Existing comment:
Lewis Thornton Powell, 1845-1865:
Using the pseudonym "Lewis Payne," Lewis Thornton Powell was the youngest and most stoic of the Lincoln conspirators associated with John Wilkes Booth and the assassination attempts of April 14, 1865. A former member of John Mosby's Confederate rangers, Powell was given the task of assassinating Secretary of State William Seward, who was at his home near the White House recuperating from a recent carriage accident. Miraculously, Seward survived Powell's knife attack but was facially scarred for the rest of his life. Powell was arrested a few days later and confined to the Old Capitol Prison. He was tried, found guilt, and sentenced to hang with three other conspirators on July 7.
In this photograph by Alexander Gardner, Powell is seen wearing the heavy iron manacles that the prisoners wore during their confinement and trial. |