Avenging Lincoln's death : the trial of John Wilkes Booth's accomplices / Thomas J. Reed.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Reed, Thomas J. (Thomas James), 1940- author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Lincoln Assassination Conspiracy Trial, Washington, D.C., 1865.

Physical Description:

xxviii, 217 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Madison : Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, [2016]

Summary:

Avenging Lincoln's Death: The Trial of John Wilkes Booth's Accomplices is an examination of the 1865 military commission trial of eight alleged accomplices of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin who murdered President Abraam Lincoln. The book analyzes the trial transcript and other relevant evidence relating to the guilt of Booth's alleged accomplices, and it serves as a careful application of basic constitutional law principles to the jurisdiction of the military commission and the fundamental fairness of the trial. Thomas J. Reed ontends that the trial was unconstitutional and unfair because Congress never authorized trial by military commission for these eight civilians, President Andrew Johnson exceeded the scope of his authority as commander-in-chief by ordering the accomplices to be tried in this fashion. He failed to follow the Habeas Corpus Act of 1863 which required him to turn over the alleged accomplices to civil ian authorities for prosecution. The accomplices were convicted on perjured testimpony, and the government was allowed to subminunrelated evidence of Confederate atrocities to poison the minds of the panel of officers. Book jacket.

Contents:

Introduction

The conspiracies

The Hunter Commission

The lawyers

The conduct of the trial

The case against Mary Surratt

The case against Samuel Mudd

An unconstitutional, unfair trial.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781611478273

1611478278

OCLC:

915057095