This Day in American History...

Meredith Jessup | April 26, 2010 10:24 AM

On this day in 1865, Union cavalry troops cornered and shot dead John Wilkes Booth who had assassinated President Abraham Lincoln on the night of April 14.

Booth had fled the nation's capital to the Garrett Farm near Port Royal, Virginia. Hiding out in the tobacco barn, Booth refused to surrender. The cavalry then set fire to the barn. While Booth reportedly moved about inside the burning barn, Sergeant Boston Corbett shot him, later claiming Booth had raised his pistol to shoot. Booth was dragged from the barn to the Garrett's porch where he died three hours later.

This is how we treated unrepentant traitors 145 years ago. Imagine that, we didn't even wait for Booth to call his lawyer...