It was dramatic, but it was real life. It was April 14, 1865. The play Our American Cousin was playing at Ford’s Theatre in Washington DC. Actor John Booth was there and so was, in the esteemed audience, the then President of the United States of America Abraham Lincoln watching from a private box. At 10:15, Booth went inside the box, drew out his pistol and shot Honest Abe, which is what Lincoln was known as, in the back of his head. Then, the assassin jumped onto the stage and yelled, “Sic semper tyrannis!” (Thus ever to tyrants!)
It was only after the First Lady's blood-curdling screech that people realised that Booth's slogan-shouting was not a part of the play itself. And then the realisation dawned.
Booth was a supporter of slavery, the practice that Lincoln famously abolished. Booth believed strongly that all the president was up to was overthrowing the Constitution. On April 15, 1865, Lincoln was declared dead and America lost one of its most well-known presidents.
Obviously, Booth fled the scene and what followed was the largest manhunt that ever was. As many as 10,000 police tracking, federal troops and detectives. About 12 days later, he was tracked, cornered and shot.
