In today’s world, John Wilkes Booth would be called a “rock star”. He was handsome, talented and well-paid. He came from a prominent family of thespians. He may have been an indifferent student, but he was skilled at fencing and horsemanship. He was well-known in Washington, D. C. from his many performances on the stage, and his stunning good looks certainly caught the attention of many.
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.