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MARY ELIZABETH SURRATTBOOK 5 THE LINCOLN ASSASSINATION SERIESThe trial of Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln at the end of the Civil War after Robert E. Lee's surrender, came to a dramatic conclusion on July 7, 1865. Andrew Johnson did not declare, however, an end to the War Between the States until August 1866.In 1851, Mary Jenkins Surratt and her husband John stood outside their home and watched as it burned to the ground in Maryland. They elected not to rebuild the home, and, instead, built a home in combination with a tavern for weary travelers to partake in drink, near Mary's parent's place, a small area called Surrattsville.John Surratt, Sr. died in 1862. Mary moved with her daughter Anna in 1864 to their Washington City location she and John purchased in 1853. This location plays a vital role in the many meetings held by Booth, John Surratt, Jr., and others.On April 11th, Mary traveled with Louis Weichmann to her tavern in Surrattsville she had leased to John Lloyd. They passed Lloyd on the road to Uniontown, and from testimony given by Louis Weichmann, Mary told Lloyd the "shooting irons" would be needed soon. This was associated with other testimony given in the trial about rifles that were hidden at the tavern by some Booth conspirators.The fifth book in this series will allow the reader to determine for themselves if, in fact, Mary Surratt should have received the penalty handed down to her at the completion of the trial. In numerous novels on this subject, some say Mary Surratt is guilty as sin. Many say Mary Surratt was only in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it was the United States Government out for revenge... out for blood.In the trial of Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt, a military tribunal, rather than a civilian court, was chosen as the prosecutorial venue. Why? Because the government officials at the time thought it might be more lenient in regards to the evidence allowing the court to get to the bottom of what they perceived as a vast conspiracy.From all indications, enough preliminary witnesses mentioned Mary Surratt's participation as responsible for providing the nest that hatched the egg, her boarding house in Washington City. One thing in the proceedings that appeared suspicious was on the night she was arrested, she denied having ever seen Lewis Thornton Powell when he appeared at her boarding house. According to numerous witnesses in the trial, Lewis had been there on multiple occasions to meet with her son and others. Was Mary lying, or was it just too dark when she was asked if she recognized him in front of the boarding house.Mary Surratt was on trial with seven men. Her attorneys were John Clampitt and Frederick Aiken. In prison, Lewis Powell continued to tell anyone who would listen that keeping Mary shackled and in prison was wrong as she had nothing to do with the assassination of the President.Testimony given by John Lloyd and Louis Weichmann weighed heavily in the Military Commission's final decision.During the trial, Mary dressed in total black. Her head was covered in a black bonnet. The expressions on her face were barely recognizable hidden behind the netting of her silk veil.This court case, in its entirety for Mary Surratt, is depicted in this novel, the fifth novel in the Lincoln Assassination Series. The reader will have the opportunity to determine from the evidence and the testimony of the witnesses whether or not Mary Elizabeth Surratt should be hung or be turned free.

Lewis Thornton PowellThe Conspiracy to Kill Abraham LincolnLincoln Assassination SeriesBook 3"Fourscore and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal." – Abraham LincolnReporters were denied access to Lewis Thornton Powell and David "Davy" Herold, conspirators in the Lincoln Assassination while held captive on the USS Montauk. Furthermore, the press was held at bay, but not Alexander Gardner, a favorite photographer of the government in Washington City at the time.On April 27th, Gardner was busy taking photographs of those who had been arrested in the government''s dragnet. Say a derogatory word against the government or Abe Lincoln, one could find themselves locked up in the slammer with three hundred others.Each of the prisoners were brought on deck and photographed in a few different poses. Far more photographs were taken of Lewis Powell than anyone else. He was a camera hound and gave his time to the celebrated photographer.  Powell cooperated with Gardner''s requests and posed sitting down, standing, with and without restraints, and modeling the overcoat and hat he wore the night of the Secretary of State Seward''s attacks. The one used in most discussions was where he stood against the gun turret of the USS Saugus, staring right at the camera, relaxing in a calm manner.Powell was shackled with a form of manacles known as "lily irons," riveted handcuffs with two separate iron bands on each of his wrists, preventing him the ability to bend his wrist or use either of his hands. Like most of the male prisoners on board, he drug around with him a heavy iron ball at the end of a six foot long chain manacled to one of his legs.In LEWIS THORNTON POWELL – The Conspiracy to Kill Abraham Lincoln, a military tribunal, rather than a civilian court, was chosen as the prosecutorial venue. The government officials at the time thought the Commission might be more lenient in regards to the evidence allowing the court to get to the bottom of what they perceived as a vast conspiracy.Conviction required a simple majority of the judges, while imposition of the death sentence required a two-thirds majority. The only appeal available to the prisoners was to go directly to the President of the United States.From all indication, enough preliminary witnesses had placed Powell in the same room with Secretary of State Seward. Finding legal counsel was difficult, and after three days waiting, Powell was finally able to locate representation for the trial that began on May 12, 1865. William E. Doster took over representation for the defense of Lewis Powell. Doster was a graduate of Yale and Harvard and the former provost marshal for the District of Columbia.William Doster for the Defense opened his case on June 21st, 1865, for Lewis Thornton Powell. The weight of the evidence against Powell was so overwhelming, the Defense, instead of trying to disprove his guilt, characterizes Powell''s actions as those of a soldier who aimed at the Secretary of State instead of the lesser corps of the Union.This court case in its entirety for Lewis Thornton Powell was brought to paper for the reader to determine from the evidence and the testimony of witnesses whether or not Lewis Thornton Powell should have been hung or be turned free.