On this date: April 7th, 1865

Booth had a meeting with Samuel Knapp Chester.

While in New York, Booth met with his fellow actor and friend Samuel Knapp Chester for drinks.  Earlier in the conspiracy, Booth consistently tried  to involve Chester in the kidnapping plot.  Chester continually refused to participate.  Booth went as far as to send Chester $50 as a demonstration of the money to be had in the endeavor, but Chester returned it.  During this meeting, a week before the assassination, Booth lamented his previously missed chance, “What an excellent chance I had to kill the President, if I had wished, on inauguration-day!”  Samuel Knapp Chester would be arrested and used as a witness for the prosecution during the conspiracy trial.

References:
The Conspiracy Trial for the Murder of the President…(Vol 1) edited by Benjamin Perley Poore (1865)

Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: , | 3 Comments

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3 thoughts on “On this date: April 7th, 1865

  1. tyboots

    i own an original 1865 edition of this book. needs restoring but no pages missing or torn, just yellowed. very interesting to read.

  2. Pingback: Booth at Lincoln’s Second Inauguration « BoothieBarn

  3. Pingback: The American Civil War 150th Anniversary – December 8-14, 1864 | Clear Sight

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