Hannah Mary Tabbs Violent Behavior

The subject of the book “The Midnight Assassin” by Skip Hollandsworth is focused on uncovering the truth behind who is truly at fault for the murders of Mollie Smith and, several other victims. The murders occurred in Austin, Texas during the 19th century. Based on the first three chapters, three prominent characters have been introduced. All three characters are currently prime suspects. At the time, Austin was a prestigious town, equipped with the finest law enforcement made first hand by god himself, the Texas Rangers. When the young yellow skinned slave Mollie Smith was murdered, terror truly struck Austin. News reporters from all over Texas came to cover the story, thus creating conspiracies about each suspect. Evaluation of each suspect and their motives to perpetrate such a gruesome murder-Walter Spencer, a hardworking slave, who had never done any harm; Tom Chalmers, the brother of the land owner where the murder took place; Lastly, Dr. Ralph Steiner, the esteemed doctor.

Mary Surratt was the defendant among the executed that received a punishment far out weighing her role in the crime. Mary Surratt was convicted of conspiracy in the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. She was sentenced to death and became the first woman to be executed by the U.S. government. Mary Surratt was the mother of John Surratt who was a conspirator that helped John Wilkes Booth plan Lincoln’s kidnap and later, his assassination. With the help of Chasing Lincoln’s Killer, “Lincoln and the Writ of Liberty,” and the movie The Conspirator, it can be proven that Mary Surratt’s punishment was unjust. Mary Surratt received a punishment far worse than what she deserved because she was innocent, blamed for her son’s actions, and she did

These were the headlines of every newspaper, magazine and news channels. “A little black girl who kills some little white baby? Man, that kid was famous, face all over the news“ (Jackson 47). Mary endured investigation and interrogation from different detectives to find out the truth. She also had psychologists talk to her to try and understand what drove Mary to murder this innocent baby.

All the victims of Jack are truly unknown, but it is believed that he was only responsible for five of the killings that took place in the London area. There were other killings that happened around the same time as Jack’s, but these murders were dismissed as the work of “copy-cats” looking to share the spotlight with “The Ripper.” The five women that were accepted as the victims of “Jack the Ripper” were Mary Ann (Polly) Nichols, Annie Chapman, Elizabeth Stride, Catharine Eddowes, and Mary Jane (Marie Jeanette) Kelly. It is also presumed that Martha Tabram was a victim of Jack but the exact number is uncertain. Some sources say that he killed as few as four women while others say that he killed a minimum of nine and mostly likely killed several more. The first killing in this spree began on Tuesday, August 7, 1888 with the murder of Martha Tabram. Next came the slaying of Mary Ann Nichols on Friday, August 31, 1888, and that death was followed with the murder of Annie Chapman on Saturday, September 8, 1888. Then on Sunday, September 30, 1888 came the killings of Elizabeth Stride and Catharine Eddowes. It is uncertain whether or not the murder of Stride was

The 1947 murder of Elizabeth Short has remained one of Hollywood’s most notorious unsolved cases in Los Angeles history. The cold case has been passed down from detective to detective searching answers or any clues to help put the case to rest. The Black Dahlia was actually Elizabeth Short: a young, aspiring actress from a small town in Massachusetts.

As Mary Surratt walked up the steps of the gallows, knowing that the low hanging noose was about to take her life, she whispered to the soldier “don’t let me fall’. Moments later the thick rope instantly brought Surratt to her last breath. Mary was accused for being involved in the association of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln on April 15th, 1865. Mary Surratt deserved to be executed for holding her tongue during the assassination.

Whites often believed the myth that slaves did not care about their own children. Her parents were quoted about the selling of two children “a source of great anguish and continuing resentment by both parents.” Ever since her sisters were sold, Harriet lived with the fear that she would be sold and relocated, as well. When Sarah Bradford wrote Harriet Tubman’s autobiography, she recalled when Harriet described:

Most Americans know John Wilkes Booth as the assassin of Abraham Lincoln- shot at a play at Ford’s Theater on April 14th, 1865. However, the names of the conspirators that surrounded Wilkes Booth are relatively unknown, especially that of Mary Surratt. Mary Surratt, a mother and boardinghouse proprietor, was arrested and tried for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln along with her son, John Surratt. Pleas from her family, lawyer, and fellow conspirators did not allow her to escape her fate, and she was hanged for her crimes on July 7th, 1865. Even from the scaffold, Lewis Powell, another conspirator condemned to die, cried, “Mrs. Surratt is innocent. She doesn't deserve to die with the rest of us.” So who was this woman, and most

Mary Surratt was a part of Abraham Lincoln’s kidnapping plot. In Source one it states “Mary knew about the kidnaping part but not the plan to kill the Abraham Lincoln. Mary Surratt was guilty for trying to kidnap Abraham Lincoln. Source2 “Booth had originally wanted to kidnap the president.” Booth only wanted to kidnap Abraham Lincoln to give a little scare, but after a while he got the idea in his mind that he wanted to kill Abraham Lincoln. In Source 2 it states “But our cause being almost lost, something decisive

“From Chicago to Tulsa, to Omaha, East St. Louis, and many communities in between, and family to Rosewood, white mobs pursued what can only be described as a reign of terror against African Americans during the period from 1917 to 1923.” (Rosewood Report, 1995, Pg. 3) Lynching had become very common in the United States, although the number of lynching’s had declined from 64 in 1921 to 57 in 1922. Rosewood was known to some as basically a riot, or a war. I believe Rosewood was known to become a war because the African Americans in Rosewood didn’t want the whites to run them out of the only city they were raised in. So the African Americans refused to leave, and fought back. How would you react if someone tried to run you out of your home, or the city you were raised in? Would you leave? Or fight back? Some incidents that occurred in Rosewood report had to do with Fannie Coleman. She was a married woman with three children, who claimed she was raped and beat by a black male while no one was home. According to Fannie Taylor’s version of events, “A black male came on foot to my house that morning and knocked. When I opened the door the black male proceeded to assault me.” (Rosewood Report, 1995, Pg. 5) None of this was true. She was having a affair with a white man, who beat her, so she lied and made a scene to the community to cover her up. Little do she know how this petty lie will cause many African Americans to die.

During the latter 19th and early 20th centuries racism and racial segregation were considerable problems. Mob violence, including lynchings were responsible for the deaths of thousands of black men, women and children, often for crimes they had no part in or which were not even committed. Ida B. Wells-Barnett was born into slavery by James and Elizabeth Wells during the Civil War. She attended Rust College, which was partly founded by her father in Mississippi. After Wells’ parents died of yellow fever, she attained a teaching position at a local school by lying about her age. After some time teaching she moved to Memphis with two of her sisters, where she acquired another teaching position and continued her schooling at Fisk University. While her professional life was moderately successful, her personal life was dismal, however, “it is the very qualities that problematize her personal relationships… that will impel her to undertake… a courageous crusade against lynching” (DeCosta-Willis). Being a freed black woman in the south, Wells had firsthand knowledge of the segregation and racial tension of the time. This knowledge and her experiences gave her insights about the South that were crucial in her successful crusade against lynching and segregation.

April 15, 1865 has gone down as one of the darkest hours in U.S. history, when at Ford’s Theatre, President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. When we think of Abraham Lincoln being assassinated, we usually think of John Wilkes Booth or Ford’s Theatre. How many of us would think of Mary Surratt or her boarding house? Mary Surratt owned and operated a boardinghouse where it is believed that John Wilkes Booth and others planned to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln and other high ranking government officials. She was tried and executed. How were her actions seen during her time compared to how they are viewed today looking back at her actions?

14 year old Steven Truscott gave his classmate Lynne Harper a ride on his bicycle on June 9, 1959. Truscott had dropped her off before they parted ways. Lynne was reported missing later that night, and two days later, her body was found on a nearby farm. She was sexually assaulted and strangled to death. The community was horrified by what happened to this young girl and everyone was determined to find the killer. Immediately, investigators became fixated on Truscott as the prime suspect since he was the last person to see Lynne. They didn’t consider any other suspects, even though there was no physical evidence linking him to the murder. He was arrested 24 hours later, and stood trial as an adult. (Steven Truscott |

On January 1, 1923, In a very small black neighborhood called Rosewood. A rumor started that Fannie Taylor, a white female, had been sexually harassed by a black man in her house. She claimed that a black man had gotten into her house and assaulted her, but she had no obvious injuries other than her word that she was unconscious for a long time.

Margaret Garner and Sethe’s murder of their children happened very similarly, but the reaction and the aftermath differed. In 1856, Margaret Garner killed her youngest child, and went to trial as a result. The case garnered nationwide attention and inspired sympathy for the abolitionist cause. Despite the support, Garner struggles to process what she has done. She knows her child is dead, but she does not accept that she murdered her. She remarks to a journalist “you