On Saturday, April 13, 2024, from 2 to 4:30 p.m. EDT, the Surratt Society will hold its annual Lincoln assassination conference. As has been the case in recent years, this conference will be held virtually and is free to attend. This year, two speakers will be presenting. They are Timothy S. Good, a ranger with the National Park Service who will speak on his 1995 book We Saw Lincoln Shot: One Hundred Eyewitness Accounts, and me, Dave Taylor, who will speak about the different reactions to Lincoln’s death across the country.
To join us for this completely free afternoon of assassination information, all you have to do is register, and you will be emailed a Zoom link for the meeting. You can RSVP for the conference by clicking here or on the image below:
In addition to this free event, I wanted to advertise that historian Michael Kauffman will be presenting virtually for the Smithsonian Associates on Monday, April 15, from 7 to 8:30 pm EDT.
The author of American Brutus: John Wilkes Booth and the Lincoln Murder Conspiracies (the best book out there on the Lincoln assassination, in my opinion) will give a virtual talk on John Wilkes Booth’s escape route. Mike has given countless Booth escape route tours over the years and knows Booth’s route like the back of his hand. While nothing can replace the knowledge gained by going on the actual tour with Mike as your guide, I have no doubt that he will present a wonderful overview of Booth’s escape in this virtual setting. The cost of the Smithsonian talk is $30 ($25 for Smithsonian members). I have already purchased my ticket and can’t wait to take this virtual ride with Mike. You can purchase your tickets for Mike Kauffman’s virtual Booth Escape Route speech by clicking here or on the image below.
I hope you will be able to make it to one or both of these upcoming virtual events!
LincolnConspirators.com 
Great talk today, Mr. Dave.
Hey Dave, a good question for the historian, and for you too: why wasn’t Ella Starr convicted and sentenced to death for her part in the plot? She left Johnson’s door open with the understanding that Atzerodt would come along and shoot him, supposedly at the height of passion. Or did Stanton feel sympathy because she attempted (unsuccessfully) suicide?
The only place I have ever read the story about Ella Starr’s supposed involvement in the plot is in Jerry Madonna’s book A Threat to the Republic. I can’t say I agree with Mr. Madonna’s conclusions. There is no supporting evidence that Johnson was with a prostitute, let alone Ella Starr in particular, on the night of April 14.
But wasn’t her attempted suicide reported in the newspaper?
Yes, it was reported that Ella Starr attempted to suicide after hearing what Booth had done. But there is no evidence that this attempt was connected to the conspiracy.
Without Ella to ensure the door was ajar, how was Atzerodt supposed to kill Johnson? Seems like a huge hole in Booth’s plan.
In my view, no one needed to “ensure [Johnson’s] door was ajar.” It would have been simple for Atzerodt to knock on the Vice President’s door and then shoot him when he answered the knock. That’s pretty much how the plan at Seward’s worked for Powell. Knock on the door, gain entry, do the deed. Very simple.
Wasn’t a soldier assigned to guard Johnson’s door? Or did he stay at the Kirkwood like a commoner?
There were no guards for Johnson. He stayed at the hotel like a commoner. He would have been an easy target had Atzerodt kept his nerve.
So Dave, in YOUR view, what would’ve happened if Atzerodt had kept his nerve? Back then, the Constitution didn’t have a clear successor beyond the VP, and Seward definitely wasn’t in any state to take over. For us lawyers and non-lawyers alike, how would that process have worked? It seems insane that by 1865, no one had anticipated this scenario! But prior to Lincoln, there had only been one presidential assassination attempt so it wasn’t given much thought.
There was a clear Presidential line of succession in 1865. If both the President and Vice President were killed then the President pro tempore of the Senate would become President followed by the Speaker of the House. Had Atzerodt killed Johnson, Sen. Lafayette Sabine Foster of Connecticut would have become President.