The Plot

Criminal

Vox Media Podcast Network

Society & Culture, True Crime

4.7 • 39.4K Ratings

🗓️ 20 February 2026

⏱️ 45 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In 1864, a 41-year-old woman named Mary Surratt was running a boarding house in Washington, D.C. One of the most famous actors in the country began visiting her – which led to her becoming known as the woman who “kept the nest that hatched the egg." Kate Clifford Larson’s book is The Assassin’s Accomplice. Join our newsletter by 2/28/26 to be entered to win a free year of Criminal Plus: ⁠thisiscriminal.com/newsletter⁠. (Additional rules apply.) Say hello on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts. Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, invitations to virtual events, special merch deals, and more. We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery. Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop. Episode transcripts are posted on our website. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Support for the show comes from Virgin Atlantic.
0:03.6	Every trip you take is special.
0:05.9	That's why for every flight, you need a crew that makes you feel special, showing up for you like the VIP you are.
0:12.8	Virgin Atlantic offers warm, personalized service from the moment you step on board.
0:17.8	Its upper class cabin features four-course signature dishes, private suites with fully
0:22.1	lay flat beds, and hours of award-winning in-flight entertainment. Make the journey as exceptional
0:27.7	as the destination when you fly Virgin Atlantic. Go to virginatlantic.com to learn more.
0:35.1	Now, are all the traitors present?
0:39.6	Let's get started, shall we?
0:41.0	From rags to riches.
0:42.2	I'm so sick of this.
0:44.1	Working like a dog and being treated worse.
0:45.9	Yorkshire to New York.
0:47.3	Poor climbers, you and me.
0:49.4	A life dedicated to revenge.
0:51.8	Let's make this an occasion to remember. A Woman of Substance on Channel 4, stream now.
0:57.0	In 1863, a widow named Mary Surrott was running a tavern in a small town in Maryland,
1:04.1	just outside of Washington, D.C.
1:06.6	There was a post office in the same building.
1:09.9	Her youngest son, John, was the postmaster.
1:13.9	He was also a spy for the Confederate Army.
1:17.6	How much did she know of what John was doing?
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Vox Media Podcast Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Vox Media Podcast Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.