What Booth Said After He Killed Lincoln

NARRATOR: The Lincolns and their guests arrive at Ford's in high spirits. The crowd applauds the President. They stop the play. They sit down and the play begins. Comes to they're barking up the wrong tree about the oak. About 10 minutes after 10, Booth began to mount the stairs leading up to the second tier of boxes where you would find President Lincoln. NARRATOR: As Booth makes his way toward the Presidential Box, he is seen but no one stops him. He was well known to everyone, a popular actor, of course, and that let Booth get right behind Lincoln. NARRATOR: Booth is in position at Ford's Booth comes into the box right as the whole theater bursts into laughter. NARRATOR: As the crowd roars with laughter, Booth takes aim. Until that moment when the whole future looked like it finally lifted, the clouds and separated, comes crashing down. NARRATOR: The bullet enters the back of Lincoln's head. Booth stepped up to him, fired a shot from perhaps three, four inches. Not right against Lincoln's head but close and it hit Lincoln in the back of the head like a sledgehammer would. This is the derringer that Booth used on April 14. It's about six inches long, weighs about eight ounces. NARRATOR: A part of the Ford's Theater collection, this instrument of history was Booth's personal weapon. Booth probably had this weapon for at least five or six years before the assassination took place. It fires a single bullet. So this is, like we say, one and done. Booth dropped the pistol, went to the front of the box, intending to escape. Major Rathbone jumped from his seat. He grabbed Booth from behind and pulled him back from the railing. Booth twisted around in the Major's grip and for the first time, the men were face-to-fac And Rathbone later said he was absolutely horrified by the look on Booth's face. And Booth was stronger than Rathbone was so he was able to free himself and slash Rathbone with a knife. NARRATOR: Booth leaps from the box to the stage. Sic semper tyrannis! NARRATOR: And makes his escape.

Channel: Smithsonian Channel

Views: 13,801,879

Keywords: Knife, Ford’s theatre, flee, Derringer, destiny, presidential box, escape, assassination, murder, channel, smithsonian, John Wilkes Booth, watch, free videos, Confederacy, president, South, inauguration, southern, washington d.c., North, killing, Facts, abolitionist, stream TV, Sic Semper Tyrannis, TV online, video, abraham lincoln, Vice President, Episodes, free tv, April 14, slavery, Actor, Documentary, Henry Rathbone, stage, latin, Civil War, abolition, 1865

Id: hVLM0BSqx5o

Length: 3min 15sec (195 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 28 2015