light of day.
Really?

678
00:36:15,635 --> 00:36:18,302
(Don)
But what about the autopsy
report that is also

679
00:36:18,304 --> 00:36:20,304
in the National Archives?

680
00:36:20,373 --> 00:36:23,640
A doctor who knew Booth
performed the post mortem.

681
00:36:23,643 --> 00:36:26,176
The very first sentence
he said,

682
00:36:26,245 --> 00:36:28,979
"There is no resemblance of
this body to that of

683
00:36:29,048 --> 00:36:31,648
John Wilkes Booth, and I do not
believe it to be he."

684
00:36:31,650 --> 00:36:35,519
He goes on to say that the body
had a broken right leg.
Okay.

685
00:36:35,588 --> 00:36:38,756
We know today, by all accounts,
that Booth broke his left leg.

686
00:36:42,061 --> 00:36:44,194
(Don)
But the story doesn't
end there.

687
00:36:44,196 --> 00:36:47,397
When John St. Helen passed away,
Bates was notified.

688
00:36:47,466 --> 00:36:50,200
So Bates came from Memphis
and identified him,

689
00:36:50,202 --> 00:36:53,937
and because he wanted to some
day be able to prove

690
00:36:53,940 --> 00:36:57,875
that this was John Wilkes Booth,
he mummified the body.
I see.

691
00:37:00,412 --> 00:37:04,414
(Don)
In 1931, six physicians
examine the mummy.

692
00:37:04,450 --> 00:37:08,418
I interviewed one of
the doctors.

693
00:37:08,454 --> 00:37:10,888
This is a sworn statement.

694
00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:16,893
(Don)
Upon their examination,
the doctors outlined

695
00:37:16,962 --> 00:37:19,463
some very specific
characteristics.

696
00:37:22,101 --> 00:37:24,201
A scar on the right eyebrow.

697
00:37:26,305 --> 00:37:28,505
A deformed right thumb.

698
00:37:28,507 --> 00:37:31,708
And damage to the left ankle.

699
00:37:31,711 --> 00:37:34,311
There was seen to be
an apparent slight thickening

700
00:37:34,446 --> 00:37:36,246
over the outside of
the left ankle.

701
00:37:36,348 --> 00:37:37,981
Which would've been
the broken leg.
Exactly.

702
00:37:38,050 --> 00:37:39,382
Huh.
Exactly.

703
00:37:39,418 --> 00:37:41,985
John Wilkes Booth today we know
had all three of those marks,

704
00:37:41,988 --> 00:37:45,455
and all three of those marks
are on the man

705
00:37:45,458 --> 00:37:47,257
who said he was John St. Helen.

706
00:37:50,596 --> 00:37:52,762
There's an easy way
to figure this out now.

707
00:37:52,898 --> 00:37:54,597
There's modern technology.

708
00:37:54,633 --> 00:37:57,000
You can exhume the body,
which is in Baltimore,

709
00:37:57,036 --> 00:37:59,203
and test the DNA.

710
00:37:59,205 --> 00:38:01,471
Well, back in the '90s,

711
00:38:01,474 --> 00:38:05,075
the Booth family became
convinced that we were
probably right.

712
00:38:05,144 --> 00:38:09,079
They partnered with us to try
to do medical tests

713
00:38:09,181 --> 00:38:12,282
to prove or to disprove
whatever the truth is,

714
00:38:12,284 --> 00:38:15,352
and it was all set to be done.

715
00:38:15,421 --> 00:38:17,754
(Don)
The president of
the cemetery board blocked

716
00:38:17,823 --> 00:38:20,423
the exhumation, stating that
only the person

717
00:38:20,493 --> 00:38:23,360
who bought the plot could
authorization such an action.

718
00:38:23,429 --> 00:38:26,830
That person was
John Wilkes Booth's mother.

719
00:38:26,899 --> 00:38:29,566
She passed away in 1885.

720
00:38:29,602 --> 00:38:32,169
A court upheld the decision.

721
00:38:35,875 --> 00:38:38,508
The Booth family has offered
DNA tests.

722
00:38:38,544 --> 00:38:40,777
They were hoping to compare
Booth's DNA

723
00:38:40,813 --> 00:38:42,846
to his brother, Edwin's.

724
00:38:42,915 --> 00:38:45,515
But the authorities responsible
for protecting this critical

725
00:38:45,518 --> 00:38:47,850
piece of American history
won't allow the body

726
00:38:47,887 --> 00:38:50,453
to be exhumed--
any tampering, they say,

727
00:38:50,523 --> 00:38:52,923
could destroy Booth's remains.

728
00:38:53,058 --> 00:38:55,725
Without more substantial claims,

729
00:38:55,761 --> 00:38:58,795
there's great reluctance
to disrupt the grave

730
00:38:58,831 --> 00:39:01,532
of one of the nation's most
notorious killers.

731
00:39:06,172 --> 00:39:08,805
One of the major contributing
factors to Lincoln's death

732
00:39:08,841 --> 00:39:11,808
was Booth's easy access
to the president.

733
00:39:11,810 --> 00:39:14,477
How has this changed today?

734
00:39:14,547 --> 00:39:17,747
And would Lincoln have survived

735
00:39:17,783 --> 00:39:20,149
if different security measures
were in place?

736
00:39:20,185 --> 00:39:21,484
Down! Police, get back!

737
00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:23,186
Get back!
[gunshots firing]

738
00:39:33,365 --> 00:39:36,032
In today's security climate,
it seems ridiculous

739
00:39:36,068 --> 00:39:38,768
to even imagine kidnapping
a U.S. president,

740
00:39:38,838 --> 00:39:41,705
but in Lincoln's day,
it was actually quite feasible.

741
00:39:41,774 --> 00:39:44,708
Lincoln was often unattended
with little or no security

742
00:39:44,843 --> 00:39:47,911
and came and went as he pleased
without fanfare.

743
00:39:48,046 --> 00:39:50,314
This, of course, would never
happen today,

744
00:39:50,449 --> 00:39:52,448
which begs the question,

745
00:39:52,484 --> 00:39:55,385
where was the Secret Service
when Abraham Lincoln
was shot?

746
00:39:55,421 --> 00:39:59,256
In an ironic twist of fate,
the Secret Service

747
00:39:59,391 --> 00:40:03,393
was not formed until 1865,
the year of Lincoln's death.

748
00:40:03,528 --> 00:40:07,397
Orders to approve this new
agency were awaiting signature

749
00:40:07,433 --> 00:40:10,400
on his desk
when he was assassinated.

750
00:40:10,469 --> 00:40:13,603
Still, the Secret Service would
not have protected Lincoln

751
00:40:13,672 --> 00:40:15,605
from John Wilkes Booth.

752
00:40:15,674 --> 00:40:18,341
The organization as originally
founded as an investigative

753
00:40:18,377 --> 00:40:20,477
unit to combat counterfeiting.

754
00:40:20,612 --> 00:40:23,480
They didn't start protecting
presidents until 1901,

755
00:40:23,482 --> 00:40:26,717
after the assassination of
President William McKinley.

756
00:40:29,488 --> 00:40:32,289
We secured rare access
to this training center

757
00:40:32,358 --> 00:40:34,691
not far from
the nation's capital.

758
00:40:34,793 --> 00:40:36,159
Hello!
How are you?

759
00:40:36,161 --> 00:40:39,096
My name's Bill Gleddy.
Welcome to the Raleigh
Training Center.

760
00:40:39,098 --> 00:40:42,633
(Don)
Recruits spend 18 weeks here,
learning and sharpening
their skills.

761
00:40:42,768 --> 00:40:46,636
The maximum age to join
is 37 years old.

762
00:40:46,672 --> 00:40:48,972
What's the criteria that
you're looking for

763
00:40:48,974 --> 00:40:50,774
as far as these recruits go?

764
00:40:50,909 --> 00:40:52,842
Out of a point score of
100, they need to get

765
00:40:52,911 --> 00:40:54,844
at least 80 percent
on the pass rates.

766
00:40:54,913 --> 00:40:57,180
That's hard to do.
Yes, that is
a very high standard.

767
00:40:57,216 --> 00:40:59,649
Down!
Police!

768
00:40:59,652 --> 00:41:01,718
(Don)
The training here is
highly specialized.

769
00:41:01,853 --> 00:41:04,854
It's as much about mental
acuity as it is prowess.

770
00:41:04,924 --> 00:41:08,458
Press the trigger.
[gunshot blasts]

771
00:41:08,527 --> 00:41:09,926
Fire again.
[gunshot blasts]

772
00:41:09,995 --> 00:41:12,261
(Don)
While the presence of
the Secret Service does not

773
00:41:12,298 --> 00:41:15,331
prevent assassination attempts
on our leaders' lives,

774
00:41:15,367 --> 00:41:17,333
they have saved several.

775
00:41:17,369 --> 00:41:20,270
Since the agency started
actively protecting presidents,

776
00:41:20,405 --> 00:41:23,406
13 have survived assassination
attempts,

777
00:41:23,475 --> 00:41:26,209
and one, John F. Kennedy, died.

778
00:41:26,278 --> 00:41:30,414
Once can only imagine that if
Lincoln had been surrounded

779
00:41:30,549 --> 00:41:33,016
by men and women who were
this well trained,

780
00:41:33,085 --> 00:41:36,286
perhaps Booth may never have
gained access to the president.

781
00:41:42,928 --> 00:41:45,228
Abraham Lincoln's life came
to a tragic end

782
00:41:45,364 --> 00:41:48,231
that night
at the Ford's Theatre.

783
00:41:48,233 --> 00:41:52,102
Lincoln was only 56 years old
when he was murdered

784
00:41:52,171 --> 00:41:55,038
for his ideology,
but his short life

785
00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:57,641
left an indelible mark
on the United States.

786
00:42:04,049 --> 00:42:05,982
It is because of his strong
leadership

787
00:42:06,051 --> 00:42:09,118
and violent death he has been
forever immortalized,

788
00:42:09,154 --> 00:42:12,856
but even more than 150 years
since his murder,

789
00:42:12,991 --> 00:42:16,159
President Abraham Lincoln's
words and principles

790
00:42:16,228 --> 00:42:19,329
still guide this country,
providing inspiration

791
00:42:19,398 --> 00:42:21,431
and solace.

791
00:42:22,305 --> 00:43:22,267
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