"Mysteries at the Museum" Lincoln Assassination: Mysteries at the Museum Specials

1 00:00:01,636 --> 00:00:03,602 I'm headed back to a time when the American dream 2 00:00:03,638 --> 00:00:07,406 hung in the balance to investigate the killing 3 00:00:07,408 --> 00:00:10,409 of President Abraham Lincoln 4 00:00:10,545 --> 00:00:13,613 and to reexamine the motives and schemes 5 00:00:13,748 --> 00:00:17,149 behind America's first political assassination 6 00:00:17,151 --> 00:00:19,552 and the mastermind behind it all, 7 00:00:19,621 --> 00:00:21,754 the infamous John Wilkes Booth. 8 00:00:21,889 --> 00:00:23,756 They can even hear the cavalry. 9 00:00:23,891 --> 00:00:25,891 And they gotta get out. 10 00:00:25,927 --> 00:00:28,026 There we go. Wow. 11 00:00:28,062 --> 00:00:30,696 Press the trigger. It's an American tragedy... 12 00:00:30,831 --> 00:00:34,032 Fire again. ...filled with conspiracy... 13 00:00:34,068 --> 00:00:35,968 That's incredible. 14 00:00:35,970 --> 00:00:37,303 ...and secrets... 15 00:00:37,305 --> 00:00:38,637 Where are we? 16 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:40,305 ...that continue to haunt us today. 17 00:00:40,341 --> 00:00:42,775 And this just blows everything out of the water. 18 00:00:42,777 --> 00:00:45,711 I'm Don Wildman. 19 00:00:45,713 --> 00:00:48,514 I've explored the world's greatest mysteries, 20 00:00:48,516 --> 00:00:51,717 examined rare artifacts and epic monuments. 21 00:00:51,786 --> 00:00:53,586 That is unbelievable. 22 00:00:53,655 --> 00:00:56,455 Now, I'm digging deeper into some of the most perplexing 23 00:00:56,491 --> 00:00:58,724 and famous cases in history. 24 00:00:58,859 --> 00:01:01,394 My goal? To get closer to the truth. 25 00:01:01,529 --> 00:01:03,629 Let's burn this place down. Let's burn it down. 26 00:01:04,999 --> 00:01:07,866 On this special episode of "Mysteries at the Museum," 27 00:01:07,935 --> 00:01:10,303 the Lincoln Assassination. 28 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:18,074 Do you want subtitles for any video? -=[ ai.OpenSubtitles.com ]=- 29 00:01:27,455 --> 00:01:30,690 There may be no more enduring legacy in American politics 30 00:01:30,692 --> 00:01:33,960 than that of the 16th president of the United States. 31 00:01:36,497 --> 00:01:38,898 From his humble beginnings in Hodgenville, Kentucky, 32 00:01:39,033 --> 00:01:41,901 to his victory in America's only Civil War, 33 00:01:41,903 --> 00:01:45,338 Abraham Lincoln was destined to be remembered forever. 34 00:01:49,344 --> 00:01:51,309 When it comes to Lincoln, 35 00:01:51,346 --> 00:01:53,979 it's not just his life that is legendary. 36 00:01:54,015 --> 00:01:57,182 Tragically, nothing quite captures the imagination 37 00:01:57,218 --> 00:01:59,385 more than the fact that he was the first 38 00:01:59,454 --> 00:02:01,921 U.S. President to be assassinated. 39 00:02:01,923 --> 00:02:04,990 But what do we really know about Lincoln's assassination, 40 00:02:04,993 --> 00:02:08,060 and why would somebody want to shoot America's 41 00:02:08,062 --> 00:02:10,796 most beloved president? 42 00:02:10,832 --> 00:02:13,465 Was it the work of a deranged lone wolf 43 00:02:13,501 --> 00:02:16,268 or something more? 44 00:02:16,304 --> 00:02:19,639 Part of a deeper conspiracy to topple the U.S. government? 45 00:02:25,113 --> 00:02:27,880 On the evening of April 14, 1865, 46 00:02:28,015 --> 00:02:31,417 President Lincoln was en route to Ford's Theatre. 47 00:02:31,486 --> 00:02:35,421 Imagine Abe Lincoln in a carriage 48 00:02:35,490 --> 00:02:38,424 just like this but a much different city. 49 00:02:42,463 --> 00:02:45,164 The United States was barely 100 years old 50 00:02:45,233 --> 00:02:47,366 when it found itself in the throes 51 00:02:47,402 --> 00:02:50,702 of a bloody civil war that divided the country. 52 00:02:50,738 --> 00:02:52,971 The Union of the North was pitted 53 00:02:53,007 --> 00:02:55,107 against the Confederate South. 54 00:02:55,242 --> 00:02:58,110 The catalyst of this vicious battle? Slavery. 55 00:02:58,112 --> 00:03:00,512 In 1861, 56 00:03:00,581 --> 00:03:03,449 seven slave-holding states wanted to secede 57 00:03:03,451 --> 00:03:06,118 and become independent from the United States 58 00:03:06,120 --> 00:03:09,387 and attacked the fortress of Sumter in South Carolina, 59 00:03:09,424 --> 00:03:12,257 setting off what would become the most violent war 60 00:03:12,326 --> 00:03:14,393 on American soil. 61 00:03:14,462 --> 00:03:16,528 During four years of combat, 62 00:03:16,630 --> 00:03:18,597 nearly 3 million fought, 63 00:03:18,733 --> 00:03:20,966 and more than 600,000 died. 64 00:03:20,968 --> 00:03:24,202 As cities across the South fell to the Union, 65 00:03:24,238 --> 00:03:26,605 the Confederacy lost ground. 66 00:03:28,609 --> 00:03:30,809 By early spring, the South had surrendered, 67 00:03:30,878 --> 00:03:34,079 slavery had been abolished, and Lincoln was looking 68 00:03:34,115 --> 00:03:36,481 forward to serving out his second term. 69 00:03:36,517 --> 00:03:40,686 All that changed on April 14, 1865. 70 00:03:40,688 --> 00:03:44,557 First stop-- scene of the crime. 71 00:03:49,564 --> 00:03:51,497 The historic Ford's Theatre, 72 00:03:51,566 --> 00:03:53,566 where it all happened. 73 00:04:10,918 --> 00:04:13,252 The unsuspecting president was enjoying 74 00:04:13,321 --> 00:04:15,254 a night of theater... 75 00:04:17,492 --> 00:04:20,192 when a gunshot altered history. 76 00:04:24,265 --> 00:04:25,998 We've all heard what happened the night 77 00:04:26,133 --> 00:04:28,734 of April 14, 1865, 78 00:04:30,204 --> 00:04:32,671 but do we really know the whole story? 79 00:04:32,707 --> 00:04:35,541 Who was John Wilkes Booth, 80 00:04:35,543 --> 00:04:38,077 and how did he even gain access 81 00:04:38,079 --> 00:04:40,479 to a United States president? 82 00:04:44,852 --> 00:04:46,151 Dr. Guelzo? 83 00:04:46,187 --> 00:04:49,288 Dr. Allen Guelzo is a foremost expert 84 00:04:49,290 --> 00:04:51,089 on the Lincoln story. 85 00:04:51,125 --> 00:04:52,691 Very good. Wow, that's the box! 86 00:04:52,827 --> 00:04:56,162 That is the box, that is where Lincoln sat the evening 87 00:04:56,297 --> 00:04:59,064 of April 14, 1865. Uh-huh. 88 00:04:59,133 --> 00:05:02,234 That production that night was of a British written play 89 00:05:02,236 --> 00:05:04,569 about Americans 90 00:05:04,605 --> 00:05:06,772 called Our American Cousin . 91 00:05:06,841 --> 00:05:09,041 It's sort of like the Beverly Hillbillies 92 00:05:09,110 --> 00:05:11,310 but very popular. 93 00:05:17,685 --> 00:05:21,386 I don't know how you may feel as a visitor, Mr. Buddicombe, 94 00:05:21,422 --> 00:05:24,656 but I think this is a most uncomfortable family. 95 00:05:24,725 --> 00:05:26,992 Very uncomfortable. 96 00:05:29,297 --> 00:05:30,863 Being able to sit up in the box 97 00:05:30,998 --> 00:05:33,332 got Lincoln away from the stress, 98 00:05:33,401 --> 00:05:35,267 and he could be alone with his own thoughts 99 00:05:35,402 --> 00:05:38,604 and enjoy the play, as well, which he did hugely. 100 00:05:38,739 --> 00:05:42,073 For him, this was a relaxation moment. 101 00:05:42,109 --> 00:05:44,410 Old Solomon has made a crop of it. 102 00:05:44,412 --> 00:05:46,945 Lincoln loved the theater. 103 00:05:46,948 --> 00:05:50,082 He could recite chunks of Shakespeare off by heart. 104 00:05:50,217 --> 00:05:52,951 He loved to meet actors, Really? 105 00:05:53,020 --> 00:05:55,421 and sometimes after a production, he would invite actors 106 00:05:55,556 --> 00:05:57,423 to come up to the box, and they would do 107 00:05:57,558 --> 00:05:59,892 a little professional theater chitchat. 108 00:05:59,894 --> 00:06:03,362 One Ford's Theatre regular was stage actor, 109 00:06:03,431 --> 00:06:05,497 John Wilkes Booth. 110 00:06:07,701 --> 00:06:09,902 John Wilkes Booth, born in 1838. 111 00:06:09,904 --> 00:06:13,973 Youngest son of one of the great actors of his day, 112 00:06:14,108 --> 00:06:16,441 Junius Brutus Booth. 113 00:06:16,511 --> 00:06:20,445 So the Booths were a huge acting family in America. Oh, yeah. Yeah. 114 00:06:20,514 --> 00:06:23,849 They were dashing, they were handsome, they were talented. 115 00:06:23,984 --> 00:06:26,985 By the 1860s, John Booth is pulling in 116 00:06:26,988 --> 00:06:30,656 $20,000 a year as an actor, which, in the 1860s, 117 00:06:30,791 --> 00:06:33,359 that was a lot of money. 118 00:06:37,064 --> 00:06:40,399 He lives nearby here. Yes, he lives at the National Hotel, 119 00:06:40,534 --> 00:06:43,601 and he picks up his mail at Ford's Theatre. 120 00:06:43,638 --> 00:06:46,738 It's there when he stops on the morning 121 00:06:46,807 --> 00:06:49,474 of April 14th that John Ford, 122 00:06:49,510 --> 00:06:52,011 the proprietor, seeing Booth there for his mail, 123 00:06:52,146 --> 00:06:54,679 strikes up a little banter and conversation, says, 124 00:06:54,715 --> 00:06:56,681 "Well, you know the President of the United States 125 00:06:56,717 --> 00:06:59,284 "is going to be here this evening 126 00:06:59,353 --> 00:07:01,420 for the performance of Our American Cousin ." 127 00:07:01,422 --> 00:07:04,757 So that's where he gets the news about Lincoln coming tonight 128 00:07:04,759 --> 00:07:07,292 to the theater. Exactly. 129 00:07:07,361 --> 00:07:10,029 At that moment, the powder train 130 00:07:10,164 --> 00:07:12,364 has been ignited. 131 00:07:12,366 --> 00:07:14,633 Hearing of the president's imminent arrival, 132 00:07:14,635 --> 00:07:17,569 Booth put in motion a series of very specific 133 00:07:17,638 --> 00:07:20,305 calculated actions that unfolded 134 00:07:20,341 --> 00:07:22,841 into the infamous events of that evening. 135 00:07:25,413 --> 00:07:27,512 First, he returned to his room at the National 136 00:07:27,548 --> 00:07:29,581 and packed a bag. 137 00:07:29,650 --> 00:07:31,850 He then prepares his weapons-- 138 00:07:31,852 --> 00:07:35,587 his knife, his single shot .44 caliber 139 00:07:35,656 --> 00:07:38,590 Philadelphia-made Deringer. 140 00:07:38,726 --> 00:07:40,792 It's the pocket pistol that's right behind us. 141 00:07:43,263 --> 00:07:45,264 This is the gun that killed Abraham Lincoln. 142 00:07:45,399 --> 00:07:48,333 That, all too sadly, is true. 143 00:07:51,839 --> 00:07:54,073 That night, Lincoln was in his box, 144 00:07:54,208 --> 00:07:56,341 enjoying the play with his wife and friends 145 00:07:56,477 --> 00:07:58,544 while his footman, Charles Forbes, 146 00:07:58,546 --> 00:08:01,213 kept watch on the other side of the door. 147 00:08:01,282 --> 00:08:05,217 On the sofa at the far end of the box 148 00:08:05,219 --> 00:08:08,020 would have been Clara Harris and Major Rathbone, 149 00:08:08,022 --> 00:08:11,690 then Mrs. Lincoln, and in the rocking chair 150 00:08:11,726 --> 00:08:14,293 right here would have been President Lincoln. 151 00:08:16,964 --> 00:08:19,498 Now, the curious thing is in this door, 152 00:08:19,567 --> 00:08:21,967 which originally, of course, was a solid door, 153 00:08:22,102 --> 00:08:24,503 there was a small peephole that had been drilled... 154 00:08:27,241 --> 00:08:30,709 ...so that Charles Forbes, Lincoln's footman, 155 00:08:30,778 --> 00:08:33,979 would be able to come to the door here, peek in, 156 00:08:34,114 --> 00:08:35,781 make sure everything was fine in the box 157 00:08:35,850 --> 00:08:37,783 without disturbing the Lincolns. 158 00:08:37,852 --> 00:08:40,285 I hate mysteries, sir, 159 00:08:40,287 --> 00:08:42,654 but you see, I have come to the rendezvous. 160 00:08:42,790 --> 00:08:45,591 An hour into the play, John Wilkes Booth 161 00:08:45,726 --> 00:08:48,060 arrived at the theater. 162 00:08:48,129 --> 00:08:50,596 This guy was famous, I mean, these people all recognize him. 163 00:08:50,598 --> 00:08:52,464 Of course, very well known. 164 00:08:52,566 --> 00:08:55,200 People greeted Booth as he entered the main doors 165 00:08:55,236 --> 00:08:57,870 and made his way upstairs to Lincoln's box. 166 00:08:58,005 --> 00:09:02,006 Once there, he encountered Lincoln's footman standing guard. 167 00:09:02,042 --> 00:09:05,611 And Booth produces a calling card, 168 00:09:05,746 --> 00:09:07,880 hands it to Forbes, as if to say, 169 00:09:08,015 --> 00:09:10,882 "I'm John Wilkes Booth, the famous actor. 170 00:09:10,951 --> 00:09:13,151 President Lincoln has asked to see me." 171 00:09:13,220 --> 00:09:16,087 Forbes obligingly opens the door, 172 00:09:16,157 --> 00:09:19,357 Booth enters the vestibule, 173 00:09:19,393 --> 00:09:22,561 and...effectively 174 00:09:22,696 --> 00:09:24,963 signs Lincoln's death warrant. 175 00:09:28,102 --> 00:09:30,235 There's now just one door 176 00:09:30,237 --> 00:09:33,505 between John Wilkes Booth and Abraham Lincoln. 177 00:09:33,640 --> 00:09:37,242 To confirm Lincoln's position, Booth used the peephole 178 00:09:37,278 --> 00:09:39,378 designed to check on the president 179 00:09:39,513 --> 00:09:41,446 without disturbing him. 180 00:09:41,515 --> 00:09:43,248 He can hear what's going on in the play, 181 00:09:43,383 --> 00:09:45,984 and he knows that the big line that he is waiting for 182 00:09:46,053 --> 00:09:48,187 is about to be delivered. 183 00:09:48,322 --> 00:09:52,123 I am aware, Mr. Trenchard, you are not 184 00:09:52,193 --> 00:09:54,459 used to the manners of good society... 185 00:09:54,495 --> 00:09:56,728 Booth knew that one specific line 186 00:09:56,764 --> 00:09:59,331 would cause the audience to burst into laughter, 187 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:01,867 masking the sound of a gunshot. 188 00:10:01,869 --> 00:10:05,537 Well, I guess I know enough to turn you inside-out, old gal, 189 00:10:05,672 --> 00:10:09,141 you sockdologizing old man-trap. 190 00:10:14,214 --> 00:10:15,814 When the punch line is given, 191 00:10:15,949 --> 00:10:19,184 he then opens the door, steps right up behind Lincoln... 192 00:10:21,288 --> 00:10:24,422 The ball hits Lincoln, back of the head, 193 00:10:24,491 --> 00:10:27,158 behind he left ear-- Lincoln slumps forward. 194 00:10:27,194 --> 00:10:30,161 Major Rathbone jumps up from the sofa, 195 00:10:30,231 --> 00:10:32,363 grapples with Booth. 196 00:10:32,399 --> 00:10:35,233 Booth has his hunting knife in his hand. Yeah. 197 00:10:35,302 --> 00:10:38,103 He slashes Rathbone, grabs the balustrade, 198 00:10:38,238 --> 00:10:41,306 and leaps over to jump to the stage. 199 00:10:41,342 --> 00:10:44,375 Booth broke his leg in the process, 200 00:10:44,411 --> 00:10:47,913 but fueled by adrenaline, he felt no pain. 201 00:10:47,915 --> 00:10:51,783 Stands up, brandishing the hunting knife, and shouts, 202 00:10:51,785 --> 00:10:55,053 "Sic semper tyrannis! 203 00:10:55,189 --> 00:10:58,090 The South is avenged!" 204 00:11:02,663 --> 00:11:06,398 Sic semper tyrannis is the state motto of Virginia. Okay. 205 00:11:06,533 --> 00:11:10,002 Latin for "Thus always to tyrants." 206 00:11:10,137 --> 00:11:14,072 And with that, he turns, bolts off the stage 207 00:11:14,141 --> 00:11:17,275 to stage right, opens the back door, 208 00:11:17,344 --> 00:11:20,478 walks out, jumps onto his horse, 209 00:11:20,547 --> 00:11:23,682 and gallops off down Baptist Alley 210 00:11:23,684 --> 00:11:25,550 into the night. 211 00:11:25,553 --> 00:11:27,619 But the night's drama was far from over. 212 00:11:27,754 --> 00:11:31,223 What would drive a famous stage actor 213 00:11:31,358 --> 00:11:33,959 to shoot America's most beloved president? 214 00:11:34,028 --> 00:11:37,295 Who really was John Wilkes Booth? 215 00:11:37,364 --> 00:11:39,765 And where was he headed? 216 00:11:47,548 --> 00:11:50,516 April 14, 1865 217 00:11:50,518 --> 00:11:53,786 will forever be marked as one of America's darkest days. 218 00:11:53,921 --> 00:11:57,656 John Wilkes Booth had shot President Lincoln 219 00:11:57,692 --> 00:12:00,592 at point blank range inside Ford's Theatre 220 00:12:00,628 --> 00:12:04,129 and then charged into the back alley where his horse was waiting 221 00:12:04,131 --> 00:12:06,866 and rode unfollowed into the Washington night. 222 00:12:13,107 --> 00:12:15,273 The wounded president was moved across the street 223 00:12:15,309 --> 00:12:17,876 to the Peterson house. 224 00:12:17,945 --> 00:12:20,679 As a vigil formed around Lincoln, 225 00:12:20,748 --> 00:12:23,948 Secretary of War, Edwin Stanton, 226 00:12:23,985 --> 00:12:26,418 immediately launched a manhunt. 227 00:12:26,487 --> 00:12:29,288 He knew they were looking for the famous American 228 00:12:29,423 --> 00:12:31,757 stage actor, John Wilkes Booth, 229 00:12:31,759 --> 00:12:35,561 but Booth's whereabouts were as much of a mystery 230 00:12:35,696 --> 00:12:37,763 as his motives. 231 00:12:37,765 --> 00:12:41,099 Secretary Stanton acted fast, 232 00:12:41,168 --> 00:12:43,301 closing the perimeter of the city 233 00:12:43,337 --> 00:12:45,304 and triggering what is considered today to be 234 00:12:45,439 --> 00:12:47,840 the largest manhunt in American history. 235 00:12:47,975 --> 00:12:49,975 Even though Stanton acted quickly, 236 00:12:50,011 --> 00:12:52,911 it still took several hours to lock down the D.C. perimeter, 237 00:12:52,947 --> 00:12:56,382 and by that time, Booth was long gone. 238 00:12:59,587 --> 00:13:01,653 To try and get a better understanding 239 00:13:01,656 --> 00:13:03,922 of what Booth's life was like on the run, 240 00:13:03,991 --> 00:13:06,125 I'm following in his footsteps. 241 00:13:08,829 --> 00:13:10,996 Booth had a multi-step plan in place 242 00:13:11,065 --> 00:13:13,732 to get from Ford's Theatre to freedom. 243 00:13:13,867 --> 00:13:16,135 What we know is his first stop 244 00:13:16,270 --> 00:13:18,938 was 13 miles from the crime scene, 245 00:13:19,073 --> 00:13:21,406 but why there? 246 00:13:21,475 --> 00:13:23,408 Booth's escape route would lead him right here 247 00:13:23,477 --> 00:13:25,544 to a tavern called Surratt House 248 00:13:25,613 --> 00:13:28,213 in what is today Clinton, Maryland. 249 00:13:30,217 --> 00:13:32,151 The Surratt House was a clandestine 250 00:13:32,286 --> 00:13:34,486 Confederate hideaway. 251 00:13:34,488 --> 00:13:36,154 Hey, how you doin'? 252 00:13:36,190 --> 00:13:40,092 Historian Michael Kauffman is a foremost expert on Booth. 253 00:13:42,296 --> 00:13:44,830 The first thing he reveals is that when Booth arrived, 254 00:13:44,965 --> 00:13:47,232 he wasn't alone. 255 00:13:47,268 --> 00:13:49,234 On the way, Booth hooks up 256 00:13:49,270 --> 00:13:51,704 with a guy named David Herold. Okay. 257 00:13:51,706 --> 00:13:55,173 The two had met each other years earlier 258 00:13:55,242 --> 00:13:57,243 through the proprietors of the tavern, 259 00:13:57,378 --> 00:13:59,911 but more importantly, 260 00:13:59,947 --> 00:14:03,248 like Booth, Herold was a known staunch supporter 261 00:14:03,384 --> 00:14:05,217 of the Confederacy. 262 00:14:12,626 --> 00:14:15,327 And from then on, it's Booth and Herold 263 00:14:15,329 --> 00:14:17,329 throughout the escape. 264 00:14:17,331 --> 00:14:21,333 Booth had arranged for some guns to be hidden at this tavern. Okay. 265 00:14:21,335 --> 00:14:24,068 First thing he wanted to do was come out here and get them. 266 00:14:24,105 --> 00:14:26,337 And they stay here how long? 267 00:14:26,374 --> 00:14:28,473 Well, they only stay a few minutes. 268 00:14:28,509 --> 00:14:31,743 Booth stays on his horse outside the door. 269 00:14:31,746 --> 00:14:35,014 David Herold knocks on the door and gets the guns. 270 00:14:35,149 --> 00:14:37,616 He's in a hurry. 271 00:14:37,618 --> 00:14:39,818 He could be pursued by any number of people. 272 00:14:43,491 --> 00:14:45,424 With guns in hand, 273 00:14:45,559 --> 00:14:48,227 the first step of Booth's escape plan was a success. 274 00:14:48,362 --> 00:14:50,895 The next step was to flee South, 275 00:14:50,931 --> 00:14:53,765 but Booth had a problem-- he hadn't expected 276 00:14:53,768 --> 00:14:56,068 traveling with a broken leg. 277 00:14:58,139 --> 00:15:00,739 So instead of heading straight to the Southern border, 278 00:15:00,808 --> 00:15:03,375 Booth needed to find medical attention. 279 00:15:03,377 --> 00:15:06,644 Enter Dr. Samuel Mudd. 280 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:09,247 While circumstances are unclear, 281 00:15:09,316 --> 00:15:11,850 Booth had previously met the physician. 282 00:15:18,525 --> 00:15:20,525 Booth and Herold rode for four more hours 283 00:15:20,561 --> 00:15:22,661 to reach Mudd's house. 284 00:15:22,796 --> 00:15:24,863 That's Dr. Samuel Mudd's house. 285 00:15:24,932 --> 00:15:27,599 In addition to being a practicing doctor, 286 00:15:27,635 --> 00:15:30,202 Mudd was also a tobacco farmer 287 00:15:30,204 --> 00:15:32,604 and an ardent supporter of slavery. 288 00:15:32,673 --> 00:15:36,074 He believed that it was an institution ordained by God, 289 00:15:36,143 --> 00:15:38,877 and his business suffered greatly when the state 290 00:15:38,946 --> 00:15:41,346 of Maryland abolished the practice. 291 00:15:46,553 --> 00:15:48,520 Wow, just as it is. 292 00:15:50,157 --> 00:15:53,558 Dr. Mudd led Booth and Herold into his house. 293 00:15:53,627 --> 00:15:56,762 It's 4 o'clock in the morning 294 00:15:56,831 --> 00:15:58,964 on Saturday, April 15th, 295 00:15:59,099 --> 00:16:02,301 about six hours after President Lincoln was shot. 296 00:16:02,436 --> 00:16:05,837 It's hard to imagine a time before the internet 297 00:16:05,906 --> 00:16:09,308 or 24-hour media, but in Lincoln's day, 298 00:16:09,310 --> 00:16:11,577 news only traveled so fast. 299 00:16:11,579 --> 00:16:13,712 The New York Times was only 14 years old. 300 00:16:13,781 --> 00:16:16,782 Outside of D.C., it would take days, 301 00:16:16,784 --> 00:16:19,784 in some cases more than a week, for news to reach 302 00:16:19,820 --> 00:16:22,054 about Abraham Lincoln. 303 00:16:22,189 --> 00:16:24,790 This would be an enormous advantage for Booth. 304 00:16:29,530 --> 00:16:31,529 But the question is, did the doctor know 305 00:16:31,565 --> 00:16:33,732 about the plan to kill Lincoln? 306 00:16:33,734 --> 00:16:35,667 Is Mudd part of this? I mean, this is 307 00:16:35,802 --> 00:16:37,669 the first thing you wonder-- are they talking like 308 00:16:37,804 --> 00:16:40,539 co-conspirators at this point? I don't think there is any 309 00:16:40,541 --> 00:16:43,408 single issue that is more contentious. 310 00:16:43,544 --> 00:16:47,412 He certainly didn't know when Booth showed up here. 311 00:16:47,548 --> 00:16:49,748 Word would not have gotten this far down. 312 00:16:49,750 --> 00:16:51,483 No, word didn't get here in the middle of the night. 313 00:16:51,552 --> 00:16:55,320 I mean, Mudd was probably in bed asleep when it happened in the first place. 314 00:17:00,761 --> 00:17:03,828 How much Mudd may have known is still unclear. 315 00:17:03,864 --> 00:17:06,431 But what we do know is that the doctor treated 316 00:17:06,500 --> 00:17:09,300 the ailing Booth. They came upstairs, 317 00:17:09,336 --> 00:17:11,970 and John Wilkes Booth lay down on a bed, 318 00:17:12,006 --> 00:17:14,539 and then Dr. Mudd makes up a splint 319 00:17:14,575 --> 00:17:18,143 and immobilizes the fracture. Okay. 320 00:17:20,815 --> 00:17:22,781 While Booth was being tended to, 321 00:17:22,916 --> 00:17:25,049 a major new development took place 322 00:17:25,085 --> 00:17:27,385 that changed everything. 323 00:17:27,454 --> 00:17:29,855 At 7:22 a.m. 324 00:17:29,990 --> 00:17:32,991 that same morning, back in the nation's capital, 325 00:17:33,060 --> 00:17:37,129 President Abraham Lincoln was pronounced dead. 326 00:17:46,941 --> 00:17:49,874 Booth was no longer just a wanted fugitive. 327 00:17:49,910 --> 00:17:52,144 He was now an assassin. 328 00:17:54,815 --> 00:17:57,149 With his leg set, Booth was back on the run, 329 00:17:57,151 --> 00:17:59,685 but where was he headed? 330 00:17:59,687 --> 00:18:02,287 That was the question the U.S. cavalry 331 00:18:02,323 --> 00:18:05,290 was trying to answer. 332 00:18:05,392 --> 00:18:07,893 They already interrogated patrons of the Surratt House 333 00:18:08,028 --> 00:18:10,428 and learned that he was there just hours before 334 00:18:10,464 --> 00:18:12,830 on the evening of April 14th. 335 00:18:12,866 --> 00:18:16,034 And through other key witness interviews, 336 00:18:16,169 --> 00:18:19,971 authorities uncovered Booth's fanaticism for the Confederacy. 337 00:18:20,040 --> 00:18:23,675 This gave them a clue as to where he might have gone. 338 00:18:28,382 --> 00:18:31,316 Armed with this information, the cavalry figured 339 00:18:31,318 --> 00:18:33,986 he would head south to the Potomac River, 340 00:18:33,988 --> 00:18:35,921 where he could cross into Virginia, 341 00:18:36,056 --> 00:18:38,190 the home of the Confederacy. 342 00:18:38,325 --> 00:18:40,926 The U.S. Army assumed 343 00:18:40,928 --> 00:18:43,462 Booth and Herold would take one of these regular routes, 344 00:18:43,464 --> 00:18:45,631 and they blocked all of those off. 345 00:18:49,136 --> 00:18:52,204 And they were right. Booth was headed south. 346 00:18:52,339 --> 00:18:54,773 But Booth and Herold were a step ahead. 347 00:18:54,875 --> 00:18:57,476 The two men rode 20 miles 348 00:18:57,478 --> 00:18:59,744 to a thicket near the Potomac River, 349 00:18:59,813 --> 00:19:02,481 where they received assistance from like-minded sympathizers, 350 00:19:02,616 --> 00:19:06,418 part of a vast network called the Confederate Underground. 351 00:19:06,487 --> 00:19:10,221 So he's getting delivered by the Confederate Underground 352 00:19:10,257 --> 00:19:13,358 through different hiding places they've been using for years. 353 00:19:13,427 --> 00:19:15,160 Well, that's right. 354 00:19:15,295 --> 00:19:17,563 The Confederate Underground harbored fugitives, 355 00:19:17,698 --> 00:19:20,298 spied on the Union, and funneled money 356 00:19:20,367 --> 00:19:22,968 into pro-Confederate causes. 357 00:19:22,970 --> 00:19:25,103 They get here about 5 o'clock in the morning 358 00:19:25,172 --> 00:19:27,873 on Easter Sunday, April 16th. 359 00:19:27,975 --> 00:19:30,642 Their plan was to ditch their horses, lay low, 360 00:19:30,777 --> 00:19:33,445 and wait for the Federal troops to pass them by, 361 00:19:33,580 --> 00:19:37,616 and for the next five days, that's exactly what they did. 362 00:19:40,120 --> 00:19:43,522 And sure enough, the cavalry arrived, 363 00:19:43,524 --> 00:19:46,792 but they stayed on the main road and never entered the woods, 364 00:19:46,927 --> 00:19:49,861 not realizing that the assassin they were hunting 365 00:19:49,897 --> 00:19:52,464 was only 200 yards away. 366 00:19:52,466 --> 00:19:54,399 And here they sit, day after day. 367 00:19:54,534 --> 00:19:56,667 They can even hear the cavalry, they can hear the neighing 368 00:19:56,704 --> 00:19:59,137 of the horses, every little snap. Wow. 369 00:19:59,139 --> 00:20:01,806 And they gotta get out. 370 00:20:01,875 --> 00:20:04,209 After laying low for as long as they could, 371 00:20:04,211 --> 00:20:07,946 Booth and Herold decided to go for the final leg of their escape. 372 00:20:07,948 --> 00:20:10,548 Where are we? 373 00:20:10,584 --> 00:20:13,351 Well, we're at a small, unnamed creek 374 00:20:13,387 --> 00:20:16,421 that feeds into the Potomac River. Okay. 375 00:20:16,457 --> 00:20:19,691 And it's about two miles from the pine thicket. 376 00:20:19,693 --> 00:20:23,695 The man who kept Booth and Herold in the thicket, 377 00:20:23,697 --> 00:20:25,830 he owned a little rowboat. 378 00:20:25,899 --> 00:20:28,400 This is right where the boat was hidden. 379 00:20:30,471 --> 00:20:32,504 Booth and Herold's only option 380 00:20:32,506 --> 00:20:35,107 is to cross the powerful currents of the Potomac River. 381 00:20:35,242 --> 00:20:39,044 This is the boundary between freedom and execution. 382 00:20:49,156 --> 00:20:51,122 On April 23rd, 383 00:20:51,158 --> 00:20:53,258 seven days after arriving in the thicket, 384 00:20:53,393 --> 00:20:57,362 Booth and Herold crossed the river to the shores of Virginia. 385 00:21:02,136 --> 00:21:04,803 But by the time they arrived, the news of Lincoln's 386 00:21:04,805 --> 00:21:07,005 assassination had already spread, 387 00:21:07,140 --> 00:21:09,474 and the reaction from the Southerners 388 00:21:09,476 --> 00:21:11,143 wasn't what they'd expected. 389 00:21:15,816 --> 00:21:18,150 Booth assumed he would be greeted as a hero 390 00:21:18,152 --> 00:21:20,351 for murdering Lincoln, but instead, 391 00:21:20,387 --> 00:21:22,753 he was a pariah. 392 00:21:22,790 --> 00:21:25,089 Killing the president in the name of the South 393 00:21:25,159 --> 00:21:29,060 was a reprehensible act and sickened the people of the Confederacy. 394 00:21:31,498 --> 00:21:33,297 Now on their shores, 395 00:21:33,333 --> 00:21:36,301 Booth's presence would only bring trouble. 396 00:21:36,370 --> 00:21:39,504 Everybody he talked to couldn't wait to get rid of him. 397 00:21:39,506 --> 00:21:42,540 They'd unload him on some neighbor somewhere. Yeah. 398 00:21:42,543 --> 00:21:44,576 For the cavalry, the pressure was on 399 00:21:44,645 --> 00:21:47,579 to catch the assassin-- as they raided the area, 400 00:21:47,714 --> 00:21:51,383 Booth tried a different tactic, assuming an alias. 401 00:21:51,385 --> 00:21:54,385 This time, his plea for help worked. 402 00:21:54,421 --> 00:21:57,455 And he ended up here at the home of Richard Garrett. 403 00:22:01,862 --> 00:22:04,195 Garrett was always willing to help someone in need. 404 00:22:04,264 --> 00:22:07,499 He put the men up in his barn. 405 00:22:09,636 --> 00:22:12,537 On the evening of April 26, 1865, 406 00:22:12,573 --> 00:22:15,006 the cavalry arrived at his doorstep. 407 00:22:15,075 --> 00:22:18,009 And they surround the house in the middle of the night. 408 00:22:18,144 --> 00:22:21,413 The Garretts come out and say, "They're over there in the barn." 409 00:22:21,415 --> 00:22:24,749 The cavalry was under strict orders to take 410 00:22:24,818 --> 00:22:27,419 Booth alive so he could be questioned. 411 00:22:27,421 --> 00:22:29,487 Herold surrenders right away. 412 00:22:29,523 --> 00:22:31,756 Booth refuses to come out. 413 00:22:31,792 --> 00:22:34,492 One of the detectives just said, "Enough of this." 414 00:22:34,495 --> 00:22:37,295 And he sets fire to the barn. 415 00:22:37,297 --> 00:22:39,831 The plan was to smoke Booth out. 416 00:22:39,833 --> 00:22:42,901 One of the soldiers saw Booth spin around 417 00:22:42,903 --> 00:22:45,303 like he's going to make for the door, 418 00:22:45,305 --> 00:22:47,438 so he fired at Booth, 419 00:22:47,508 --> 00:22:49,841 and the bullet went right through his neck 420 00:22:49,843 --> 00:22:52,110 and out the other side. 421 00:22:52,112 --> 00:22:55,180 He collapsed, and he suffocated to death. 422 00:22:55,182 --> 00:22:57,515 Believing in his cause until the end, 423 00:22:57,651 --> 00:23:00,184 Booth uttered the words, 424 00:23:00,220 --> 00:23:02,821 "Tell my mother I died for my country." 425 00:23:06,059 --> 00:23:08,860 Twelve days after Lincoln's assassination, 426 00:23:08,995 --> 00:23:11,296 John Wilkes Booth lay dead. 427 00:23:13,200 --> 00:23:15,533 The story might have ended there, 428 00:23:15,569 --> 00:23:18,069 but in reality, it was just the beginning. 429 00:23:18,205 --> 00:23:20,338 Secretary Stanton had caught his man 430 00:23:20,374 --> 00:23:23,141 and avenged Lincoln's death just 12 days after 431 00:23:23,276 --> 00:23:25,877 that fateful night at Ford's Theatre. 432 00:23:25,946 --> 00:23:28,680 But with Booth dead, was the United States 433 00:23:28,682 --> 00:23:30,882 still in danger? 434 00:23:31,017 --> 00:23:33,117 Was Booth a lone wolf? 435 00:23:33,153 --> 00:23:36,321 Or was there a deeper conspiracy behind Lincoln's killing? 436 00:23:46,326 --> 00:23:49,459 On April 14, 1865, 437 00:23:49,495 --> 00:23:52,196 Abraham Lincoln was the first U.S. president 438 00:23:52,265 --> 00:23:54,265 to be assassinated. 439 00:23:54,400 --> 00:23:57,535 Twelve days later, his assassin, John Wilkes Booth, 440 00:23:57,537 --> 00:24:00,137 was shot dead in nearby Virginia, 441 00:24:00,272 --> 00:24:03,641 but was Booth a lone wolf, or was there a deeper 442 00:24:03,743 --> 00:24:06,844 conspiracy behind the killing of President Lincoln? 443 00:24:12,218 --> 00:24:14,951 To fully understand the assassination of one of 444 00:24:14,988 --> 00:24:17,220 America's most cherished presidents, 445 00:24:17,257 --> 00:24:19,823 you have to account for the circumstances preceding it. 446 00:24:19,893 --> 00:24:23,761 So let's rewind to one year before Lincoln was killed. 447 00:24:23,896 --> 00:24:26,497 In the summer of 1864, 448 00:24:26,566 --> 00:24:29,633 even Abraham Lincoln thought his reelection was unlikely. 449 00:24:29,669 --> 00:24:32,103 The Civil War was raging on, 450 00:24:32,105 --> 00:24:35,439 a body count now soaring into the hundreds of thousands. 451 00:24:35,508 --> 00:24:38,776 The North was losing their faith in him, 452 00:24:38,845 --> 00:24:41,178 and the South's contempt for the president 453 00:24:41,180 --> 00:24:43,114 was unbridled, 454 00:24:43,249 --> 00:24:45,116 but on September 2nd, 455 00:24:45,251 --> 00:24:47,251 the tide seemed to shift overnight. 456 00:24:47,386 --> 00:24:50,921 General Sherman and the Union forces took Atlanta. 457 00:24:50,923 --> 00:24:54,725 His telegram to Lincoln-- "Atlanta is ours, fairly won." 458 00:25:00,199 --> 00:25:02,866 This win helped prove to the American people 459 00:25:02,902 --> 00:25:05,736 that Lincoln could finally end the war. 460 00:25:05,805 --> 00:25:08,406 Propelled by this victory, Lincoln was reelected 461 00:25:08,408 --> 00:25:10,674 on November 8th with a promise 462 00:25:10,743 --> 00:25:13,744 to end the bloodshed and reunite the country, 463 00:25:13,746 --> 00:25:17,682 none of which sat well with John Wilkes Booth. 464 00:25:19,686 --> 00:25:21,618 But here's the big question-- 465 00:25:21,688 --> 00:25:23,954 how and where did Booth conceive his plan? 466 00:25:24,090 --> 00:25:26,757 Had he always intended to kill the president? 467 00:25:26,892 --> 00:25:28,492 You must be Kate. Yes. 468 00:25:28,528 --> 00:25:30,361 And did he act alone? 469 00:25:30,496 --> 00:25:33,731 One person as the answers-- historian Kate Larson. 470 00:25:33,833 --> 00:25:37,568 What is now a Chinese restaurant 471 00:25:37,703 --> 00:25:41,172 was once a secret meeting spot for Confederate rebels and spies. 472 00:25:41,307 --> 00:25:44,575 This is Mary Surratt's boarding house. 473 00:25:44,577 --> 00:25:46,177 That's right--it was her boarding house. 474 00:25:48,514 --> 00:25:51,048 Surratt was a well-known area proprietor. 475 00:25:51,084 --> 00:25:54,585 You might remember her name as the owner of the tavern 476 00:25:54,587 --> 00:25:56,653 in Maryland where Booth stopped 477 00:25:56,689 --> 00:25:59,322 after he fled Ford's Theatre. 478 00:25:59,359 --> 00:26:02,126 Both of her establishments were considered safe havens 479 00:26:02,261 --> 00:26:04,795 for supporters of the South. 480 00:26:04,930 --> 00:26:07,131 John Wilkes Booth had become very close friends 481 00:26:07,200 --> 00:26:09,500 with Mary Surratt's son, John Surratt. 482 00:26:11,637 --> 00:26:13,871 He sought John's friendship 483 00:26:14,006 --> 00:26:16,407 precisely because John Surratt and his family were 484 00:26:16,542 --> 00:26:18,542 Confederate sympathizers. Oh, okay. 485 00:26:18,677 --> 00:26:20,945 John Wilkes Booth became much more passionate 486 00:26:21,080 --> 00:26:24,748 about the system of slavery and the social structure 487 00:26:24,817 --> 00:26:27,818 that went along with it. He really found that 488 00:26:27,820 --> 00:26:29,820 it was a system that should be preserved. 489 00:26:34,827 --> 00:26:38,295 Booth organized this co-conspirator crowd. 490 00:26:38,331 --> 00:26:41,165 The core members of Booth's group 491 00:26:41,167 --> 00:26:43,099 were Mary Surratt, 492 00:26:43,136 --> 00:26:45,435 George Atzerodt, 493 00:26:45,505 --> 00:26:49,039 and Lewis Paine, also known as Powell, 494 00:26:49,108 --> 00:26:51,709 a former Confederate soldier. 495 00:26:51,711 --> 00:26:54,511 It was pretty clear that the Union was going to win the war. 496 00:26:54,580 --> 00:26:57,848 But that didn't stop the group from trying to devise a plan 497 00:26:57,917 --> 00:27:01,384 to help tip the war back into the South's favor. 498 00:27:01,421 --> 00:27:04,255 There were a lot of Confederates in prisons, 499 00:27:04,257 --> 00:27:07,524 and Booth felt that if he could just liberate those prisoners, 500 00:27:07,560 --> 00:27:10,527 they would be rallied together to fight back Mmm. 501 00:27:10,596 --> 00:27:12,263 and win the war. 502 00:27:15,968 --> 00:27:18,469 The original plan was not to kill Lincoln 503 00:27:18,604 --> 00:27:20,804 but was equally complicated. 504 00:27:20,873 --> 00:27:23,941 John Wilkes Booth decided that he would kidnap 505 00:27:24,076 --> 00:27:27,744 Abraham Lincoln and carry him through southern Maryland, 506 00:27:27,814 --> 00:27:31,081 which was a friendly location, and bring him across 507 00:27:31,083 --> 00:27:33,750 the Potomac River into Virginia and ransom him 508 00:27:33,820 --> 00:27:37,420 for the liberation of Confederate prisoners. 509 00:27:37,457 --> 00:27:41,424 And two weeks after Lincoln's second inauguration, 510 00:27:41,461 --> 00:27:44,962 the group of conspirators got their opportunity. 511 00:27:45,031 --> 00:27:48,432 John Wilkes Booth hears that President Lincoln is going 512 00:27:48,434 --> 00:27:51,502 to the soldiers' home on the outskirts of Washington, D.C., 513 00:27:51,504 --> 00:27:54,438 so he plans to have the conspirators located 514 00:27:54,440 --> 00:27:57,241 along the road capture and kidnap Lincoln 515 00:27:57,243 --> 00:28:00,444 on his return, but what Booth did not know 516 00:28:00,513 --> 00:28:03,314 was that Lincoln decided to cancel the trip. 517 00:28:03,449 --> 00:28:07,050 So this whole conspiracy just collapses. It fell apart, 518 00:28:07,086 --> 00:28:10,287 and it drives Booth even further over the edge. Right. 519 00:28:13,993 --> 00:28:16,994 Within a month of Lincoln's second term inauguration, 520 00:28:17,063 --> 00:28:20,130 the city of Richmond, Virginia, fell to the Union. 521 00:28:20,266 --> 00:28:23,400 On April 9th, General Robert E. Lee 522 00:28:23,469 --> 00:28:25,803 surrendered at the Appomattox Courthouse, 523 00:28:25,872 --> 00:28:28,339 bringing an end to the Civil War, 524 00:28:28,341 --> 00:28:30,540 solidifying a victory for the Union, 525 00:28:30,576 --> 00:28:32,676 and putting a final nail in the coffin 526 00:28:32,811 --> 00:28:34,812 of the South's secession. 527 00:28:40,453 --> 00:28:42,419 But Booth wasn't done. 528 00:28:42,455 --> 00:28:45,755 In fact, his ambitions only grew. 529 00:28:45,791 --> 00:28:48,158 Further enraged by the South's surrender, 530 00:28:48,294 --> 00:28:50,160 Booth met with his co-conspirators 531 00:28:50,296 --> 00:28:53,030 and outlined a new plan that, if successful, 532 00:28:53,099 --> 00:28:55,533 would topple the U.S. Government. 533 00:28:59,038 --> 00:29:02,039 George Atzerodt would murder Vice President Andrew Johnson. 534 00:29:04,210 --> 00:29:06,443 Secretary of State William Henry Seward 535 00:29:06,579 --> 00:29:09,179 would be executed by Lewis Paine. 536 00:29:09,182 --> 00:29:12,683 And Booth would assassinate President Lincoln. 537 00:29:16,455 --> 00:29:18,922 On the night of April 14th, 538 00:29:19,024 --> 00:29:21,659 this second plot was put into action. 539 00:29:23,396 --> 00:29:25,629 The results would alter history forever. 540 00:29:37,070 --> 00:29:39,837 John Wilkes Booth and his co-conspirators 541 00:29:39,972 --> 00:29:42,707 wanted to bring down the United States government. 542 00:29:42,709 --> 00:29:45,776 To make it happen, they intended to murder 543 00:29:45,778 --> 00:29:48,245 Vice President Andrew Johnson, 544 00:29:48,281 --> 00:29:50,848 William Henry Seward, Lincoln's Secretary of State, 545 00:29:50,917 --> 00:29:53,451 and President Lincoln. 546 00:29:58,791 --> 00:30:01,192 On April 14, 1865, 547 00:30:01,327 --> 00:30:03,593 they executed their plan. 548 00:30:07,466 --> 00:30:09,734 While Booth is successful, Atzerodt backs out 549 00:30:09,869 --> 00:30:11,935 of killing Vice President Johnson, 550 00:30:12,005 --> 00:30:15,006 and Seward survives a brutal knife attack by Paine. 551 00:30:22,281 --> 00:30:24,148 Their attempt to topple the American Government 552 00:30:24,283 --> 00:30:26,483 that fateful night failed. 553 00:30:26,552 --> 00:30:29,954 After Booth's death, more information emerged, 554 00:30:30,023 --> 00:30:32,757 and details of the plots came to light. 555 00:30:32,759 --> 00:30:35,392 Eight people were brought to trial for treason, 556 00:30:35,428 --> 00:30:37,494 including Dr. Samuel Mudd, 557 00:30:37,530 --> 00:30:39,563 Mary Surratt, 558 00:30:39,632 --> 00:30:42,099 and David Herold. 559 00:30:42,168 --> 00:30:44,568 This is rarely seen, but this is 560 00:30:44,604 --> 00:30:46,837 the courtroom where the trial took place. 561 00:30:46,873 --> 00:30:50,174 In an unusual move, the Attorney General stated 562 00:30:50,309 --> 00:30:53,310 that the assassination of Lincoln was an act of war, 563 00:30:53,379 --> 00:30:57,181 so the civilian conspirators would have a military trial. 564 00:30:57,183 --> 00:31:00,117 The assassination happens on April 14th. 565 00:31:00,119 --> 00:31:02,787 When does the trial begin? Uh, May 10th. 566 00:31:02,789 --> 00:31:04,655 The trial ends June 29th. 567 00:31:04,724 --> 00:31:06,991 The testimony presented was powerful. 568 00:31:07,126 --> 00:31:10,661 Atzerodt and Paine both confessed to parts of the assassination plan. 569 00:31:10,730 --> 00:31:14,265 Their statements combined with other witness accounts 570 00:31:14,267 --> 00:31:15,866 were damning. 571 00:31:15,868 --> 00:31:18,669 They determined by vote that all of them are guilty. 572 00:31:18,738 --> 00:31:21,739 Four of them will go to prison, 573 00:31:21,741 --> 00:31:24,141 and four of them will hang. 574 00:31:31,284 --> 00:31:34,018 On July 7th at 1:22 in the afternoon, 575 00:31:34,020 --> 00:31:37,421 they hang the four conspirators in this yard. Wow. 576 00:31:37,556 --> 00:31:40,491 Mary Surratt, the first woman to be executed 577 00:31:40,626 --> 00:31:43,093 by the Federal government, along with Lewis Paine, 578 00:31:43,162 --> 00:31:45,496 George Atzerodt, and David Herold, 579 00:31:45,565 --> 00:31:48,565 all paid for their crime with their lives. 580 00:31:48,634 --> 00:31:51,968 The trial of Booth's conspirators concluded 581 00:31:52,005 --> 00:31:54,905 down here on what is today a set of tennis courts, 582 00:31:54,941 --> 00:31:57,875 where the gallows stood, and they were hung on this spot. 583 00:32:00,279 --> 00:32:03,046 Everyone from the group was now dead... 584 00:32:03,082 --> 00:32:06,050 ...or were they? 585 00:32:06,052 --> 00:32:09,186 Is it possible that the man killed by a single bullet 586 00:32:09,222 --> 00:32:12,623 that night at Garrett Farm wasn't John Wilkes Booth? 587 00:32:22,035 --> 00:32:24,335 Hey, Nate. How you doin'? Hi, Don. Nice to see you. 588 00:32:24,337 --> 00:32:25,669 Thanks for meeting me. 589 00:32:25,672 --> 00:32:27,872 I'm meeting historian, Nate Orlowek, 590 00:32:28,007 --> 00:32:31,542 who believes that Booth's story has a very different ending 591 00:32:31,611 --> 00:32:33,711 than the one in the history books. 592 00:32:36,015 --> 00:32:39,349 So the alternative theory about this world-famous 593 00:32:39,385 --> 00:32:40,951 incident is what? 594 00:32:41,086 --> 00:32:44,421 That John Wilkes Booth was not the man killed in Garrett's barn. 595 00:32:44,457 --> 00:32:47,825 That he escaped, 596 00:32:47,894 --> 00:32:50,694 and that he lived for another 38 years 597 00:32:50,830 --> 00:32:54,698 under many different aliases in many different places 598 00:32:54,834 --> 00:32:58,702 and died on January 13, 1903, in Enid, Oklahoma Territory. 599 00:32:58,838 --> 00:33:00,904 No kidding. 600 00:33:00,973 --> 00:33:03,641 And this just blows everything out of the water. 601 00:33:03,776 --> 00:33:06,977 According to Orlowek, this theory has been around 602 00:33:07,113 --> 00:33:10,381 since the 1870s and was first brought to light 603 00:33:10,383 --> 00:33:12,783 by a man named Finis Bates, 604 00:33:12,852 --> 00:33:15,452 who wrote a book about his experience. 605 00:33:15,455 --> 00:33:19,323 Finis Bates was a young attorney in the small town 606 00:33:19,392 --> 00:33:21,925 of Granbury, Texas, in the 1870s, 607 00:33:21,961 --> 00:33:24,462 and he was friendly with a man 608 00:33:24,597 --> 00:33:26,597 who called himself John St. Helen. 609 00:33:30,603 --> 00:33:32,870 And John St. Helen... 610 00:33:33,005 --> 00:33:35,405 got very ill one night 611 00:33:35,441 --> 00:33:37,674 and thought he was about to die, 612 00:33:37,710 --> 00:33:40,343 and he called Bates to his bedside, 613 00:33:40,379 --> 00:33:42,746 he said, "I want to tell you who I really am. 614 00:33:42,782 --> 00:33:45,916 Huh. I'm really John Wilkes Booth." 615 00:33:49,021 --> 00:33:52,355 It turns out that St. Helen recuperated, recovered, 616 00:33:52,391 --> 00:33:54,625 and a couple weeks later, he went to Bates, 617 00:33:54,760 --> 00:33:56,627 and he said, "I want to tell you the full story." 618 00:33:59,432 --> 00:34:02,232 He gave him a detailed account of what happened 619 00:34:02,268 --> 00:34:05,835 leading up to the assassination of President Lincoln. Fascinating. 620 00:34:05,872 --> 00:34:08,372 One of the things he told him about was that the original plan 621 00:34:08,507 --> 00:34:10,841 was to kidnap President Lincoln. 622 00:34:10,843 --> 00:34:13,777 Now, this was not known till 1935 623 00:34:13,779 --> 00:34:16,313 when the United States Government finally released 624 00:34:16,382 --> 00:34:18,782 the documents that they had. 625 00:34:18,818 --> 00:34:21,185 The knowledge of classified information about 626 00:34:21,320 --> 00:34:23,587 the proposed kidnapping of Lincoln 627 00:34:23,623 --> 00:34:25,589 was not the only bombshell-- 628 00:34:25,625 --> 00:34:29,593 St. Helen revealed a darker plot than anyone could've imagined. 629 00:34:29,629 --> 00:34:32,329 He told Bates that the man who was really behind 630 00:34:32,331 --> 00:34:35,466 the conspiracy was Vice President Andrew Johnson. 631 00:34:35,601 --> 00:34:36,933 Wow. 632 00:34:36,969 --> 00:34:40,070 Could Vice President Andrew Johnson really 633 00:34:40,072 --> 00:34:43,874 be the architect of the greatest conspiracy in United States history, 634 00:34:44,009 --> 00:34:47,344 and why would he want President Lincoln dead? 635 00:34:56,188 --> 00:34:59,823 Historian, Nate Orlowek, and I are exploring a theory 636 00:34:59,892 --> 00:35:02,759 that Vice President Andrew Johnson was 637 00:35:02,828 --> 00:35:06,263 the mastermind behind the assassination of President Lincoln. 638 00:35:09,101 --> 00:35:11,501 The fact that Johnson was the only one not harmed 639 00:35:11,537 --> 00:35:14,438 in Booth's plan adds credence to the theory. 640 00:35:14,573 --> 00:35:17,041 Lincoln never liked him-- Andrew Johnson showed up 641 00:35:17,043 --> 00:35:19,176 drunk at his own inaugural. Mmhm. 642 00:35:19,245 --> 00:35:22,046 President Lincoln did not allow him to go to cabinet meetings. 643 00:35:22,181 --> 00:35:25,315 The two men disagreed on how to handle the South. 644 00:35:25,351 --> 00:35:28,385 Johnson didn't like that Lincoln wanted to heal 645 00:35:28,454 --> 00:35:30,988 the wounds by simply allowing the Confederacy 646 00:35:31,123 --> 00:35:33,057 back into the Union. 647 00:35:33,059 --> 00:35:35,125 He wanted punitive reconstruction, 648 00:35:35,260 --> 00:35:37,561 and according to Bates, Booth said Johnson 649 00:35:37,663 --> 00:35:40,064 would stop at nothing to obtain it. 650 00:35:40,199 --> 00:35:42,532 Booth told Bates 651 00:35:42,602 --> 00:35:44,868 Johnson said to him, 652 00:35:44,904 --> 00:35:47,304 "You now have to shoot the president." 653 00:35:53,179 --> 00:35:56,013 So this is all very convincing, Nate, but there's also 654 00:35:56,082 --> 00:35:58,815 a lot of convincing evidence on the opposite side. 655 00:35:58,884 --> 00:36:01,418 Okay? I mean, there were pictures taken, 656 00:36:01,553 --> 00:36:03,553 there was an autopsy done. 657 00:36:03,589 --> 00:36:05,956 According to Alexander Gardner, a very famous photographer, 658 00:36:06,091 --> 00:36:08,659 he took one picture-- this is in the document 659 00:36:08,661 --> 00:36:10,760 in the National Archives-- he took one picture 660 00:36:10,796 --> 00:36:12,963 and handed it in to be developed, 661 00:36:13,032 --> 00:36:15,632 and it never saw the light of day. Really? 662 00:36:15,635 --> 00:36:18,302 But what about the autopsy report that is also 663 00:36:18,304 --> 00:36:20,304 in the National Archives? 664 00:36:20,373 --> 00:36:23,640 A doctor who knew Booth performed the post mortem. 665 00:36:23,643 --> 00:36:26,176 The very first sentence he said, 666 00:36:26,245 --> 00:36:28,979 "There is no resemblance of this body to that of 667 00:36:29,048 --> 00:36:31,648 John Wilkes Booth, and I do not believe it to be he." 668 00:36:31,650 --> 00:36:35,519 He goes on to say that the body had a broken right leg. Okay. 669 00:36:35,588 --> 00:36:38,756 We know today, by all accounts, that Booth broke his left leg. 670 00:36:42,061 --> 00:36:44,194 But the story doesn't end there. 671 00:36:44,196 --> 00:36:47,397 When John St. Helen passed away, Bates was notified. 672 00:36:47,466 --> 00:36:50,200 So Bates came from Memphis and identified him, 673 00:36:50,202 --> 00:36:53,937 and because he wanted to some day be able to prove 674 00:36:53,940 --> 00:36:57,875 that this was John Wilkes Booth, he mummified the body. I see. 675 00:37:00,412 --> 00:37:04,414 In 1931, six physicians examine the mummy. 676 00:37:04,450 --> 00:37:08,418 I interviewed one of the doctors. 677 00:37:08,454 --> 00:37:10,888 This is a sworn statement. 678 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:16,893 Upon their examination, the doctors outlined 679 00:37:16,962 --> 00:37:19,463 some very specific characteristics. 680 00:37:22,101 --> 00:37:24,201 A scar on the right eyebrow. 681 00:37:26,305 --> 00:37:28,505 A deformed right thumb. 682 00:37:28,507 --> 00:37:31,708 And damage to the left ankle. 683 00:37:31,711 --> 00:37:34,311 There was seen to be an apparent slight thickening 684 00:37:34,446 --> 00:37:36,246 over the outside of the left ankle. 685 00:37:36,348 --> 00:37:37,981 Which would've been the broken leg. Exactly. 686 00:37:38,050 --> 00:37:39,382 Huh. Exactly. 687 00:37:39,418 --> 00:37:41,985 John Wilkes Booth today we know had all three of those marks, 688 00:37:41,988 --> 00:37:45,455 and all three of those marks are on the man 689 00:37:45,458 --> 00:37:47,257 who said he was John St. Helen. 690 00:37:50,596 --> 00:37:52,762 There's an easy way to figure this out now. 691 00:37:52,898 --> 00:37:54,597 There's modern technology. 692 00:37:54,633 --> 00:37:57,000 You can exhume the body, which is in Baltimore, 693 00:37:57,036 --> 00:37:59,203 and test the DNA. 694 00:37:59,205 --> 00:38:01,471 Well, back in the '90s, 695 00:38:01,474 --> 00:38:05,075 the Booth family became convinced that we were probably right. 696 00:38:05,144 --> 00:38:09,079 They partnered with us to try to do medical tests 697 00:38:09,181 --> 00:38:12,282 to prove or to disprove whatever the truth is, 698 00:38:12,284 --> 00:38:15,352 and it was all set to be done. 699 00:38:15,421 --> 00:38:17,754 The president of the cemetery board blocked 700 00:38:17,823 --> 00:38:20,423 the exhumation, stating that only the person 701 00:38:20,493 --> 00:38:23,360 who bought the plot could authorization such an action. 702 00:38:23,429 --> 00:38:26,830 That person was John Wilkes Booth's mother. 703 00:38:26,899 --> 00:38:29,566 She passed away in 1885. 704 00:38:29,602 --> 00:38:32,169 A court upheld the decision. 705 00:38:35,875 --> 00:38:38,508 The Booth family has offered DNA tests. 706 00:38:38,544 --> 00:38:40,777 They were hoping to compare Booth's DNA 707 00:38:40,813 --> 00:38:42,846 to his brother, Edwin's. 708 00:38:42,915 --> 00:38:45,515 But the authorities responsible for protecting this critical 709 00:38:45,518 --> 00:38:47,850 piece of American history won't allow the body 710 00:38:47,887 --> 00:38:50,453 to be exhumed-- any tampering, they say, 711 00:38:50,523 --> 00:38:52,923 could destroy Booth's remains. 712 00:38:53,058 --> 00:38:55,725 Without more substantial claims, 713 00:38:55,761 --> 00:38:58,795 there's great reluctance to disrupt the grave 714 00:38:58,831 --> 00:39:01,532 of one of the nation's most notorious killers. 715 00:39:06,172 --> 00:39:08,805 One of the major contributing factors to Lincoln's death 716 00:39:08,841 --> 00:39:11,808 was Booth's easy access to the president. 717 00:39:11,810 --> 00:39:14,477 How has this changed today? 718 00:39:14,547 --> 00:39:17,747 And would Lincoln have survived 719 00:39:17,783 --> 00:39:20,149 if different security measures were in place? 720 00:39:20,185 --> 00:39:21,484 Down! Police, get back! 721 00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:23,186 Get back! 722 00:39:33,365 --> 00:39:36,032 In today's security climate, it seems ridiculous 723 00:39:36,068 --> 00:39:38,768 to even imagine kidnapping a U.S. president, 724 00:39:38,838 --> 00:39:41,705 but in Lincoln's day, it was actually quite feasible. 725 00:39:41,774 --> 00:39:44,708 Lincoln was often unattended with little or no security 726 00:39:44,843 --> 00:39:47,911 and came and went as he pleased without fanfare. 727 00:39:48,046 --> 00:39:50,314 This, of course, would never happen today, 728 00:39:50,449 --> 00:39:52,448 which begs the question, 729 00:39:52,484 --> 00:39:55,385 where was the Secret Service when Abraham Lincoln was shot? 730 00:39:55,421 --> 00:39:59,256 In an ironic twist of fate, the Secret Service 731 00:39:59,391 --> 00:40:03,393 was not formed until 1865, the year of Lincoln's death. 732 00:40:03,528 --> 00:40:07,397 Orders to approve this new agency were awaiting signature 733 00:40:07,433 --> 00:40:10,400 on his desk when he was assassinated. 734 00:40:10,469 --> 00:40:13,603 Still, the Secret Service would not have protected Lincoln 735 00:40:13,672 --> 00:40:15,605 from John Wilkes Booth. 736 00:40:15,674 --> 00:40:18,341 The organization as originally founded as an investigative 737 00:40:18,377 --> 00:40:20,477 unit to combat counterfeiting. 738 00:40:20,612 --> 00:40:23,480 They didn't start protecting presidents until 1901, 739 00:40:23,482 --> 00:40:26,717 after the assassination of President William McKinley. 740 00:40:29,488 --> 00:40:32,289 We secured rare access to this training center 741 00:40:32,358 --> 00:40:34,691 not far from the nation's capital. 742 00:40:34,793 --> 00:40:36,159 Hello! How are you? 743 00:40:36,161 --> 00:40:39,096 My name's Bill Gleddy. Welcome to the Raleigh Training Center. 744 00:40:39,098 --> 00:40:42,633 Recruits spend 18 weeks here, learning and sharpening their skills. 745 00:40:42,768 --> 00:40:46,636 The maximum age to join is 37 years old. 746 00:40:46,672 --> 00:40:48,972 What's the criteria that you're looking for 747 00:40:48,974 --> 00:40:50,774 as far as these recruits go? 748 00:40:50,909 --> 00:40:52,842 Out of a point score of 100, they need to get 749 00:40:52,911 --> 00:40:54,844 at least 80 percent on the pass rates. 750 00:40:54,913 --> 00:40:57,180 That's hard to do. Yes, that is a very high standard. 751 00:40:57,216 --> 00:40:59,649 Down! Police! 752 00:40:59,652 --> 00:41:01,718 The training here is highly specialized. 753 00:41:01,853 --> 00:41:04,854 It's as much about mental acuity as it is prowess. 754 00:41:04,924 --> 00:41:08,458 Press the trigger. 755 00:41:08,527 --> 00:41:09,926 Fire again. 756 00:41:09,995 --> 00:41:12,261 While the presence of the Secret Service does not 757 00:41:12,298 --> 00:41:15,331 prevent assassination attempts on our leaders' lives, 758 00:41:15,367 --> 00:41:17,333 they have saved several. 759 00:41:17,369 --> 00:41:20,270 Since the agency started actively protecting presidents, 760 00:41:20,405 --> 00:41:23,406 13 have survived assassination attempts, 761 00:41:23,475 --> 00:41:26,209 and one, John F. Kennedy, died. 762 00:41:26,278 --> 00:41:30,414 Once can only imagine that if Lincoln had been surrounded 763 00:41:30,549 --> 00:41:33,016 by men and women who were this well trained, 764 00:41:33,085 --> 00:41:36,286 perhaps Booth may never have gained access to the president. 765 00:41:42,928 --> 00:41:45,228 Abraham Lincoln's life came to a tragic end 766 00:41:45,364 --> 00:41:48,231 that night at the Ford's Theatre. 767 00:41:48,233 --> 00:41:52,102 Lincoln was only 56 years old when he was murdered 768 00:41:52,171 --> 00:41:55,038 for his ideology, but his short life 769 00:41:55,040 --> 00:41:57,641 left an indelible mark on the United States. 770 00:42:04,049 --> 00:42:05,982 It is because of his strong leadership 771 00:42:06,051 --> 00:42:09,118 and violent death he has been forever immortalized, 772 00:42:09,154 --> 00:42:12,856 but even more than 150 years since his murder, 773 00:42:12,991 --> 00:42:16,159 President Abraham Lincoln's words and principles 774 00:42:16,228 --> 00:42:19,329 still guide this country, providing inspiration 775 00:42:19,398 --> 00:42:21,431 and solace. 775 00:42:22,305 --> 00:43:22,267 Watch Online Movies and Series for FREE www.osdb.link/lm