Killers in color: Fascinating images bring to life the team who plotted the theater assassination of Lincoln to revive the Confederate cause
- The 16th President was shot dead by well-known stage actor John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865
- David Herold, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt and Mary Surratt were executed for roles in the assassination
- Striking images feature in a new book titled Retrographic: History in Living Colour by Michael Carroll
These fascinating colorized photos bring to life the men and woman who assassinated Abraham Lincoln.
They show the conspirators handcuffed before their trial alongside what is thought to be the last photo of Lincoln before his death.
Another colorized photo shows the moment four of the plotters were hanged in front of a crowd at Fort McNair.
The 16th President of the United States was shot dead at the theater by well-known stage actor John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865.
These fascinating colorized photos bring to life the men involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Left: David Herold who led Booth's escape. Right: Lewis Powell who failed to kill Secretary of State William Seward
From left to right: Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, David Herold being taken to the scaffold on July 7th 1865
David Herold, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt and Mary Surratt were executed for their role in the assassination.
Michael O'Laughlen, Samuel Arnold, Samuel Mudd and Edmund Spangler were imprisoned.
Each conspirator was assigned a different role in the comprehensive assassination attempt of several high-profile government members.
Edmund Spangler helped Booth escape but he was spared death because he didn't know about the assassination in advance. Booth was shot by Union forces after a dramatic 12-day manhunt led by David Herold.
Powell had been responsible for the bungled assassination attempt of the Secretary of State, William Seward on the same night.
Left: Long-time friend of Booth, Samuel Arnold, without handcuffs. Right: Edmund Spangler, who was accused of helping Booth flee the scene of the murder
Atzerodt had been planning an attempt of the life of the Vice President, Andrew Johnson, but is said to have lost his nerve.
The conspirators met in a Washington boarding house owned by Mary Surratt. Their trial ended on June 30 with Surratt, Powell, Herold, and Atzerodt all sentenced to death.
They were given a military trial as opposed to a civilian one, though, with much controversy over the way in which it was handled.
Left: A colorized image of what is thought to be the last photo of Lincoln before his death. Right: John Wilkes Booth
'The trial, under military jurisdiction, was controversial in that the defence for the accused was not given time to prepare, the accused were forbidden from testifying in their own defence, a lower level of proof was required to convict than in civilian courts, and only a majority verdict among jurors was required for the death sentence to be imposed,' says author Michael D. Carroll.
'The Southern states accused the North of imposing a military trial to avoid the opportunity for civilian jurors to show clemency towards the accused.
The role of George Atzerodt (1835-1865) in the sordid affair was to assassinate Vice President Andrew Johnson at the Kirkwood House, a hotel where Johnson was staying. But he did not even try to kill Johnson and ended up drinking and walking around the capital. He was executed along with Powell and Herold at age 30. Pictured: Atzerodt at 30
John Bingham, Judge Joseph Holt, and Brigadier General Henry Burnett, prosecutors for Lincoln assassination trial
Left: Samuel Arnold pictured before his trial. Right: Conspirator Lewis Powell standing in overcoat and hat
'The prisoners stood for ten seconds before Roth clapped his hands and four soldiers below the scaffold knocked out the supports for the platform they were standing on.
'They dropped and Surratt's rope snapped cleanly, with no movement afterwards.
'Atzerodt heaved before falling still, but Herold and Powell, the chief conspirators, were strangled for five minutes. Powell stuggled wildly, pulling his legs up in towards his chest several times, before he was eventually still.'
The striking images feature in a new book titled Retrographic: History in Living Colour by Michael Carroll.
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