Saturday, July 7, 2012

Today in the Lincoln Conspiracy:  July 7

So many people wanted to be inside the Old Arsenal Penitentiary on July 7, 1865 that prison authorities issued tickets for admission.  Nearly 1,000 people crowded the courtyard, the buildings, even the top of the walls to face a gallows, constructed of raw lumber.  With the mid-day sun beating down on the scene, four prisoners were led from their cells and positioned on the gallows.  Each was fitted with a hood, or hanging cap, and a noose place around each of their necks.

At 1:26 PM, the supports beneath the gallows were knocked away.  Lewis Powell, David Herold, George Atzerodt and Mary Surratt dropped through the trapdoors.  They dangled in their nooses for nearly 25 minutes before soldiers cut them down.  Doctors examined each body and pronounced all four conspirators dead.  They were buried in shallow graves next to the gallows.







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