Unsolved Mysteries

The Conspiracy of Abraham Lincoln

President Lincoln Seated by chris favero, on Flickr
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic LicensePhoto by  chris favero

The Assassination

On Good Friday, April 14, 1865 Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth.  This was brought upon by Lincoln’s plans to extend voting rights to blacks.  Let me add that I am not stating I’m in support or against this, just stating the facts.  John Wilkes Booth previously had plans to kidnap the U.S. President and ransom him for the return of Confederate POW’s held in the North.  This is probably something that is not as well known.  There is little information available on the events leading up to the assassination, but there are some conspiracy theories out there of course.

The Conspiracy

It is said that the plot of murdering Lincoln was just a part of a larger conspiracy.  The same night Lincoln was assassinated, Lewis Powell repeatedly stabbed Secretary of State William H. Seward.  Secretary Seward was actually recovering from a severs carriage accident when this occurred.  Because he was wearing a jaw splint as a result of the accident, this splint prevented the knife from slicing his jugular vein.  Thus Powell’s assassination attempt was unsuccessful.  For those of you who are unaware, Powell was one of four people that were hanged as part of the Lincoln assassination conspiracy.

This whole plot contained 4 conspirators… John Wilkes Booth, George Atzerodt, David Herold and Lewis Powell.  This was to be a series of attacks on key officials.  Booth of course was to assassinate President Lincoln, Powell and Herold were to take care of Secretary Seward, and Atzerodt was to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson.  This would of been quite a devastating impact on the government at that time.

Vice President Andrew Johnson actually came out unharmed as Atzerodt had gotten drunk and chickened out on his task.  It is said that General Ulysses S. Grant was scheduled for assassination at Ford’s Theatre, but actually had changed his plans to go to the theatre.

The Conclusion

Powell was actually arrested at Mary Surratt’s boardinghouse after being thrown from his horse.  He was picked out of a lineup by William Bell, a family servant of the Seward Family.  The manhunt for Booth was not quite as easy.  It was actually the largest manhunt in world history up to that time.

Lincoln never got any rest even in death.  In 1876, there were two counterfeiters that were caught in the act of stealing Lincoln’s corpse from Springfield cemetery in Illinois.  Again, the plan was to use it as ransom for the return of fellow counterfeiters from prison.  Between the years 1865 and 1901, Lincoln’s coffin was opened six different times for various reasons.  My goodness I mean, this was a bunch of crazy events…Seems to me all these guys plotting against Lincoln had nothing in their favor going for them.  This should of been a sign to do something else, maybe play gold or something!

 

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15 thoughts on “The Conspiracy of Abraham Lincoln
  1. I have been reading this blog for a while now and I just wanted to praise the writer for this remarkable article. I have certainly learned a lot as an entrepreneur and business strategist and I think a lot of others will find this post very helpful, too.

    1. Thank you Nicole for the kind words. I appreciate your loyalty in reading the blog and I will continue putting hard work into providing interesting content for my readers. 😀

  2. Actually there where many people hanged during the manhunt by mobs who confused them for several reasons with Wilkes. Oh, those were dangerous time to live, without internet:))

    1. No kidding…could you imagine what it would of been like to live during all that. I bet the man hunt for Wilkes was a angry mob for sure.

  3. Hi,
    I just found your blog and I gotta say you have lot of interesting article here.
    anyway, I have to say Abraham is one of the most memorable president of USA.

    1. Thank You Mulaniari, President Lincoln is known for many great things that helped in the forming of our nation the USA. He definitely was one of the greats!

  4. Hi, first of all I want to congratulate the writer for this nice post. Very interesting read. I never knew Abraham Lincoln’s was stolen from Illinois. Keep up the good work.

  5. Thank You Amal… As for Lincoln’s attempted kidnapping, Wilkes never actually went through with his plans to kidnap the president. His original plan was to trade Lincoln in exchange for the return of Confederate POW’s that were being held in the North.

    That probably would of been a better plan, as it may not of warranted the death penalty. 🙂

  6. I enjoyed your article and I am convinced the government is filled with conspiracy theories. I am not sure if you have read the book “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter”, but I truly find it amazing how the author throws the historical facts together with his conspiracy theory. It was hard to put down and can really get the creative mind turning.

    1. Hey thanks for the input. I’ve not read the book Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but I have seen the movie. Of course we all know the books are always much better. I did enjoy the movie though and I’m a sucker for a good conspiracy.

  7. OMG!
    I never knew that Lincoln’s coffin was opened six times after he already had died!

    1. Yah no kidding, it’s very sad, disrespect for the dead at it’s finest. And on a U.S. presidents grave at that!

  8. I just returned from visiting Lincoln’s homes in Kentucky, Indiana and Illinois. What an amazing experience. Especially the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. But, of course, visiting his tomb was a solemn experience. There with Eddie, Willie, Tad and Mary. Everyone except Robert.

    In the never said better words of Daniel Day-Lewis:

    “I never, ever felt the depth of like for another human being that I never met, and that’s, I think, probably the effect Lincoln had on most people that take the time to discover him. I wish he had stayed [with me] forever.”

    1. Wow what a cool trip that would of been. Such a great experience it must of been to visit such historic places. Thanks a bunch for the quote as well, Lincoln was truly a great man, I only wish the Presidents of today were as great.

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