Chasing Lincoln’s Killer
by James Swanson
Penn English 8A: Study Guide
Name: _______________________________ P:___
Chasing Lincoln’s Killer: Argument Essay
FOOD FOR THOUGHT: The American legal system is one in which the accused is innocent until
proven guilty in a court of law; it was designed to protect the rights of all citizens and founded
on the idea of giving the accused the benefit of doubt. The accused is guaranteed by the
constitution the right to a fair and speedy trial, a jury of peers, AND protection from cruel and
unusual punishment. Citizens are also protected by habeas corpus, which offers protection
against false or unlawful imprisonment. Habeas corpus allows for a prisoner to demand to
know the charges against them and then petition for release if the charges are unfounded or
untrue. Habeas corpus was created to protect the common man from the powerful abusing
their authority.
Also consider that all of the co-conspirators in Lincoln’s assassination plot who were captured
alive faced a military trial— in a military trial, there is no jury. Also, remember that during and
proceeding the Civil War, habeas corpus had been suspended.
ESSAY: In your opinion, who among the executed co-conspirators from Chasing Lincoln’s
Killer—John Wilkes Booth, George Atzerodt, David Herold, Lewis Powell, or Mary Surratt—
which defendant received a punishment far outweighing his/her role in the crime? Write an
essay in which you select one co-conspirator and write a compelling argument about why the
punishment did not fit the crime. Be sure to address opposing viewpoints in your essay.
CHAPTER 1: CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER (9-31)
1. Setting: Place: _______________________________________________ Date: ___________________
2. Complete the thought, call out, and other bubbles to highlight the most significant aspects of Booth.
3. Complete the table below.
On the morning
of April 14,
Abraham Lincoln
Mary Todd Lincoln
Robert Lincoln
Henry Clay Ford
William Stanton
Most D.C. citizens
was/were feeling…
because
(paraphrase evidence)
Page
On the morning
of April 14,
Dr. Charles Leale
was/were feeling…
because
(paraphrase evidence)
Page
Clara Harris
Major Rathbone
Those who
supported the
Confederacy
Those who had
tickets to see the
show
4. CO-CONSPIRATORS AND THEIR ROLES IN PLOT
CONSPIRATOR
ROLE
Enthusiastic or resistant
participation?
5. How did Booth secure their allegiance to him?______________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
6. To the left was Booth’s choice of weapon, a Derringer pistol.
Swanson speculates Booth chose this weapon because he was a
vain man. Why do you suppose he chose this single shot pistol?
CHAPTER 2: CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER (33-45)
1. Setting: Place: _______________________________________________ Date: ___________________
2. Complete the chart below.
10:15 pm, Ford’s
Was/were feeling…
Theater
because
(paraphrase evidence)
Page
Mary Todd Lincoln
Robert Lincoln
Henry Clay Ford
William Stanton
3. In his dramatic exit from Ford’s theater, what 3 things did Booth shout after shooting the Lincoln?
Booth shouted…
Significance, meaning, or irony of his words
a.
b.
c.
4. Study the picture below. Find, draw arrows to, and label 4 inaccuracies in the artist’s rendition.
CHAPTER 3: CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER (46-59)
1. Luckily for Seward, Powell’s part of the plan was extremely flawed. What were the major flaws?
Major Flaw 1
Major Flaw 2
Major Flaw 3
Major Flaw 4
2. Why do you suppose there were so many flaws? ____________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Complete the chart.
Person Seward Struggled With
Damage Done to that Person
4. Was Seward successful in carrying out his part of the plan? _______________
5. Below is a picture of David Herold. Complete the thought bubbles to describe what he was thinking
before he heard Fanny scream and after he heard her scream.
6. Was Herold successful in carrying out his part of the plan? _______________
CHAPTER 4: CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER (60-77)
1. Complete the chart.
10:15 pm, Ford’s Was/were feeling…
Theater
because
(paraphrase evidence)
Page
Most D.C. citizens
Dr. Charles Leale
Clara Harris
Major Rathbone
Theater Goers
Those who
supported the
Confederacy
2. How did Booth manage get out of DC when the bridges were guarded by soldiers?_________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
3. Which co-conspirator was able to escape and meet up with Booth? _____________________________
4.
Below is a body diagram used by people in the medical profession to analyze a patient’s symptoms. Pretend
you are at a walk-in clinic and Booth has come seeking medical assistance. Please mark the area Booth would
have reported to have a significant amount of pain and write anecdotal notes the doctor would read prior to
visiting with his patient.
Patient Name: ___________________________________Date: ____________
Notes:
CHAPTER 5: CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER (78-100)
1. Was Powell successful in carrying out his part of the plan? Explain what happened._________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
2. D.C. was in a state of confusion. There were two confirmed assassination attempts. Who stepped in to
take control of the situation? _______________________________________
3. What made him qualified to do the job?_________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________
4. TRACKING BOOTH’S MOVEMENTS AFTER THE ASSASSINATION.
Stop made by Booth & Herold
Purpose for Stop
How did Booth know this person?
5. Booth reveals to Lloyd that he assassinated Lincoln. What should Lloyd have done?
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
6. THE MANHUNT FOR BOOTH
List the initial stages of the manhunt
7. LINCOLN’S MEDICAL CARE
Describe the medical care Lincoln received.
What would happen now in a modern day
manhunt?
How would the care be different today?
8. What do you think about the way Mary Lincoln was treated? _________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 6: CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER (101-114)
1. Abraham Lincoln died after wounds received by an assassin’s bullet on __________________________
in the year of __________ at _________________.
2. Who succeeded Lincoln as president? ____________________________________________________
3. Atzerodt needed to get out of town fast. What two things did he do?
a.
b.
4. Dr. Mudd knew what Booth and Herold had done.
What SHOULD he have done?
What did he do instead?
5. Should Dr. Mudd he be held accountable as an accomplice in Lincoln’s
assassination given his knowledge of what Booth had done and his prior
conspiratorial relationship with Booth? Explain.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 7: CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER (115-129)
1.
What motivated this person to help Booth and Herold?
Captain Cox
Thomas Jones
2. Where did Booth and Herold hide out while waiting for Jones? _________________________________
3. How did Jones outfox the manhunters?___________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
4. What did Atzerodt (pictured left) do that would eventually lead to his capture?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
5. How much time had passed since the death of Abraham Lincoln? (top of 125) ____________________
6. Of all of the evidence the investigators collected, which 4 pieces would be most useful in court?
Evidence Collected
Importance In a Trial
7. Why did Lt. Dana ignore George Mudd’s reports of the strangers who had visited his cousin’s farm?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 8: CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER (130-136)
1. Why was Powell’s capture significant to the investigation?_______________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Why did Mary Suratt lie about knowing Powell? ______________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
3. Why should she have told the truth?______________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. On page 133, the investigators searched Mary Surratt’s house and found evidence. Discuss 2 pieces of
evidence and their relationship to her innocence/guilt.
Evidence Discovered
What does this Evidence DIRECTLY Prove?
5. How many arrests had been made in the investigation so far? (135) ____________
6. Were the arrests and detention of suspects ALL justified? Explain. _________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
7. For what reason did Stanton (pictured left) need to delegate responsibility for the manhunt?
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
Chapter 9: Chasing Lincoln’s Killer (137-143)
1. The News- explain each man’s reaction to the news.
BOOTH WAS DISAPPOINTED BY THE NEWS
SERRAT WAS WORRIED BY THE NEWS
2. Authorities search Mudd’s farm (pictured below) days after receiving a tip. Why did Mudd lie to them?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
3. Lincoln’s Funeral: List 5 details
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
4. Atzerodt sang like a canary- who specifically did he implicate___________________________________
in the conspiracy?
___________
5. Why was a reward finally offered?
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 10: CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER (144-150)
1. How do Mudd’s lies backfire on him?___________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
2. Explain the issue with the escape plan.
_________________________________________________
_________________________________________________
CHAPTER 11: CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER (151-177)
1. Timeline of Booth and Herod’s Stops
Contact/Stop
Help Provided?
Welcome? Unwelcome?
2. Why does Garret insist that Booth and Herold sleep in the barn? _______________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
3. How did the cavalry find Booth and Herold?________________________________________________
4. The Stand Off
Herold’s Fate
Booth’s Fate
5. “The rising sun nudged above the horizon and colored the eastern sky, flooding the Garrett farm with
light, which shone on Booth’s face. The stage grew dark for him. His body shuddered. John Wilkes
Booth was dead” (177). WHY does Swanson use this simile to paint a picture of Booth’s demise?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
CHAPTER 12- END: CHASING LINCOLN’S KILLER (178-END)
1. After the manhunt was over, what was the hot story reporters investigated?
2. How long did the trial of Atzerodt, Herold, Powell, and Suratt last?____________________________
3. Think about this from Stanton’s perspective- why did the trial need to be so quickly conducted? Review
your answer to question 7 in Chapter 8.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
4. Arrange the conspirators—John Wilkes Booth, George Atzerodt, David Herold, Lewis Powell, or Mary
Surratt—on the responsibility line below from least responsible to most responsible for Lincoln’s
death.
Least
responsible
5. Why does the author, James Swanson, declare Booth a failure? (p. 193)
Most
responsible