Traitors | The Widow and the Assassin | 2

American History Tellers

Wondery

Society & Culture, Kids & Family, History, Education For Kids

4.7 • 18.3K Ratings

🗓️ 10 November 2021

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

On the night of April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth stepped into the presidential box at Washington’s Ford’s Theatre, raised a pistol at President Abraham Lincoln, and squeezed the trigger. Lincoln would soon die of his wounds, making him the first president to be assassinated in American history. As the nation plunged into mourning, the hunt for Lincoln’s killer began.

But authorities soon revealed a conspiracy much bigger than just one man. The investigation would focus on an unlikely accomplice: a widow and boarding house owner named Mary Surratt.

In the months leading up to the assassination, Booth and his men met frequently at Surratt’s boarding house, and her tavern was their first stop on their escape. But her exact role in the plot and subsequent military trial led to controversy and conflict that would rage for years to come.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, Prime Members, you can listen to American History Tellers add free on Amazon Music,
0:05.6	download the app today.
0:09.6	Imagine its May 1862, late at night in Sirottsville, Maryland.
0:23.7	You're an officer in the Union Army, responsible for investigating Confederate spies and smugglers.
0:29.9	You're approaching a tavern that is rumored to be a Confederate safehouse.
0:36.6	You tie up your horse and step inside.
0:38.5	There are about a dozen patrons in the tavern, some clutching drinks and keeping to themselves,
0:43.8	others huddled in conversation.
0:46.0	You notice a few suspicious glares thrown your way, but the woman working behind the bar
0:50.6	greets you with a warm smile.
0:52.4	Good evening, sir.
0:53.4	Come in.
0:54.4	Have a seat.
0:55.4	What can I get for you?
0:56.4	I'll tell you a little bit about the trouble you had to face.
1:03.4	I'm sorry to trouble you at your place of business, but I'm a Union investigator and I was
1:14.6	wondering if I could ask you a few questions.
1:17.8	Mrs. Seraar takes out a rag and begins wiping down the barn.
1:21.4	Of course.
1:22.4	Anything you want to know.
1:24.0	I received a tip that this tavern may be harboring revel spies.
1:28.0	Oh, my.
	...

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