After the assassination of Lincoln, a large net was thrown and many people were accused of being involved in the conspiracy to kill Lincoln, Vice President Andrew Johnson, and Secretary of State William Seward. Some of the fish that were thrown back included Booth’s brother Junius (who was in Cincinnati at the time) and John Ford, who owned the theater. Eight conspirators were charged with involvement in the assassination. It was decided that a military tribunal would hear the case. This made it easier to convict because it would be quick, the rules for evidence were more lenient, and an appeal could only go to President Johnson. Also, it took only a majority vote to convict and 2/3 vote of the nine judges to execute. The trial lasted 7 weeks and 366 witnesses were heard. It ended on June 30. The hangings occurred on July 7, 1865. Here were the accused:
– Samuel Arnold – he had been in the Southern army and was discharged for medical reasons; he was recruited by Booth for the kidnapping of Lincoln; after the second attempt failed, he dropped out; he was sentenced to life in Fort Jefferson; pardoned by Johnson in 1869
– George Atzerodt – was involved in the kidnapping plots; was supposed to kill Johnson but got drunk and chickened out; sentenced to death
– David Harold – he was part of the kidnapping attempts; he went with Powell to kill Seward and waited outside holding his horse; cries from the house caused him to panic and flee; he linked up with Booth and accompanied him to Mudd’s house and was with him at the end; he surrendered to the troops that surrounded Booth in the barn; he was sentenced to death and did not die immediately when he was dropped, he struggled for five minutes at the end of the rope
– Samuel Mudd – doctor who probably knew about the kidnapping plots; after Booth broke his leg from the jump from the box, he ended up at Mudd’s house; Mudd splinted his leg and Booth and Harold left the next day; Mudd delayed in reporting Booth’s stay, even after he learned he was the prime suspect and lied about a previous meetings with Booth; sentenced to life in Fort Jefferson; when a yellow fever epidemic broke out in the prison, he helped doctor the ill; was pardoned by Johnson in 1869
– Michael O’Laughlen, Jr. – an early recruit to the kidnapping; he was not involved in the assassination; sentenced to life; he died of yellow fever in Fort Jefferson
– Lewis Powell – Confederate deserter; second to Booth in importance; he was assigned the murder of Seward; managed to slash the bed-ridden Secretary of State in his bed, along with several others in the house; fled and was on the loose for three days when he went to Surratt’s boarding house and was arrested; he was hanged
– Edmund Spangler – he was a stagehand at the theater; Booth asked him to hold his horse; Spangler passed the job on to Joseph Burroughs; he was convicted of aiding and abetting and sentenced to 6 years in Fort Jefferson; he was part of the Johnson pardon
– Mary Surratt – she was accused of being part of the planning; she supposedly hid weapons for the conspirators and allowed the conspirators to plan at her boarding house – it was alleged she knew what they were talking about; after her conviction, 5 of the 9 judges sent a letter to Johnson urging clemency, it is believed that he did not read the letter; she was given the “seat of honor” (on the right) at the execution; her last words were “Please don’t let me fall” (she was ill and needed to be held up); her execution was the first of a woman by the federal government; her son John was later found innocent due to lack of evidence
Historians have questioned the guilt of Surratt, Mudd, and Spangler. It appears that Surratt and Mudd were guilty and likely Spangler was not.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Abraham_Lincoln#Conspirators’_trial_and_execution
https://famous-trials.com/lincoln/2163-home
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