The Unfair Execution of Mary Surratt Abraham Lincoln's assassination on April 14th, 1865, the attempted murder created turmoil throughout the United States. John Wilkes Booth, the killer and the ringleader of the assassination, was shot and killed by the US government later that evening. The government knew that Booth could not have planned the assassination himself, so they started to investigate his associates. Mary Surratt, a devout catholic, devoted mother, and southern sympathizer, was arrested at her boarding house in Washington DC on April 17th. She was later charged and hanged for having concealed, entertained, harbored, aided, and assisted John Wilkes Booth, John H. Surratt and their confederates. There are many opinions about whether …show more content…
Archibald, Mary’s father, died when she was two years old. Mary attended a small catholic school in Alexandria Virginia called The Academy for Young Ladies. The school left a great impact on Mary and she remained a devout catholic and southern sympathizer. At the age of seventeen, she married John Harrison Surratt; they settled on land John had inherited from his family in Neales, Maryland. They had a very unhealthy relationship from early on; they both had different religious views and John became an abusive alcoholic. Mary and John had three children, Elizabeth, Anna, and John Junior Surratt. Both Anna and John played very key roles throughout Mary’s trial and …show more content…
Her cell was sparse, yet she was able to maintain her catholic beliefs throughout her entire trial. Her Military trial began May, 9th and she was tried alongside, Harold, Paine, Adzerodt, Michael Olaughlen, Edman Spangler, Samuel Mudd, and Samurl Arnold. Frederick Aiken and Thomas Clampitt, Marys lawyers, were very inexperienced and both were affiliated with union ties. They were livid that she was being prosecuted under military commission. The war had ended five days earlier; therefore she should have been prosecuted in a civilian’s trial. There were two main witnesses for the prosecution whose testimony was what ultimately lead to Mary’s execution. The first, Lewis Weichmen, landlord to the Surratt family, said that three days before the assassination he accompanied Mary Surratt to tavern for business. Then on the day of the assassination, Wiechmann went with Mary to the tavern once more, where she gave a package to John Lloyd. After getting back to Washington that night, around nine o'clock Weichmann testified that Booth came to the boarding house and had another secret meeting Mary. He said that after the meeting her attitude changed and she became very nervous. The jury was very suspect when learning about Mary’s secrecy and it was starting to become much clearer that she had knowledge of the affairs to be taken place that night. Lloyd, the second
After that, the book speaks to how John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices planned and executed the assassination of President Lincoln. The book then details John Wilkes Booth and his perils of getting away to a place where he can seek refuge from the manhunt. Next, Andrew Johnson is sworn in and takes the office ofhte presidency as the seventeenth president. Booth continues running for twelve days following the assassination of President Lincoln. It was on the twelfth day that Booth was apprehended in a tobacco warehouse on Garrett Farm. After setting the barn containing John Wilkes Booth ablaze, a firefight ensued. Though the soldiers were ordered not to kill John Wilkes Booth, a corpral named Boston Cobrett shot and killed John Wilkes Booth, claiming that God has instructed him to do it. With the head of the conspiracy dead, there were still other people that were somehow involved with the plot to assassinate Lincoln, Mary Surratt, David Herald, George Atzerodt, and Lewis Powell faced trial on July 6, 1865, and were all four hanged on July 7,
Mary Warren’s behavior foreshadow about her testimony in court by giving Elizabeth a doll she made, “a popper,” which later leads to her arrest. They found a needle inside the doll, in the same spot Abigail was stabbed in. She seems to be manipulated by Abigail, due to the fact that she feared to have to testify against her in court. “She’ll kill me for sayin’ that! Abby’ll charge lechery on you, Mr. Proctor!” Mary kept saying over and over again that she cannot, which also indicates that she knows that Abigail will do something terrible to her.
Mary Surratt was a “forty-two-year-old Maryland widow,” (Swanson 15). She was a Southerner before she moved to Washington D.C., which means that the Confederate belief still influenced her. She was also the mother of John Surratt, who was a “Confederate secret agent and friend of Booth’s,” (Swanson 15). She owned a boarding house in Washington D.C., which has been visited by many Confederates, including John Wilkes Booth and Lewis Powell. There are numerous indications that suggest she had something to do with the assassination plot that took place on April 14th, 1865.
Mary Surratt lied about knowing people . The reason I say this is because in source two it states ,” Before God sir , I do not know this man nor did I hire him to dig a ditch.” This shows that she lied about knowing people and hiring them. Hence proves that she had something to hide. Another reason that she should have been executed was in source two , it states ,”Mary Surratt lied about knowing Lewis Paine” . This shows and tells you that she lied to the federal government and police which means something is out of the normal.
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.
Is Mary Surratt guilty? Mary Surratt is being accused of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and is being hanged for it. Some people say that Dr.Mudd did it and other people say that Mary did it but who really killed Abraham Lincoln? Mary Surratt definitely deserved to be hanged for the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Mary Surratt was guilty and deserved to be put in prison for helping assassinate the president. Mary Surratt lied when it came to talking about the kidnap/assassination plot to kidnap/assassinat Abraham Lincoln and frequently talked to John Wilkes Booth.
Mary Surratt, a women who assisted in killing Abraham Lincoln , is guilty of conspiracy because she knew what the plans where to assassinate the 16th president of the United States. She gave John Wilkes Booth, the killer of the president, and their follow colleagues a places to sleep and live, the boarding place she provided is also the place they came up with the plans to murder the president. One of the people who were around during this was John M. Lloyd, he was an assistant to Mrs.Surratt . As he describes Mrs. Surratt in his testimony, he had do several things that had to be done to make sure that their plan carried thru, Like getting an buggy to pick up Booth to go to the theater. Also Mrs.Surratt and Booth often held private meetings
Mary was born in Maryland in 1820 or in 1823. She married at a young age John Harrison Surratt, who was always drunk. After her husband died, he had left her with a huge debt. She had three children named John, Anna, and Isaac. Her son John Surratt was thought to be part of the plan since he knew John Wilkes Booth. John Surratt her son is thought to be part of the original plan which was to kidnap Lincoln which did not happen. People thought this because he was a confederate spy.
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 must be done”. Booth had written in his diary on what he was planning on doing. “Abraham Lincoln’s secretary new, however chose to keep it a secret”. The secretary knew and didn’t tell anyone, not even Abraham Lincoln she could have helped him in not being shot.
The president’s Assassin: John Wilkes Booth Breanna L. M. Hoodlebrink Penta Career Center On April 14, 1865, president Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States, was attending the performance of Our American Cousin at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C with his wife and guests when John Wilkes Booth, a Confederate Sympathiser, shot Lincoln in the back of the head shortly after 10:00 that night. Booth planned to assassinate the president, Secretary of State, and the Vice President with help from Lewis Powell and George Atzerodt. John Wilkes Booth was the ninth of ten children born to parents Junius Brutus and Mary Ann Booth. As a boy, he visited a fortune teller who told him he had a bad hand that is full of sorrow
On April 14 1865 President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. The Assassination took place at Ford’s Theater in Washington D.C. Booth had a few people trying to help him get away after he killed President Lincoln. One person was Dr. Samuel A. Mudd.
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
President Lincoln’s assassination shocked the country. Some people felt sorrow about his assassination. On night of April,1865 president Lincoln was assassinated by john wilkes booth. Two people who related was thomas jones and dr.mudd.Two people who had strong reactions to president lincoln’s death were dr.mudd and elizabeth keckly.
It was on April 14, 1865 that Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Lincoln went to see a play with his wife at Ford’s Theatre in Washington D.C. During the play a man by the name of John Wilkes Booth snuck in and up the steps that lead to the balcony where Lincoln was sitting. He waited until there was a part in the play for the crowd to make noise and it was then that he shot President Lincoln in the back of his head. It is said that after shooting Lincoln in the back of the head, Booth jumped onto the stage from the balcony where Lincoln was sitting and shouted, “Sic semper tyrannis! (Ever thus to tyrants!) The South is avenged” and fled on horseback (history.com). Lincoln died the next morning.