CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER
By: James L. Swanson
Summary
The book is very similar on how we know the story of Lincoln's death, but it gives more detail on where John Wilkes Booth was going and how Booth died. John Wilkes Booth was an actor who would do plays at Fords Theater. He was a very famous actor, a well known person. Booth hated Lincoln because he held the Republican Party responsible for the downfall of southern states wealth and status. Booth's first plan was to actually kidnap Lincoln but he thought that plan was to hard so he decided to kill Lincoln instead. Booth wasn't playing in the theater the night that Lincoln attended. Booth came to the theater and took a path underneath the theater that led into the box the president occupied. Booth then pointed a .44 caliber pistol at Lincoln's head but didn't pull the trigger right away. Booth knew the parts of the play and knew the right time to do it. He waited until the actors laughed really hard then took the shot. Booth had a backup plan in case the gun misfired, he had a knife. Booth blocked the door to the President's box and climbed down a flag hanging from the President's box where he injured his ankle. People who were close heard the gun shot but many people didn't. Booth escaped Fords theater on a horse. Lincoln suffered a brain injury but was still alive till the next morning where he died at 7:30 am. Booth escaped out of Washington DC and passed through a guard gate into Maryland. The news of the President being shot had not spread so the guards were unaware they had to look out for someone. Booth ended up in southern Maryland at Dr. Mudd's house where he was treated for his injury. Dr. Mudd was unaware he was treating the person who killed the President until the next morning after Booth left.
assessment
I recommend this book for middle scholars starting grade 6 and up and the book was just stuff that mostly people would know about Lincoln's death but tells a lot more about John Wilkes Booth. My favorite part of the book is when John Wilkes Booth went to doctor mudds house and helped booth until the next day mudd then found out that booth was the person who killed Lincoln. I gave this book four stars because I like history
John Wilkes Booth
Abraham Lincoln
first president to get assassinated http://www.biography.com/people/abraham-lincoln-9382540
Book Trailer for "Chasing Lincoln's Killer"