A nation breathing a collective sigh of relief after a long and bloody civil war.  A packed theater.  A celebratory crowd. A wave of laughter punctuated by the pop of a single gunshot.  A man leaping to the stage in front of a full-house crowd, crying “Sic semper tyrannis!”  Screams. A blood-curdling shriek from the flag-draped box from which the man had jumped at stage left. Confusion. Chaos. Fear.

It was Good Friday, April 14, 1865.

Read the entire article in the April 16th issue.