1 00:00:04,533 --> 00:00:06,467 and may contain mature subject matter. 2 00:00:06,467 --> 00:00:11,567 Viewer discretion is advised. 3 00:00:11,700 --> 00:00:15,066 - Tonight on History's mGreatest Mysteries:r. 4 00:00:18,100 --> 00:00:21,667 He was the actor whose most famous role 5 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:24,000 was assassinating a president. 6 00:00:24,133 --> 00:00:28,533 But was John Wilkes Booth also an escape artist? 7 00:00:28,667 --> 00:00:30,967 I'm Laurence Fishburne. 8 00:00:31,100 --> 00:00:32,500 On tonight's mystery, 9 00:00:32,633 --> 00:00:37,000 did John Wilkes Booth evade justice and live for decades 10 00:00:37,133 --> 00:00:39,333 after assassinating Abraham Lincoln? 11 00:00:39,467 --> 00:00:44,533 There was a son born five years after the assassination. 12 00:00:44,667 --> 00:00:46,500 John Wilkes Booth could not have died in the barn 13 00:00:46,633 --> 00:00:48,834 and fathered a son five years later. 14 00:00:48,967 --> 00:00:51,633 -[Fishburne] Did another man die in Booth's place? 15 00:00:51,767 --> 00:00:54,066 Booth was able to escape 16 00:00:54,200 --> 00:00:56,767 and the man in the barn was James Boyd. 17 00:00:56,900 --> 00:01:00,734 For the first time, Booth descendants share family lore 18 00:01:00,867 --> 00:01:06,300 of what they believe is evidence passed down through generations. 19 00:01:06,433 --> 00:01:07,967 It even lists John Wilkes Booth here 20 00:01:08,100 --> 00:01:11,500 as Harry Jerome Stevenson's other father. 21 00:01:11,633 --> 00:01:15,066 - Their theories and others' will be put to the test, 22 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:16,900 including, for the first time, 23 00:01:17,033 --> 00:01:21,700 Booth family DNA analysis from the autopsy table 24 00:01:21,834 --> 00:01:23,100 and the graveyard. 25 00:01:23,233 --> 00:01:26,367 Where John Wilkes Booth was buried was an issue 26 00:01:26,500 --> 00:01:28,934 from the very beginning. 27 00:01:29,066 --> 00:01:31,867 Suppose John Wilkes Booth actually isn't buried in there. 28 00:01:32,000 --> 00:01:34,734 -[Fishburne] The escape of John Wilkes Booth, 29 00:01:34,867 --> 00:01:38,433 tonight on "History's Greatest Mysteries." 30 00:01:38,567 --> 00:01:41,533 ( music playing ) 31 00:01:55,166 --> 00:01:56,900 Stevenson: John Wilkes Booth before 32 00:01:57,033 --> 00:02:00,333 he became John Wilkes Booth the assassinator 33 00:02:00,467 --> 00:02:01,967 had a lot going for him. 34 00:02:02,100 --> 00:02:03,667 He was one of the most popular, 35 00:02:03,800 --> 00:02:06,667 if not the most popular actors in North America. 36 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,700 He was thought of as being the handsomest man in North America. 37 00:02:10,834 --> 00:02:13,834 I mean, he had huge numbers of female fans 38 00:02:13,967 --> 00:02:17,934 who swooned over him. 39 00:02:18,066 --> 00:02:21,433 Michael Kauffman: He had these eyes that were described as black. 40 00:02:21,567 --> 00:02:23,600 A very unusual trait. 41 00:02:23,734 --> 00:02:26,834 And it's something that seems to sort of draw you in. 42 00:02:26,967 --> 00:02:31,433 He also had a kind of charisma and power over people, 43 00:02:31,567 --> 00:02:37,300 which he was able to use in drawing together people for his conspiracy. 44 00:02:40,567 --> 00:02:43,633 One of the most difficult things as a historian 45 00:02:43,767 --> 00:02:45,400 is to get through to people 46 00:02:45,533 --> 00:02:50,000 how different the world was in 1865. 47 00:02:50,133 --> 00:02:54,800 You've got one half of the country fighting against the other half. 48 00:02:54,934 --> 00:02:57,433 Washington, DC, the nation's capital, 49 00:02:57,567 --> 00:02:59,834 is right on the line between the two, 50 00:02:59,967 --> 00:03:04,333 and it is thoroughly saturated with enemy sympathizers. 51 00:03:04,467 --> 00:03:08,000 John Wilkes Booth identified himself as a Southerner. 52 00:03:08,133 --> 00:03:10,266 He was pro-slavery, anti-black. 53 00:03:10,400 --> 00:03:13,834 He had racist views which were quite common at the time. 54 00:03:13,967 --> 00:03:15,433 And by the time of the Civil War, 55 00:03:15,567 --> 00:03:17,633 he identified himself firmly as a Southerner 56 00:03:17,767 --> 00:03:21,233 who supported secession and opposed the election of Abraham Lincoln. 57 00:03:21,367 --> 00:03:26,233 Booth was crushed that the man he thought was a tyrant had been reelected. 58 00:03:26,367 --> 00:03:29,333 He hated Lincoln for conquering Southern territory 59 00:03:29,467 --> 00:03:32,033 and for emancipating the slaves. 60 00:03:32,166 --> 00:03:34,533 -[Fishburne] Booth's remedy for the presidential tyrant 61 00:03:34,667 --> 00:03:37,567 echoes themes in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar," 62 00:03:37,700 --> 00:03:40,567 a play he'd performed with his brothers. 63 00:03:40,700 --> 00:03:42,467 Kauffman: Caesar has become a tyrant 64 00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:44,467 when Brutus comes along 65 00:03:44,600 --> 00:03:48,700 for the good of Rome and kills him. 66 00:03:48,834 --> 00:03:50,867 -[Fishburne] There's no doubt that John Wilkes Booth 67 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,233 was the man who shot Lincoln at Ford's Theatre. 68 00:03:54,367 --> 00:03:58,066 He made certain the audience knew he had played the leading role. 69 00:03:58,200 --> 00:04:01,567 Booth wanted to be a hero. He wanted to be the American Brutus. 70 00:04:01,700 --> 00:04:03,600 He believed he was saving his country. 71 00:04:03,734 --> 00:04:06,900 James Swanson: Booth pauses at center stage and shouts, 72 00:04:07,033 --> 00:04:10,000 "Sic semper tyrannis." "Thus always to tyrants." 73 00:04:10,133 --> 00:04:15,066 He's saying it in Latin, the language of Julius Caesar and Marcus Brutus, 74 00:04:15,200 --> 00:04:18,467 making it known that this is what tyrants get. 75 00:04:18,600 --> 00:04:20,567 This is justice. 76 00:04:20,700 --> 00:04:23,100 John Wilkes Booth has just performed 77 00:04:23,233 --> 00:04:25,767 the assassination of Abraham Lincoln 78 00:04:25,900 --> 00:04:28,533 in front of an audience of 1,500 people. 79 00:04:28,667 --> 00:04:31,400 Then he exits, heading for the bridge 80 00:04:31,533 --> 00:04:35,100 that will take him from Washington to Maryland. 81 00:04:35,233 --> 00:04:37,100 -[Fishburne] Booth crossed the Navy Yard Bridge into Maryland 82 00:04:37,233 --> 00:04:39,567 20 minutes after shooting Lincoln. 83 00:04:39,700 --> 00:04:42,900 Just over the border, he was joined by 23-year-old David Herold, 84 00:04:43,033 --> 00:04:48,166 the only one of Booth's co-conspirators to escape with him. 85 00:04:48,300 --> 00:04:50,867 While Booth was assassinating Abraham Lincoln, 86 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:54,467 David Herold and Lewis Powell were supposed to murder the secretary of state. 87 00:04:54,600 --> 00:04:57,600 Powell nearly stabbed him to death in his bed. 88 00:04:57,734 --> 00:04:59,734 Herold, who was waiting outside for Powell, 89 00:04:59,867 --> 00:05:03,133 got afraid because Seward's daughter opened a window and yelled, 90 00:05:03,266 --> 00:05:04,900 "Help! Murder! Help!" 91 00:05:05,033 --> 00:05:07,500 He abandoned Lewis Powell at Seward's house. 92 00:05:07,633 --> 00:05:10,166 David Herold finally catches up to Booth, 93 00:05:10,300 --> 00:05:12,367 and then it's the two of them 94 00:05:12,500 --> 00:05:15,400 escaping together from that point on. 95 00:05:15,533 --> 00:05:18,800 -[Fishburne] Booth and Herold traveled south for 12 days into Virginia 96 00:05:18,934 --> 00:05:22,467 until they reached a farm owned by the Garrett family. 97 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,200 Most historians believe Booth was killed by Union soldiers 98 00:05:25,333 --> 00:05:27,700 in the Garrett's tobacco barn. 99 00:05:31,600 --> 00:05:33,800 Kauffman: We're in Caroline County, Virginia, 100 00:05:33,934 --> 00:05:37,467 about two miles south of the town of Port Royal. 101 00:05:37,600 --> 00:05:39,734 It doesn't look like a historic site, 102 00:05:39,867 --> 00:05:42,000 but as you can see, they've put up a sign 103 00:05:42,133 --> 00:05:45,066 about John Wilkes Booth's death. 104 00:05:45,200 --> 00:05:48,900 This is ground zero for one of the greatest crimes scenes in history. 105 00:05:49,033 --> 00:05:51,700 And we have a body, but as usual, 106 00:05:51,834 --> 00:05:55,900 the biggest thing we have to do is ID that body. 107 00:05:56,033 --> 00:05:58,467 - Who was pulled out of the barn? - Right, exactly. 108 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:02,900 Lori Rothschild Ansaldi is a journalist and producer. 109 00:06:03,033 --> 00:06:05,667 She's teamed with former US Marshal Art Roderick, 110 00:06:05,800 --> 00:06:09,633 who's spent decades tracking down criminal fugitives. 111 00:06:09,767 --> 00:06:11,734 Art Roderick: Lori's handling the family side, 112 00:06:11,867 --> 00:06:14,266 and I'm more on the technical side 113 00:06:14,400 --> 00:06:16,467 looking at forensic document examination, 114 00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:20,233 medical examiner's autopsies, photographs, 115 00:06:20,367 --> 00:06:22,000 forensic photography-- 116 00:06:22,133 --> 00:06:24,533 looking at some of the conspiracy theories 117 00:06:24,667 --> 00:06:27,934 that really fall more into my lane from having 118 00:06:28,066 --> 00:06:30,100 almost 40 years in law enforcement. 119 00:06:30,233 --> 00:06:32,700 Lori Rothschild Ansaldi: I was actually approached by the family 120 00:06:32,834 --> 00:06:34,734 with their story of how they never believed 121 00:06:34,867 --> 00:06:37,266 that John Wilkes Booth died at Garrett's farm. 122 00:06:37,400 --> 00:06:39,867 They had all this information, 123 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:43,667 things that were passed down from generation to generation, 124 00:06:43,800 --> 00:06:47,300 things that could never be recorded in history books. 125 00:06:47,433 --> 00:06:49,567 They were secrets. 126 00:06:49,700 --> 00:06:52,367 -[Fishburne] Joanne Hulme is a descendant of the Booth family. 127 00:06:52,500 --> 00:06:55,967 She believes John Wilkes Booth escaped the Union manhunt 128 00:06:56,100 --> 00:06:59,300 and lived to father children after 1865. 129 00:06:59,433 --> 00:07:03,533 My great-great-grandmother is John Wilkes Booth's aunt. 130 00:07:03,667 --> 00:07:07,133 Aunt, huh? And how many siblings did John Wilkes have? 131 00:07:07,266 --> 00:07:10,433 There were 10 children born in the United States, 132 00:07:10,567 --> 00:07:13,600 and four of them died during the Yellow Fever. 133 00:07:15,266 --> 00:07:18,166 So there's Junius Brutus Booth II. 134 00:07:18,300 --> 00:07:21,333 Rosalie Booth, Edwin Thomas Booth, 135 00:07:21,467 --> 00:07:24,333 Asia Booth Clarke, John Wilkes Booth, 136 00:07:24,467 --> 00:07:26,633 and then Joseph Adrian Booth. 137 00:07:28,900 --> 00:07:33,166 I was between 11 and 12 years old, and my mother says, 138 00:07:33,300 --> 00:07:35,433 "So you're going into sixth grade 139 00:07:35,567 --> 00:07:37,667 and you're going to study about the Civil War, 140 00:07:37,800 --> 00:07:39,834 and they're going to tell you that John Wilkes Booth 141 00:07:39,967 --> 00:07:41,834 was shot and died in the barn." 142 00:07:41,967 --> 00:07:44,100 And she said, "That is not true. 143 00:07:44,233 --> 00:07:48,834 He escaped the barn. He lived for many years. He had a family." 144 00:07:48,967 --> 00:07:54,800 That is when my life changed, and maybe I think a part of my innocence was lost forever. 145 00:07:58,033 --> 00:08:00,400 -[Fishburne] But if Joanne's family lore is right, 146 00:08:00,533 --> 00:08:03,200 then accepted history must be rewritten, 147 00:08:03,333 --> 00:08:05,333 especially the accounts of what happened 148 00:08:05,467 --> 00:08:07,767 that fateful night at Garrett's farm. 149 00:08:07,900 --> 00:08:11,266 On April 24th about 2 PM, 150 00:08:11,400 --> 00:08:15,600 Booth and Herold made contact with a trio of Confederate cavalrymen, 151 00:08:15,734 --> 00:08:21,100 who accompanied the fugitives and they were ferried across the Rappahannock River. 152 00:08:21,233 --> 00:08:23,900 Swanson: Then he's taken to the farm of Richard Garrett. 153 00:08:24,033 --> 00:08:26,433 Now, the Garretts don't know who Booth is. 154 00:08:26,567 --> 00:08:30,533 They're told, "These are Confederates going home. They need your help." 155 00:08:30,667 --> 00:08:32,767 The first night they're there, the Garretts take them in. 156 00:08:32,900 --> 00:08:34,667 They let them sleep in the house. 157 00:08:34,800 --> 00:08:38,834 The next day, a cavalry patrol comes near the Garrett farm. 158 00:08:38,967 --> 00:08:42,166 The Garrett family sees Booth and Herold run for cover. 159 00:08:42,300 --> 00:08:44,166 So now they're thinking, "What have these men done?" 160 00:08:44,300 --> 00:08:47,166 They tell them, "You can't sleep in the house tonight. 161 00:08:47,300 --> 00:08:51,233 You've done something. You can sleep in our tobacco barn." 162 00:08:51,367 --> 00:08:54,900 But they don't realize as soon as they go inside and go to bed, 163 00:08:55,033 --> 00:08:58,633 the Garretts lock them into the tobacco barn. 164 00:08:58,767 --> 00:09:00,633 -[Fishburne] Most historians say 165 00:09:00,767 --> 00:09:03,433 Booth and Herold were locked in the tobacco barn 166 00:09:03,567 --> 00:09:07,633 and couldn't escape when Union troops arrived. 167 00:09:07,767 --> 00:09:10,033 When soldiers set fire to the barn to smoke them out, 168 00:09:10,166 --> 00:09:11,900 Herold gave himself up. 169 00:09:12,033 --> 00:09:14,500 Moments later, Booth was shot, 170 00:09:14,633 --> 00:09:17,066 dragged from the flaming barn, 171 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:18,800 and later died. 172 00:09:18,934 --> 00:09:22,967 But Joanne Hulme doubts that account. 173 00:09:23,100 --> 00:09:26,633 There's hundreds and hundreds of books talking about a tobacco barn. 174 00:09:26,767 --> 00:09:30,100 I don't understand why historians didn't question this more. 175 00:09:30,233 --> 00:09:32,967 A tobacco barn is made for drying tobacco. 176 00:09:33,100 --> 00:09:35,100 It's not made for keeping people in. 177 00:09:35,233 --> 00:09:39,333 Any one of us could escape of a tobacco barn without detection. 178 00:09:39,467 --> 00:09:43,633 Greg Huber: This is a frame, circa 1900 or so, tobacco shed. 179 00:09:43,767 --> 00:09:47,734 So what's the difference between a tobacco shed and a tobacco barn? 180 00:09:47,867 --> 00:09:52,433 Geographically, basically. They call tobacco buildings different in different areas. 181 00:09:52,567 --> 00:09:56,767 But this is basically a shed here, and it has these vertical ventilators here 182 00:09:56,900 --> 00:09:59,266 that help dry out the product inside. 183 00:09:59,400 --> 00:10:02,433 But in around April, the end of April in Virginia, 184 00:10:02,567 --> 00:10:05,333 the barn would have been cleaned out at that point. 185 00:10:05,467 --> 00:10:09,300 - By a few months. - Can a human be locked into a tobacco barn? 186 00:10:09,433 --> 00:10:13,300 Are those slots very heavy to move? 187 00:10:13,433 --> 00:10:16,300 Couldn't they just kick it out or push it out from the inside? 188 00:10:16,433 --> 00:10:19,600 They're relatively easy to pivot on their hinges. 189 00:10:19,734 --> 00:10:23,500 We see a couple different attachments here to kind of secure this. 190 00:10:23,633 --> 00:10:27,667 - Yeah. - You've got the wooden slat that spins on one nail. 191 00:10:27,800 --> 00:10:30,433 If you're trying to get out, that looks like a pretty easy way to-- 192 00:10:30,567 --> 00:10:34,433 Yeah, but the thing of it is, when you have 25 vertical ventilators 193 00:10:34,567 --> 00:10:36,400 or something like that, some may be half open. 194 00:10:36,533 --> 00:10:39,266 - Ansaldi: It's like a shutter on a house. - Huber: Right. 195 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:43,000 Structurally, it's not made to keep anybody in, right? 196 00:10:43,133 --> 00:10:46,233 - Well, no. It's not a jail. - In other words, it's not-- yeah, exactly. 197 00:10:46,367 --> 00:10:48,266 We got two desperate fugitives. 198 00:10:48,400 --> 00:10:49,667 They're on the run, obviously, 199 00:10:49,800 --> 00:10:52,667 from one of the most heinous crimes ever done 200 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:55,100 in the United States up until that point in time. 201 00:10:55,233 --> 00:10:56,633 They're in the barn. 202 00:10:56,767 --> 00:10:58,300 They're aware that there's Union troops 203 00:10:58,433 --> 00:10:59,867 that are coming down the road. 204 00:11:00,066 --> 00:11:02,133 They've probably got about 10, 15 minutes 205 00:11:02,266 --> 00:11:04,533 to figure out what the heck to do. 206 00:11:04,667 --> 00:11:06,667 If they're locked in here, do you think they could have got out of this? 207 00:11:06,800 --> 00:11:08,867 - Out of this particular-- - Yes. My own opinion? Yes. 208 00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:14,667 -[Fishburne] So why wouldn't the most wanted men in the country 209 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:18,734 simply push their way out of that tobacco barn? 210 00:11:18,867 --> 00:11:21,700 It's the first of many questions about what truly happened 211 00:11:21,834 --> 00:11:25,667 to John Wilkes Booth. 212 00:11:25,800 --> 00:11:29,300 Coming up on "History's Greatest Mysteries"... 213 00:11:29,433 --> 00:11:32,500 John Wilkes Booth was not the body in the barn. 214 00:11:32,633 --> 00:11:36,066 When May first saw the corpse, he said, "That's not Booth." 215 00:11:36,200 --> 00:11:39,767 This notion that John Wilkes Booth survived 216 00:11:39,900 --> 00:11:43,367 fuels a lot of myths about the time period. 217 00:11:43,500 --> 00:11:45,467 Troy Cowan: He deserve to die right there in the barn? 218 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:48,300 But if he didn't, then let's find out why 219 00:11:48,433 --> 00:11:50,734 or where and how he escaped. 220 00:12:02,066 --> 00:12:04,567 ( indistinct chatter ) 221 00:12:04,700 --> 00:12:07,867 -[Fishburne] 12 days after assassinating President Lincoln, 222 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:11,834 John Wilkes Booth was locked in a tobacco barn at the Garrett farm 223 00:12:11,967 --> 00:12:14,467 with co-conspirator David Herold. 224 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:16,667 When Union cavalry set a fire to smoke them out, 225 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:19,867 Herold surrendered, but Booth was shot, 226 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:22,700 dragged from the burning barn, and later died. 227 00:12:22,834 --> 00:12:25,467 Case closed, justice served. 228 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:27,433 Or was it? 229 00:12:27,567 --> 00:12:29,834 My cousins grew up with the same story 230 00:12:29,967 --> 00:12:34,166 that John Wilkes Booth was not the body in the barn. 231 00:12:34,300 --> 00:12:36,100 -[Fishburne] Some Booth family members believe John Wilkes 232 00:12:36,233 --> 00:12:38,834 was not the man killed that night at Garrett's farm, 233 00:12:38,967 --> 00:12:40,934 and they cite various reasons. 234 00:12:41,066 --> 00:12:43,800 There's the enduring claim that as David Herold surrendered, 235 00:12:43,934 --> 00:12:47,066 he said that the man in the barn was not Booth. 236 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:50,300 And the fact that at the official autopsy, 237 00:12:50,433 --> 00:12:51,834 Dr. John Frederick May, 238 00:12:51,967 --> 00:12:54,433 the man brought in to identify the body, 239 00:12:54,567 --> 00:12:57,467 did not recognize it as Booth's. 240 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:00,567 That's significant to Dr. Robert Arnold, 241 00:13:00,700 --> 00:13:02,700 who has written about the assassination. 242 00:13:02,834 --> 00:13:06,734 Arnold: When May first saw the corpse, he said, "That's not Booth, 243 00:13:06,867 --> 00:13:09,834 and I have no reason to believe this could ever be the man." 244 00:13:09,967 --> 00:13:13,233 -[Fishburne] But if John Wilkes Booth escaped, where did he go? 245 00:13:13,367 --> 00:13:15,266 According to Booth family lore, 246 00:13:15,400 --> 00:13:18,166 he reunited with a woman named Martha Izola, 247 00:13:18,300 --> 00:13:21,700 someone they believe was his wife. 248 00:13:21,834 --> 00:13:25,166 Author Troy Cowan, who wrote a book about Izola, agrees. 249 00:13:25,300 --> 00:13:29,066 Historians have ignored the marriage to John Wilkes Booth because they kept it a secret. 250 00:13:29,200 --> 00:13:30,867 Nobody knew about it. 251 00:13:31,000 --> 00:13:32,734 -[Fishburne] Some members of the Booth family believe 252 00:13:32,867 --> 00:13:33,900 Booth and Martha Izola 253 00:13:34,033 --> 00:13:36,834 had a daughter named Ogarita. 254 00:13:36,967 --> 00:13:38,166 Ogarita is born nine months 255 00:13:38,300 --> 00:13:41,934 after they were married in 1859. 256 00:13:42,066 --> 00:13:45,033 -[Fishburne] As the story goes, after the assassination, 257 00:13:45,166 --> 00:13:48,000 Booth and Martha Izola set sail for India, 258 00:13:48,133 --> 00:13:50,533 leaving their daughter behind. 259 00:13:50,667 --> 00:13:54,967 After a very short stay, they decided to return to the United States. 260 00:13:55,100 --> 00:13:58,233 -[Fishburne] That is what some Booth family members and others believe. 261 00:13:58,367 --> 00:14:03,300 There's evidence that Martha Izola did get married, but not to Booth. 262 00:14:03,433 --> 00:14:08,867 According to court records, she married a man named John Stevenson in 1870. 263 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,633 The couple had a son named Harry Jerome Stevenson. 264 00:14:12,767 --> 00:14:15,133 But according to Booth family lore, 265 00:14:15,266 --> 00:14:18,667 that marriage was a cover story to conceal the fact 266 00:14:18,800 --> 00:14:21,100 that Harry Jerome Stevenson's real father 267 00:14:21,233 --> 00:14:23,000 was John Wilkes Booth. 268 00:14:23,133 --> 00:14:26,767 Is that accepted that it was John Wilkes Booth's child? 269 00:14:26,900 --> 00:14:29,000 In our family and among historians 270 00:14:29,133 --> 00:14:33,633 that are not just going by the general accepted history. 271 00:14:33,767 --> 00:14:36,567 -[Fishburne] This story was published in a 1937 book 272 00:14:36,700 --> 00:14:37,767 by Ogarita's daughter 273 00:14:37,900 --> 00:14:39,800 Izola Forrester, 274 00:14:39,934 --> 00:14:42,400 Harry Jerome Stevenson's niece. 275 00:14:42,533 --> 00:14:45,967 30 years earlier, a Tennessee lawyer named Finis Bates 276 00:14:46,100 --> 00:14:47,767 had written a different account 277 00:14:47,900 --> 00:14:49,900 of Booth's life as a fugitive. 278 00:14:50,033 --> 00:14:52,900 According to Bates, Booth made his way west, 279 00:14:53,033 --> 00:14:56,066 where he died in Enid, Oklahoma in 1903 280 00:14:56,200 --> 00:14:58,633 under the alias David E. George. 281 00:14:58,767 --> 00:15:01,133 To investigate these different accounts, 282 00:15:01,266 --> 00:15:03,066 a team will examine critical evidence 283 00:15:03,200 --> 00:15:04,667 and conduct DNA testing 284 00:15:04,800 --> 00:15:07,667 on some possible Booth family members. 285 00:15:07,800 --> 00:15:11,533 It's a process familiar to former U.S. Marshal Art Roderick. 286 00:15:11,667 --> 00:15:15,033 Roderick: There's been so many books written about John Wilkes Booth, 287 00:15:15,166 --> 00:15:17,867 you could spend your lifetime actually wading through 288 00:15:18,000 --> 00:15:20,066 all the different conspiracy theories. 289 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:21,834 And what we always try to do 290 00:15:21,967 --> 00:15:23,500 from the law enforcement perspective 291 00:15:23,633 --> 00:15:26,967 is boil it down to the facts. 292 00:15:27,100 --> 00:15:31,500 -[Fishburne] The hunt for facts continues at the place where Lincoln was assassinated. 293 00:15:31,633 --> 00:15:35,033 Kauffman: We're in Ford's Theatre on Tenth Street in Washington, 294 00:15:35,166 --> 00:15:37,667 and this is the place where President Lincoln came 295 00:15:37,800 --> 00:15:42,400 on the night of Good Friday, April 14th, 1865. 296 00:15:42,533 --> 00:15:46,633 The previous Sunday, Robert E. Lee had surrendered to General Grant, 297 00:15:46,767 --> 00:15:49,867 and the city had been celebrating all week long. 298 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:54,333 -[Fishburne] Mary Lincoln deto celebrate that evening 299 00:15:54,467 --> 00:15:59,066 by attending the popular comic play "Our American Cousin." 300 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:02,600 The president, in a joyous mood, agreed to join her. 301 00:16:02,734 --> 00:16:04,633 Kauffman: It wasn't so much the play, 302 00:16:04,767 --> 00:16:08,266 it was joining in the celebration of the end of the war. 303 00:16:08,400 --> 00:16:11,500 -[Fishburne] But in the closing months of the Civil War, 304 00:16:11,633 --> 00:16:15,600 John Wilkes Booth had orchestrated an evolving plot against the president. 305 00:16:15,734 --> 00:16:18,166 Swanson: John Wilkes Booth's first plot against Abraham Lincoln 306 00:16:18,300 --> 00:16:21,300 was not to murder him, it was to kidnap him. 307 00:16:23,066 --> 00:16:24,767 He could use Lincoln as a captive 308 00:16:24,900 --> 00:16:26,433 to force the North to surrender 309 00:16:26,567 --> 00:16:29,300 all the Confederate prisoners of war. 310 00:16:29,433 --> 00:16:31,667 -[Fishburne] In the fall of 1864, 311 00:16:31,800 --> 00:16:35,367 Booth drew a group of associates into his kidnapping plot. 312 00:16:35,500 --> 00:16:38,934 But on the 18th of January 1865, 313 00:16:39,066 --> 00:16:43,533 the Union government agreed to resume prisoner exchanges with the South. 314 00:16:43,667 --> 00:16:47,867 There was no longer any reason to capture Abraham Lincoln 315 00:16:48,000 --> 00:16:51,600 and force them to do what in fact they were already doing. 316 00:16:51,734 --> 00:16:55,200 Booth was very disappointed. He thought he could perform this masterstroke 317 00:16:55,333 --> 00:16:58,133 where he would become part of history and change history. 318 00:16:58,266 --> 00:17:00,700 Then on April 3rd, Richmond fell. 319 00:17:00,834 --> 00:17:03,133 Then news got even worse for Booth. 320 00:17:03,266 --> 00:17:06,834 On April 9th, Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox. 321 00:17:06,967 --> 00:17:09,767 He thought the cause was lost. 322 00:17:09,900 --> 00:17:13,734 When John Wilkes Booth woke up on the morning of April 14th, 1865, 323 00:17:13,867 --> 00:17:17,133 he did not know that he was going to assassinate Abraham Lincoln that night. 324 00:17:17,266 --> 00:17:20,233 He went to Ford's Theatre to pick up his mail. 325 00:17:20,367 --> 00:17:23,400 Kauffman: One of the theater employees told Booth 326 00:17:23,533 --> 00:17:25,967 that Abraham Lincoln is planning to be here tonight. 327 00:17:26,100 --> 00:17:28,000 Swanson: That started the ticking clock. 328 00:17:28,133 --> 00:17:30,667 And Booth said, "Maybe there's still time for me to act." 329 00:17:30,800 --> 00:17:32,433 So Booth ticked off in his head, 330 00:17:32,567 --> 00:17:33,967 "Who's still in town? 331 00:17:34,100 --> 00:17:35,633 Lewis Powell is still here. 332 00:17:35,767 --> 00:17:37,000 George Atzerodt is here. 333 00:17:37,133 --> 00:17:39,900 David Herold is here. We can do it." 334 00:17:40,033 --> 00:17:44,500 He starts making plans not only for an attack on the president, 335 00:17:44,633 --> 00:17:47,033 but also possibly the vice president, 336 00:17:47,166 --> 00:17:52,333 and certainly the Secretary of State William Seward. 337 00:17:52,467 --> 00:17:56,600 -[Fishburne] That afternoon, Booth arrived at Ford's Theatre during a rehearsal. 338 00:17:56,734 --> 00:18:00,066 He went into the vestibule behind the presidential box, 339 00:18:00,200 --> 00:18:03,467 taking with him a piece of wood from a music stand 340 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:06,767 that he'd later use to barricade the door. 341 00:18:06,900 --> 00:18:09,867 Once he put that bar in place, no one could follow him 342 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:12,200 into Abraham Lincoln's box at Ford's Theatre. 343 00:18:12,333 --> 00:18:14,567 The play began around 8:00 that night, 344 00:18:14,700 --> 00:18:17,834 and John Wilkes Booth dropped in from time to time, 345 00:18:17,967 --> 00:18:20,500 looking at the clock in the lobby and so on. 346 00:18:20,633 --> 00:18:22,867 He went next door and had a drink, 347 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:25,900 and he had a kind of a last-minute get-together 348 00:18:26,033 --> 00:18:29,900 with Lewis Powell and possibly George Atzerodt. 349 00:18:30,033 --> 00:18:32,500 He needed to make sure his pistol was ready. 350 00:18:32,633 --> 00:18:35,734 He decided to use a single-shot Derringer pistol. 351 00:18:35,867 --> 00:18:38,233 Maybe Booth thought it was, in his twisted mind, 352 00:18:38,367 --> 00:18:40,367 more honorable to take Lincoln 353 00:18:40,500 --> 00:18:42,900 with a single coup de grâce like a hunter. 354 00:18:43,033 --> 00:18:46,667 Lincoln's entrance to Ford's Theatre was majestic in its simplicity. 355 00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:50,900 He arrived with no entourage, no armed guards. 356 00:18:51,033 --> 00:18:53,266 We think of security of the president today, 357 00:18:53,400 --> 00:18:55,533 it's completely different than the way it was back then. 358 00:18:55,667 --> 00:18:58,533 There was no security detail around the president all the time 359 00:18:58,667 --> 00:19:00,967 like we see now with what the Secret Service does. 360 00:19:01,100 --> 00:19:03,333 Lincoln did have a detail with him that evening 361 00:19:03,467 --> 00:19:05,266 from the Metropolitan Police Department. 362 00:19:05,400 --> 00:19:07,767 More than likely, the two main responsibilities he had 363 00:19:07,900 --> 00:19:10,066 at most was to meet the president at the door 364 00:19:10,200 --> 00:19:12,400 when he arrived at Ford's, get him to his box. 365 00:19:12,533 --> 00:19:15,934 Once the play was over, then get him from the box back to the street. 366 00:19:16,066 --> 00:19:20,667 Kauffman: Even in a city where you have a vast majority of people are pro-Southern, 367 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:24,600 they still didn't think it was necessary that you protect the president. 368 00:19:24,734 --> 00:19:28,300 Swanson: William Seward once said, "Oh, assassination? 369 00:19:28,433 --> 00:19:29,600 That's not an American habit or custom. 370 00:19:29,734 --> 00:19:31,767 That's not gonna happen here." 371 00:19:31,900 --> 00:19:34,700 Kauffman: So John Wilkes Booth came back in here about 10:00. 372 00:19:34,834 --> 00:19:36,767 He comes to the back of the theater 373 00:19:36,900 --> 00:19:39,667 and calls out to Ned Spangler. 374 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:42,333 He wants Spangler to hold his horse for him. 375 00:19:42,467 --> 00:19:45,667 Spangler says, "I'm busy. I'm here working," 376 00:19:45,800 --> 00:19:47,533 and so he refuses. 377 00:19:47,667 --> 00:19:50,100 So then Booth gets this young boy 378 00:19:50,233 --> 00:19:51,867 by the name of Joseph Burrows 379 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:54,467 to hold the horses' reins for him 380 00:19:54,600 --> 00:19:56,467 and then he goes inside. 381 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:57,934 Booth is about ready 382 00:19:58,066 --> 00:20:02,500 to go into that final stretch. 383 00:20:02,633 --> 00:20:05,300 Jeffery Jones: Booth's path pretty much followed the perimeter of the building, 384 00:20:05,433 --> 00:20:07,300 very similar to the path that Lincoln had taken. 385 00:20:07,433 --> 00:20:08,967 Oftentimes people will maybe ask questions of, 386 00:20:09,100 --> 00:20:10,433 "Why on Earth would you have have let 387 00:20:10,567 --> 00:20:11,433 John Wilkes Booth access the president?" 388 00:20:11,567 --> 00:20:13,166 Why would you not have? 389 00:20:13,300 --> 00:20:15,433 Today you see celebrities hanging out with politicians. 390 00:20:15,567 --> 00:20:17,633 Very similar in 1865 as well. 391 00:20:17,767 --> 00:20:19,333 One thing I find interesting about Booth 392 00:20:19,467 --> 00:20:21,600 is if he just wanted to kill the president, 393 00:20:21,734 --> 00:20:25,667 he could have been sitting back there with a Civil War era rifle. 394 00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,900 Making a shot from that distance across the theater 395 00:20:29,033 --> 00:20:30,934 would have been a pretty easy shot with a rifle. 396 00:20:31,066 --> 00:20:33,800 Yeah, but then there would be a chance that somebody else would get credit. 397 00:20:33,934 --> 00:20:36,000 Jones: So this is the door leading to the vestibule 398 00:20:36,133 --> 00:20:38,367 that would have then led to the actual presidential box. 399 00:20:38,500 --> 00:20:40,967 Booth more than likely gets here during the third act, 400 00:20:41,100 --> 00:20:43,200 scene two of "Our American Cousin." 401 00:20:43,333 --> 00:20:45,400 And he knows when he wants to fire the shot 402 00:20:45,533 --> 00:20:47,133 because he's familiar with the play, 403 00:20:47,266 --> 00:20:50,300 and it's going to be a big burst of laughter and all of that. 404 00:20:50,433 --> 00:20:52,967 So Booth makes his way into the vestibule here, 405 00:20:53,100 --> 00:20:56,767 then closes the door behind him, picking up the broken music stand 406 00:20:56,900 --> 00:20:59,667 that he had placed earlier, and then wedges this door shut. 407 00:20:59,800 --> 00:21:03,667 He is waiting outside the box. He can see through the hole. 408 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:08,533 Through that hole, you could see the top of the president's rocker 409 00:21:08,667 --> 00:21:11,767 - and the president's head. - Jones: Really in perfect position for just simply 410 00:21:11,900 --> 00:21:15,166 walking in and firing the shot. 411 00:21:15,300 --> 00:21:18,700 Major Henry Rathbone hears the shot, smells the sulfury gunpowder, 412 00:21:18,834 --> 00:21:20,600 realizes something has just happened. 413 00:21:20,734 --> 00:21:22,600 Booth drops the Derringer, 414 00:21:22,734 --> 00:21:25,600 pulls out his nine-inch dagger, lunges at Rathbone, 415 00:21:25,734 --> 00:21:29,667 Rathbone instinctly throwing up his left arm, catching the blade. 416 00:21:29,800 --> 00:21:33,667 The audience was stunned and didn't understand what was going on. 417 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:37,233 Booth got to the front rail and vaulted over, 418 00:21:37,367 --> 00:21:38,367 landing down on the stage. 419 00:21:38,500 --> 00:21:41,200 That's 12 and a half feet down. 420 00:21:41,333 --> 00:21:44,400 Booth lands unevenly on the stage 421 00:21:44,533 --> 00:21:47,033 and breaks a bone in his left leg. 422 00:21:47,166 --> 00:21:49,967 Kauffman: And after a few seconds, Mrs. Lincoln screamed, 423 00:21:50,100 --> 00:21:54,533 and John Wilkes Booth ran off the stage and went out the back door, 424 00:21:54,667 --> 00:21:58,967 where Joseph Burrows was waiting with his horse. 425 00:21:59,100 --> 00:22:02,900 -[Fishburne] According to some, what happened in the ensuing hours and days 426 00:22:03,033 --> 00:22:06,533 didn't play out the way history books say it did. 427 00:22:06,667 --> 00:22:10,066 Coming up on "History's Greatest Mysteries"... 428 00:22:10,200 --> 00:22:14,166 This is an individual that almost commits a perfect crime. 429 00:22:14,300 --> 00:22:16,467 Frank Gorman: There have been many stories 430 00:22:16,600 --> 00:22:18,233 about John Wilkes Booth escaping 431 00:22:18,367 --> 00:22:20,533 and where he went and what happened to him. 432 00:22:20,667 --> 00:22:23,367 Troy Cowan: After Jefferson Davis got out of prison, 433 00:22:23,500 --> 00:22:25,233 John Wilkes Booth wrote him a letter 434 00:22:25,367 --> 00:22:28,767 saying that he was alive, well, and living in Mexico. 435 00:22:39,066 --> 00:22:41,467 -[Fishburne] As President Lincoln lay dying in a boarding house 436 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:43,266 across the street from Ford's Theatre, 437 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:45,934 his assassin fled through northern Maryland, 438 00:22:46,066 --> 00:22:49,667 headed for a tavern owned by Mary Surratt. 439 00:22:49,800 --> 00:22:53,934 Booth would have felt comfortable in Maryland and Virginia 440 00:22:54,066 --> 00:22:55,333 because they were slave states. 441 00:22:55,467 --> 00:22:56,500 And so I think it would 442 00:22:56,633 --> 00:22:58,767 have been seen as a haven 443 00:22:58,900 --> 00:23:02,033 for any Southern sympathizer. 444 00:23:02,166 --> 00:23:06,367 -[Fishburne] Surratt's Tavern was indeed a haven for those with Southern sympathies. 445 00:23:06,500 --> 00:23:11,100 Former US Marshal Art Roderick met with author James L. Swanson 446 00:23:11,233 --> 00:23:14,367 to retrace fugitive Booth's known steps. 447 00:23:14,500 --> 00:23:17,500 Roderick: So, James, here we are at Surratt's Tavern. 448 00:23:17,633 --> 00:23:20,834 Why don't you tell me what happened here in April of 1865? 449 00:23:20,967 --> 00:23:23,567 A little after midnight, John Wilkes Booth and David Herold 450 00:23:23,700 --> 00:23:24,834 rode up to this tavern, 451 00:23:24,967 --> 00:23:26,800 and Booth didn't want to dismount 452 00:23:26,934 --> 00:23:28,700 because of his broken leg. 453 00:23:28,834 --> 00:23:32,200 David Herold got off his horse, knocked on this door, 454 00:23:32,333 --> 00:23:35,567 and told the tavern keeper to come down and let them in. 455 00:23:35,700 --> 00:23:37,033 Booth knew he was coming here. 456 00:23:37,166 --> 00:23:38,700 It was always part of his plan. 457 00:23:38,834 --> 00:23:40,800 Earlier that day, he stopped at Mary Surratt's 458 00:23:40,934 --> 00:23:43,500 boarding house in Washington, DC. 459 00:23:43,633 --> 00:23:45,800 She was the mother of John Surratt, Jr., 460 00:23:45,934 --> 00:23:48,100 one of Booth's conspirators in the kidnapping plot. 461 00:23:48,233 --> 00:23:51,066 Booth handed her his binoculars and he said, 462 00:23:51,200 --> 00:23:53,600 "Mary, can you take these to your country tavern 463 00:23:53,734 --> 00:23:57,834 and tell the innkeeper John Lloyd that people are coming tonight 464 00:23:57,967 --> 00:23:59,700 and I want to pick up my guns." 465 00:24:02,333 --> 00:24:05,100 Earlier, as part of the kidnapping plot, 466 00:24:05,233 --> 00:24:07,934 Booth had left two Spencer repeating carbines here. 467 00:24:08,066 --> 00:24:10,100 They were hidden behind a wall. 468 00:24:10,233 --> 00:24:12,300 Cleverly, they were suspended on ropes, 469 00:24:12,433 --> 00:24:16,767 so you'd have to look down and see that the carbines were down there. 470 00:24:16,900 --> 00:24:18,767 Now, we don't know if Booth told Mary that, 471 00:24:18,900 --> 00:24:20,734 "I'm stopping there after I've killed the president. I want my guns." 472 00:24:20,867 --> 00:24:23,633 - Right, right. - He probably only told her, 473 00:24:23,767 --> 00:24:26,667 "I'm passing through town. I'm gonna pick up the binoculars. 474 00:24:26,800 --> 00:24:28,767 And tell Lloyd the innkeeper to get those guns ready." 475 00:24:28,900 --> 00:24:31,633 - Mm-hmm. - Lloyd told David Herold, 476 00:24:31,767 --> 00:24:33,333 "Wait here. I'll get the guns." 477 00:24:33,467 --> 00:24:35,333 Then Booth said to Lloyd, 478 00:24:35,467 --> 00:24:37,900 "There's some news if you'd like to hear it." 479 00:24:38,033 --> 00:24:41,667 And Lloyd said, "I'm not particular about it. Tell me if you want." 480 00:24:41,800 --> 00:24:43,900 And Booth, unbelievably, confessed. 481 00:24:44,033 --> 00:24:47,266 The actor in him couldn't resist boasting about what he had done. 482 00:24:47,400 --> 00:24:52,467 He said, "I'm pretty certain that we've assassinated the president." 483 00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:55,767 Because he wasn't sure. He did not know yet if he had succeeded. 484 00:24:55,900 --> 00:24:57,633 He didn't know if it was a fatal wound. 485 00:24:57,767 --> 00:24:59,667 It sounds like the assassination plot 486 00:24:59,800 --> 00:25:01,400 was done kind of on the spur of the moment, 487 00:25:01,533 --> 00:25:03,367 and the planning was done for the kidnapping 488 00:25:03,500 --> 00:25:06,066 as opposed to the assassination. 489 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:08,533 Swanson: Booth still knew where the safehouses were. 490 00:25:08,667 --> 00:25:11,100 He knew the names of Confederate operatives and agents. 491 00:25:11,233 --> 00:25:13,000 But he had one big advantage when he got here. 492 00:25:13,133 --> 00:25:15,066 He was riding ahead of the news. 493 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:18,367 Nobody in Maryland knew that Abraham Lincoln had been shot. 494 00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:20,433 They don't want to stay here long 495 00:25:20,567 --> 00:25:21,934 because the cavalry's going to come out of Washington 496 00:25:22,066 --> 00:25:23,467 searching the countryside. 497 00:25:23,600 --> 00:25:26,934 And then Booth and Herold rode off into the night. 498 00:25:27,066 --> 00:25:29,133 -[Fishburne] The traditional says that Booth and Herold 499 00:25:29,266 --> 00:25:30,934 rode from Surratt's Tavern 500 00:25:31,066 --> 00:25:33,467 to the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd. 501 00:25:33,600 --> 00:25:36,300 Booth was badly in need of medical attention. 502 00:25:36,433 --> 00:25:41,834 From Washington to Mudd's house is 25 to 30 miles, 503 00:25:41,967 --> 00:25:46,500 and Booth had broken his ankle when he fell onto the stage. 504 00:25:46,633 --> 00:25:50,233 In riding a horse, you use your legs 505 00:25:50,367 --> 00:25:52,367 sort of as a shock absorber. 506 00:25:52,500 --> 00:25:55,533 He couldn't do that, and he had to bounce along. 507 00:25:55,667 --> 00:25:57,867 And by the time he got to Mudd's, 508 00:25:58,000 --> 00:26:01,600 his back was killing him. 509 00:26:01,734 --> 00:26:04,400 -[Fishburne] But Dr. Mudd's statements about Booth's visit suggest 510 00:26:04,533 --> 00:26:07,767 it might not have been David Herold traveling with Booth, 511 00:26:07,900 --> 00:26:10,233 but a younger man named Edwin Hynson, 512 00:26:10,367 --> 00:26:12,700 shown in this photo. 513 00:26:12,834 --> 00:26:15,767 In testimony Dr. Mudd gave to Union authorities, 514 00:26:15,900 --> 00:26:21,300 he said Booth's accomplice gave his name as Hynson. 515 00:26:21,433 --> 00:26:23,767 Mudd stated he had seen the photograph of Herold, 516 00:26:23,900 --> 00:26:27,467 but did not recognize it as that of the young man. 517 00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:31,667 In another statement, Mudd described Hynson as a well-grown boy 518 00:26:31,800 --> 00:26:34,333 who looked to be about 17 or 18, 519 00:26:34,467 --> 00:26:37,033 a boy who had never yet shaved. 520 00:26:37,166 --> 00:26:40,200 That's a far better description of Edwin Hynson 521 00:26:40,333 --> 00:26:42,600 than the 23-year-old Herold, 522 00:26:42,734 --> 00:26:45,767 whose ample five o'clock shadow can be seen in photos 523 00:26:45,900 --> 00:26:47,667 taken after his capture. 524 00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,533 If Booth was traveling with Hynson, 525 00:26:50,667 --> 00:26:54,166 then is it possible Booth wasn't at Garrett's farm with Herold 526 00:26:54,300 --> 00:26:57,867 and that he wasn't the man that died there? 527 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:01,300 That's what some Booth family members believe, 528 00:27:01,433 --> 00:27:04,967 and they point to the possibility that Booth fathered children 529 00:27:05,100 --> 00:27:09,166 after the history books say he died. 530 00:27:09,300 --> 00:27:12,467 To help find the truth, Dr. Colleen Fitzpatrick, 531 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:15,100 a noted forensic genealogist, 532 00:27:15,233 --> 00:27:17,100 agreed to undertake DNA testing 533 00:27:17,233 --> 00:27:19,600 of some Booth family members. 534 00:27:19,734 --> 00:27:23,533 So I've been contacted by one of the Booth family members. 535 00:27:23,667 --> 00:27:28,700 Her name is Joanne Hulme, and she has documentation showing her lineage. 536 00:27:28,834 --> 00:27:33,533 Can we possibly use Joanne's DNA to prove or disprove 537 00:27:33,667 --> 00:27:35,367 whether or not these people are descendants? 538 00:27:35,500 --> 00:27:38,467 Well, that's where genetic genealogy comes in. 539 00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:41,567 Forensic genealogy is the application 540 00:27:41,700 --> 00:27:44,500 of scientific methods to genealogy. 541 00:27:44,633 --> 00:27:49,467 In an informal sense, it's known as "CSI" meets "Roots." 542 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:54,000 Fortunately, we have the ability to take DNA tests as genealogists 543 00:27:54,133 --> 00:27:57,333 to prove family lines or disprove family lines, 544 00:27:57,467 --> 00:28:01,400 and so we no longer have to rely on family stories 545 00:28:01,533 --> 00:28:05,166 and documentation that may not have provenance. 546 00:28:05,300 --> 00:28:09,367 Now, when you test Joanne, the whole point really 547 00:28:09,500 --> 00:28:13,900 is to compare her to some people that might be Booths, but are not sure. 548 00:28:16,066 --> 00:28:20,333 We want to compare, I'll call them the maybe Booths, 549 00:28:20,467 --> 00:28:22,100 against authentically documented Booths. 550 00:28:22,233 --> 00:28:25,533 Joanne is a candidate because she descends 551 00:28:25,667 --> 00:28:28,734 from John Wilkes Booth's paternal aunt. 552 00:28:28,867 --> 00:28:31,900 This whole project actually comes down to DNA. 553 00:28:32,033 --> 00:28:35,166 We're sitting in a time where history and science 554 00:28:35,300 --> 00:28:38,166 are going to merge together. 555 00:28:38,300 --> 00:28:41,133 -[Fishburne] Among the possible descendants of John Wilkes Booth 556 00:28:41,266 --> 00:28:45,900 is Andy Gorto, whose great-great-grandfather is Harry Jerome Stevenson, 557 00:28:46,033 --> 00:28:50,333 a man allegedly fathered by Booth after Booth was supposed to be dead. 558 00:28:50,467 --> 00:28:55,834 "At left, Mrs. Joseph Balla, former Izola Frances Stevenson, 559 00:28:55,967 --> 00:28:59,100 who asserts John Wilkes Booth was her grandfather." 560 00:28:59,233 --> 00:29:01,834 At right, this is Izola Martha Stevenson, 561 00:29:01,967 --> 00:29:07,233 "Who Mrs. Balla says married assassin of President Lincoln in Connecticut in 1864." 562 00:29:07,367 --> 00:29:10,233 So this would be Izola Martha Mills. 563 00:29:10,367 --> 00:29:12,066 That's my mother's mother actually right there. 564 00:29:12,200 --> 00:29:13,233 This is your mother's mother? 565 00:29:13,367 --> 00:29:14,967 - Yes. - Got it. 566 00:29:15,100 --> 00:29:17,467 And then her father would have been Harry Jerome Stevenson? 567 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:20,400 - Yes. - You've given your sample for the DNA test... 568 00:29:20,533 --> 00:29:22,266 - Yes. - ...which is exciting. 569 00:29:22,400 --> 00:29:24,400 - It is. - The only thing I get really concerned about 570 00:29:24,533 --> 00:29:27,300 is at the end of the day, it's gonna come down to science. 571 00:29:27,433 --> 00:29:29,266 We're gonna come up with an answer, 572 00:29:29,400 --> 00:29:31,767 and are you guys ready to face that answer? 573 00:29:31,900 --> 00:29:34,900 Oh, definitely. It would just be nice to know. 574 00:29:35,033 --> 00:29:38,333 Be nice to vindicate my mother and grandmother, you know? 575 00:29:38,467 --> 00:29:42,800 And shed some light on really what happened. 576 00:29:42,934 --> 00:29:46,266 -[Fishburne] Coming up on "History's Greatest Mysteries"... 577 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:49,900 Arnold: Boston Corbett could not have killed the man in the barn. 578 00:29:50,033 --> 00:29:53,467 This shows the downward inclination of the bullet. 579 00:29:53,600 --> 00:29:54,934 That's the trajectory. 580 00:29:55,066 --> 00:29:56,934 You're saying a shot from a higher up angle? 581 00:29:57,066 --> 00:29:58,967 Yes. Boston Corbett would have had to have been 582 00:29:59,100 --> 00:30:02,066 18 feet in the air to have fired that. 583 00:30:02,200 --> 00:30:04,567 Trajectories don't lie. People do. 584 00:30:15,133 --> 00:30:16,633 -[Fishburne] Five and a half hours 585 00:30:16,767 --> 00:30:18,967 after John Wilkes Booth shot President Lincoln, 586 00:30:19,100 --> 00:30:23,533 he arrived at the home of Dr. Samuel Mudd with a broken leg. 587 00:30:23,667 --> 00:30:28,133 Relying on statements Dr. Mudd gave to Union officers after his arrest, 588 00:30:28,266 --> 00:30:33,367 some theorized that Booth was accompanied by a young man named Edwin Hynson. 589 00:30:33,500 --> 00:30:36,633 But most historians, like James Swanson, 590 00:30:36,767 --> 00:30:41,367 maintain that Booth was traveling with conspirator David Herold. 591 00:30:41,500 --> 00:30:45,066 Booth sat on his horse right about here, about 20 paces from the house. 592 00:30:45,200 --> 00:30:49,767 David Herold dismounted and pounded on the front door till he woke Dr. Mudd. 593 00:30:49,900 --> 00:30:52,900 Mudd shouted through the door, "Who is it? What do you want?" 594 00:30:53,033 --> 00:30:54,867 Herold said, "We're from around here. 595 00:30:55,000 --> 00:30:57,800 I'm with a friend. His horse fell, and he's got a broken bone. 596 00:30:57,934 --> 00:31:02,200 He needs help." Mudd came out to help the injured man off the horse. 597 00:31:02,333 --> 00:31:05,934 - Roderick: Right. Yep. - Swanson: And that's when Dr. Mudd knew it. 598 00:31:06,066 --> 00:31:08,166 This is John Wilkes Booth. 599 00:31:08,300 --> 00:31:11,166 This wasn't Booth's first visit to this house. 600 00:31:11,300 --> 00:31:12,867 - He'd spent the night here. - Right. 601 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:15,200 He had come down to this county and met with Dr. Mudd 602 00:31:15,333 --> 00:31:17,066 and other Confederate operatives. 603 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:19,633 Mudd was part of Booth's plot to kidnap Abraham Lincoln. 604 00:31:19,767 --> 00:31:22,066 - Right. - Dr. Mudd did not know that John Wilkes Booth 605 00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:25,400 was going to assassinate Abraham Lincoln that night. 606 00:31:25,533 --> 00:31:29,133 Well, after Dr. Mudd helped John Wilkes Booth come through the front door, 607 00:31:29,266 --> 00:31:32,867 he took him into this room, the front parlor. 608 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:35,633 And Mudd sat him on the sofa. 609 00:31:35,767 --> 00:31:37,367 He didn't even take him up to his office. 610 00:31:37,500 --> 00:31:41,000 So Booth reclined on that sofa and Dr. Mudd began to help him. 611 00:31:41,133 --> 00:31:43,467 - On that actual sofa? - On that sofa. 612 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:46,500 - Roderick: That sofa right there? - Swanson: Yes. 613 00:31:46,633 --> 00:31:51,133 Mudd knew he had to get Booth's left boot off, but it wouldn't come off. 614 00:31:51,266 --> 00:31:54,166 He tried to yank it off, and it caused Booth agonizing pain. 615 00:31:54,300 --> 00:31:57,367 So he cut the boot open and pulled it off of his leg. 616 00:31:57,500 --> 00:31:59,633 He detected that he had a simple fracture. 617 00:31:59,767 --> 00:32:03,600 Easy enough to treat. Dr. Mudd left Booth on the sofa, 618 00:32:03,734 --> 00:32:06,033 and he went upstairs, fashioned a splint. 619 00:32:06,166 --> 00:32:09,200 And then Dr. Mudd knew that Booth was gonna need crutches, 620 00:32:09,333 --> 00:32:11,333 and so he made a pair of crutches here. 621 00:32:11,467 --> 00:32:13,133 He invited him to spend the night 622 00:32:13,266 --> 00:32:15,200 and took him upstairs to the front bedroom 623 00:32:15,333 --> 00:32:17,433 where Booth rested for several hours. 624 00:32:17,567 --> 00:32:19,033 David Herold came down for breakfast, 625 00:32:19,166 --> 00:32:20,734 but Booth didn't want food. 626 00:32:20,867 --> 00:32:23,133 He just stayed upstairs till at least around noon. 627 00:32:23,266 --> 00:32:25,533 Yeah. They spent quite a few hours here then. 628 00:32:25,667 --> 00:32:27,867 They did. They got here at 4 AM, 629 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,033 and they were here till the following evening. 630 00:32:30,166 --> 00:32:34,934 And during his stay here, he asked for a razor and shaving cream, 631 00:32:35,066 --> 00:32:36,667 and he shaved his mustache off. 632 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:38,934 So this is where he cleaned up quite a bit? 633 00:32:39,066 --> 00:32:40,967 This is where he cleaned up and changed his appearance. 634 00:32:41,100 --> 00:32:44,400 And changed his appearance, exactly. 635 00:32:44,533 --> 00:32:47,133 -[Fishburne] Knowing it would be painful for Booth to ride a horse, 636 00:32:47,266 --> 00:32:50,200 Dr. Mudd and David Herold searched for a carriage, 637 00:32:50,333 --> 00:32:52,533 but none were available. 638 00:32:52,667 --> 00:32:54,533 Herold returned to the farm, 639 00:32:54,667 --> 00:32:56,800 and Dr. Mudd rode on to Bryantown, 640 00:32:56,934 --> 00:32:58,900 where he saw Union cavalry 641 00:32:59,033 --> 00:33:02,033 and learned that President Lincoln had died that morning, 642 00:33:02,166 --> 00:33:05,300 killed by John Wilkes Booth. 643 00:33:05,433 --> 00:33:08,900 He didn't tell the soldiers. He rushed back here to tell John Wilkes Booth, 644 00:33:09,033 --> 00:33:11,033 "What have you done? You've implicated me. 645 00:33:11,166 --> 00:33:13,767 You've endangered me and my family. You've gotta go. 646 00:33:13,900 --> 00:33:16,967 I'll protect you. I won't tell them you were here. 647 00:33:17,100 --> 00:33:18,867 But you have to leave right now. 648 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:21,166 You can't be found here." 649 00:33:21,300 --> 00:33:24,400 John Wilkes Booth knew the cavalry was just a few miles away in Bryantown, 650 00:33:24,533 --> 00:33:26,767 but he felt safe and familiar on this spot. 651 00:33:26,900 --> 00:33:30,800 But once Mudd sent him down that road to the great Zekiah Swamp, 652 00:33:30,934 --> 00:33:33,967 he was heading into territory unknown to him. 653 00:33:34,100 --> 00:33:36,633 From the time John Wilkes Booth left Dr. Mudd's farm, 654 00:33:36,767 --> 00:33:38,967 he had to make it up as he went along. 655 00:33:39,100 --> 00:33:43,066 Roderick: This is an individual that almost commits a perfect crime, 656 00:33:43,200 --> 00:33:45,667 but because he broke that bone in his leg, 657 00:33:45,800 --> 00:33:48,033 he started to have to improvise, 658 00:33:48,166 --> 00:33:50,934 - and that's where these criminals always go wrong. - That's right. 659 00:33:51,066 --> 00:33:53,433 -[Fishburne] Hobbling on crutches, Booth pressed on, 660 00:33:53,567 --> 00:33:57,166 determined to elude the spreading Union threat. 661 00:34:00,166 --> 00:34:03,200 Swanson: When he left Mudd, he then connects with Thomas Jones, 662 00:34:03,333 --> 00:34:08,433 an agent who specializes in ferrying spies and agents across the river here. 663 00:34:08,567 --> 00:34:11,033 And Jones gave him the most important advice 664 00:34:11,166 --> 00:34:13,100 that Booth got during the entire escape. 665 00:34:13,233 --> 00:34:15,433 Jones said, "The cavalry's going to be close. 666 00:34:15,567 --> 00:34:20,233 I suggest we hide in place and wait for the Union forces 667 00:34:20,367 --> 00:34:23,333 to sweep through the area and move on past us." 668 00:34:26,033 --> 00:34:28,567 -[Fishburne] For five days, Booth and Herold hid in the pine thicket 669 00:34:28,700 --> 00:34:32,900 waiting for a chance to cross the Potomac River into Virginia. 670 00:34:33,033 --> 00:34:36,734 They finally crossed into Virginia on April 24th. 671 00:34:36,867 --> 00:34:39,500 There they met three Confederate soldiers 672 00:34:39,633 --> 00:34:44,033 and were ferried across the Rappahannock by William Rollins. 673 00:34:44,166 --> 00:34:48,266 The soldiers then guided them to Garrett's farm. 674 00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:52,400 Now Rollins is still in the same place the following day 675 00:34:52,533 --> 00:34:56,700 when pursuers from the 16th New York Cavalry come along. 676 00:34:56,834 --> 00:35:00,900 And he says, "Yeah, they were here about 24 hours ago. 677 00:35:01,033 --> 00:35:04,767 Willie Jett is one of the soldiers who is with them. 678 00:35:04,900 --> 00:35:07,567 You can go ask Willie. Everybody knows where he is 679 00:35:07,700 --> 00:35:11,200 because he's got a girlfriend down in Bowling Green, Virginia." 680 00:35:11,333 --> 00:35:13,266 And they pull Willie out of bed, 681 00:35:13,400 --> 00:35:17,567 and Colonel Everton Conger puts a gun to his head 682 00:35:17,700 --> 00:35:20,734 and says, "We know that you were with Booth." 683 00:35:20,867 --> 00:35:26,467 So Willie Jett tells them, "I left him at the Garrett farm." 684 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:29,633 -[Fishburne] The Union soldiers returned with Jett to Garrett's farm 685 00:35:29,767 --> 00:35:32,767 and surrounded the barn where Booth and Herold were hiding. 686 00:35:32,900 --> 00:35:35,033 When the fugitives wouldn't surrender, 687 00:35:35,166 --> 00:35:37,300 soldiers set fire to the barn. 688 00:35:37,433 --> 00:35:41,100 After Herold gave himself up, a sergeant named Boston Corbett 689 00:35:41,233 --> 00:35:44,700 saw Booth move toward the door holding a rifle 690 00:35:44,834 --> 00:35:46,133 and shot him through the neck. 691 00:35:46,266 --> 00:35:47,233 ( gunshot ) 692 00:35:51,033 --> 00:35:54,066 Dr. Robert Arnold disputes that account. 693 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:55,734 A Navy surgeon for 30 years 694 00:35:55,867 --> 00:35:58,567 and an assistant county coroner, 695 00:35:58,700 --> 00:36:01,667 he was inspired to write his own book about the Lincoln assassination. 696 00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:05,033 There was a little journal published by the Navy, 697 00:36:05,166 --> 00:36:07,300 and there was an article about the autopsy 698 00:36:07,433 --> 00:36:10,066 of the man that was killed in Garrett's barn, 699 00:36:10,200 --> 00:36:13,734 and it questioned the identification of the corpse. 700 00:36:13,867 --> 00:36:17,000 -[Fishburne] That article by Leonard Guttridge is among the Neff-Guttridge papers 701 00:36:17,133 --> 00:36:20,166 housed at Indiana State University. 702 00:36:20,300 --> 00:36:22,467 David Vancil: And a collection like this is often labelled 703 00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:24,467 a conspiracy collection. 704 00:36:24,600 --> 00:36:27,800 In fact, it is not a conspiracy collection. 705 00:36:27,934 --> 00:36:29,667 It's a collection of research materials 706 00:36:29,800 --> 00:36:32,900 and it can be interpreted different ways 707 00:36:33,033 --> 00:36:35,367 by different researchers. 708 00:36:35,500 --> 00:36:38,834 -[Fishburne] Dr. Arnold joined Art Roderick at Indiana State 709 00:36:38,967 --> 00:36:41,967 to share his theory about the corpse at Garrett's farm. 710 00:36:42,100 --> 00:36:44,133 Central to his argument are three vertebrae 711 00:36:44,266 --> 00:36:46,367 that were removed from Booth's body 712 00:36:46,500 --> 00:36:51,200 during his autopsy aboard a Navy gunboat, the U.S.S. Montauk. 713 00:36:51,333 --> 00:36:55,133 The vertebrae are now kept at the National Museum of Health and Medicine 714 00:36:55,266 --> 00:36:57,367 in Silver Spring, Maryland. 715 00:36:57,500 --> 00:37:01,467 I finally went to the medical museum to look at the actual specimen 716 00:37:01,600 --> 00:37:07,066 to see the vertebrae from the corpse that was on the Montauk. 717 00:37:07,200 --> 00:37:10,533 This looks like a picture from the medical museum I know you had talked about. 718 00:37:10,667 --> 00:37:14,233 - You actually saw this. - This is the three vertebrae 719 00:37:14,367 --> 00:37:17,100 that the pathologist removed, 720 00:37:17,233 --> 00:37:20,433 and it shows the downward inclination of the bullet. 721 00:37:20,567 --> 00:37:24,567 That's the trajectory, which I measured out at 20 degrees. 722 00:37:24,700 --> 00:37:27,800 This is almost one vertebra lower here. 723 00:37:27,934 --> 00:37:31,033 - You're saying a shot from a higher up angle? - Yes. 724 00:37:31,166 --> 00:37:35,900 -[Fishburne] Since Boston Corwas a short man standing on the ground, 725 00:37:36,033 --> 00:37:39,900 Dr. Arnold believes he could not have fired the deadly shot from overhead. 726 00:37:40,033 --> 00:37:43,700 Boston Corbett could not have killed the man in the barn. 727 00:37:43,834 --> 00:37:47,533 Corbett would have had to have been 18 feet in the air to have fired that. 728 00:37:47,667 --> 00:37:50,266 Trajectories don't lie. People do. 729 00:37:50,400 --> 00:37:52,900 -[Fishburne] Dr. Arnold also points out issues surrounding 730 00:37:53,033 --> 00:37:55,734 Dr. Frederick May's role in the autopsy. 731 00:37:55,867 --> 00:38:00,133 A highly regarded surgeon, Dr. May had removed an infected growth 732 00:38:00,266 --> 00:38:02,834 from the back of Booth's neck two years earlier. 733 00:38:02,967 --> 00:38:06,967 He was brought aboard the Montauk to identify Booth's body. 734 00:38:07,100 --> 00:38:10,000 Roderick: You were a pathologist. Dr. May was a surgeon. 735 00:38:10,133 --> 00:38:14,266 I don't know how many times he would come across a body that was into decomposition. 736 00:38:14,400 --> 00:38:17,633 Arnold: He would ordinarily never do that. His specialty was surgery. 737 00:38:17,767 --> 00:38:21,467 He said, "This man does not resemble John Wilkes Booth." 738 00:38:21,600 --> 00:38:25,700 But the most interesting thing to me is when he said his right leg 739 00:38:25,834 --> 00:38:27,900 - was black from a fracture. - Yes, yes. 740 00:38:28,033 --> 00:38:30,433 Arnold: Now, May is smart enough to know 741 00:38:30,567 --> 00:38:34,567 that a fracture does not cause your leg to turn black. That's soft tissue. 742 00:38:34,700 --> 00:38:37,967 The injury that Booth received on the stage, 743 00:38:38,100 --> 00:38:40,633 and it was corroborated by Dr. Mudd, 744 00:38:40,767 --> 00:38:44,033 was a simple fracture two inches above the instep. 745 00:38:44,166 --> 00:38:48,500 But Mudd did not describe any soft tissue damage whatsoever. 746 00:38:48,633 --> 00:38:52,667 He even noted the lack of tumefaction-- which is swelling. 747 00:38:52,800 --> 00:38:55,100 Yet the corpse on the Montauk 748 00:38:55,233 --> 00:38:59,266 had enough soft tissue damage that it had turned black. 749 00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:02,066 -[Fishburne] Dr. Arnold notes that Dr. May indicated 750 00:39:02,200 --> 00:39:04,033 the body had an injured right leg. 751 00:39:04,166 --> 00:39:06,834 Booth fractured his left leg. 752 00:39:06,967 --> 00:39:10,400 And his son said, "If he said it was a right leg, it was the right leg." 753 00:39:10,533 --> 00:39:13,333 - Yeah. - He didn't make those kind of mistakes. 754 00:39:13,467 --> 00:39:17,233 -[Fishburne] For these reasons, Dr. Arnold makes a bold assertion. 755 00:39:17,367 --> 00:39:21,200 Arnold: The man that May saw on the Montauk 756 00:39:21,333 --> 00:39:24,800 could not possibly have been the same one 757 00:39:24,934 --> 00:39:29,600 that broke his ankle on the stage and that Mudd saw. 758 00:39:29,734 --> 00:39:33,900 -[Fishburne] Coming up on "History's Greatest Mysteries"... 759 00:39:34,033 --> 00:39:38,333 The overall autopsy was not what we expect today. 760 00:39:38,467 --> 00:39:40,700 There would probably be a hundred autopsy photos. 761 00:39:40,834 --> 00:39:42,834 - Yeah. - They had a photographer there, 762 00:39:42,967 --> 00:39:44,367 but there's only one plate. 763 00:39:44,500 --> 00:39:46,500 So I think that was shut down. 764 00:39:58,367 --> 00:40:00,066 -[Fishburne] Some believe the description of 765 00:40:00,200 --> 00:40:03,266 John Wilkes Booth's dead body by Dr. Frederick May 766 00:40:03,400 --> 00:40:06,367 raises questions about who actually died in Garrett's barn. 767 00:40:08,800 --> 00:40:11,033 They point to an article Dr. May wrote years later 768 00:40:11,166 --> 00:40:14,467 about the autopsy aboard the U.S.S. Montauk 769 00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:16,400 in which he states that at first 770 00:40:16,533 --> 00:40:20,467 he didn't recognize the body as Booth's. 771 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:22,767 To further investigate that autopsy, 772 00:40:22,900 --> 00:40:25,533 Art Roderick met with Graham Hetrick. 773 00:40:25,667 --> 00:40:27,233 A coroner for three decades, 774 00:40:27,367 --> 00:40:30,700 Hetrick has conducted more than 3,000 autopsies. 775 00:40:30,834 --> 00:40:33,533 They examined the report by the Army surgeon 776 00:40:33,667 --> 00:40:36,500 who actually conducted the autopsy. 777 00:40:36,633 --> 00:40:40,066 This here is a statement by the Surgeon General Barnes. 778 00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:43,967 "I made at 2 PM this date, April 27th, 779 00:40:44,100 --> 00:40:48,033 a postmortem examination of the body of J. Wilkes Booth. 780 00:40:48,166 --> 00:40:52,800 The left leg and foot were encased in an appliance of splints and bandages, 781 00:40:52,934 --> 00:40:57,367 upon the removal of which, a fracture of the fibula was discovered. 782 00:40:57,500 --> 00:41:00,467 The cause of death was a gunshot wound in the neck, 783 00:41:00,600 --> 00:41:03,700 the ball passing through the boney bridge 784 00:41:03,834 --> 00:41:06,900 of the fourth and fifth cervical vertebrae 785 00:41:07,033 --> 00:41:09,066 severing the spinal cord. 786 00:41:09,200 --> 00:41:11,900 Paralysis of the entire body was immediate. 787 00:41:12,033 --> 00:41:15,333 And all the horrors of consciousness of suffering in death 788 00:41:15,467 --> 00:41:17,700 must have been present to the assassin 789 00:41:17,834 --> 00:41:20,000 during the two hours which he lingered." 790 00:41:20,133 --> 00:41:24,667 His description of the person being totally aware is true, 791 00:41:24,800 --> 00:41:27,800 because he has the capacity of thought. 792 00:41:27,934 --> 00:41:32,133 He is paralyzed and he was dying, really, of asphyxiation, 793 00:41:32,266 --> 00:41:34,934 because the diaphragm and not being able to move 794 00:41:35,066 --> 00:41:36,667 to help with the breathing. 795 00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:40,967 The overall autopsy was not what we expect today. 796 00:41:41,100 --> 00:41:43,433 There would probably be a hundred autopsy photos. 797 00:41:43,567 --> 00:41:45,333 - Yeah. - They had a photographer there, 798 00:41:45,467 --> 00:41:48,600 but there was only one plate. 799 00:41:48,734 --> 00:41:51,133 -[Fishburne] That one photo has never been seen, 800 00:41:51,266 --> 00:41:53,800 fueling conspiracy theories ever since. 801 00:41:53,934 --> 00:41:57,633 Especially since one of the primary purposes of the examination 802 00:41:57,767 --> 00:42:01,834 was to make a positive identification of Booth's body. 803 00:42:01,967 --> 00:42:05,166 None of Booth's family members or co-conspirators 804 00:42:05,300 --> 00:42:09,433 were present to ID the body, but Dr. John Frederick May was, 805 00:42:09,567 --> 00:42:13,700 and May's initial reaction was that the body did not resemble Booth. 806 00:42:13,834 --> 00:42:18,200 I'm not surprised that he said this doesn't even look like a likeness of Mr. Booth. 807 00:42:18,333 --> 00:42:19,934 - Right. - Because you have somebody who's been running 808 00:42:20,066 --> 00:42:21,800 through the swamps and the woods. 809 00:42:21,934 --> 00:42:24,367 He hasn't been eating regularly. He hasn't been sleeping. 810 00:42:24,500 --> 00:42:27,333 He probably didn't look like that handsome actor 811 00:42:27,467 --> 00:42:29,734 that May was used to seeing at Ford's Theatre. 812 00:42:29,867 --> 00:42:33,900 He died approximately at 5:30 AM on April 26th. 813 00:42:34,033 --> 00:42:37,500 Lieutenant Doherty sewed him into the blanket at around 8:30, so-- 814 00:42:37,633 --> 00:42:40,233 - No body bags in those days. - Yeah, really. 815 00:42:40,367 --> 00:42:43,567 -[Fishburne] The wrapped body was placed face down in a horse cart 816 00:42:43,700 --> 00:42:46,834 and taken to the Potomac River, where it traveled by boat 817 00:42:46,967 --> 00:42:50,467 to the Washington Navy Yard and was brought aboard the Montauk. 818 00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:53,900 Graham Hetrick: The autopsy did not start till 2 PM. 819 00:42:54,033 --> 00:42:57,367 - Wow. - There's a lot of postmortem changes going on there. 820 00:42:57,500 --> 00:43:00,667 The first one, you get in to rigor mortis. You stiffen. 821 00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:04,433 Another one simultaneously to that is called lividity. 822 00:43:04,567 --> 00:43:06,767 If you're laying somebody face down, 823 00:43:06,900 --> 00:43:10,633 that blood is gonna go towards the face during decomposition. 824 00:43:10,767 --> 00:43:14,967 By the time they got him, his face probably didn't look too good. 825 00:43:15,100 --> 00:43:20,133 It could be deceiving. But Dr. May, looking at the back of the neck, 826 00:43:20,266 --> 00:43:22,800 did say that although it isn't what I would consider 827 00:43:22,934 --> 00:43:25,233 a likeness of him, that is the scar. 828 00:43:25,367 --> 00:43:29,800 It's consistent with what I did. 829 00:43:29,934 --> 00:43:32,300 -[Fishburne] The Schlesinger Library at Harvard University 830 00:43:32,433 --> 00:43:37,567 holds the personal papers of Izola Paige Forrester, a celebrated author. 831 00:43:37,700 --> 00:43:41,900 Her 1937 book "This One Mad Act" tells a story 832 00:43:42,033 --> 00:43:45,133 in which Booth was not the dead man on the Montauk. 833 00:43:45,266 --> 00:43:49,200 Forrester believed she was the granddaughter of John Wilkes Booth 834 00:43:49,333 --> 00:43:51,166 and Martha Izola Mills. 835 00:43:51,300 --> 00:43:54,667 Based on all of the writings that we're finding in here 836 00:43:54,800 --> 00:43:58,734 of all these letters, it's pretty clear that Izola Mills, 837 00:43:58,867 --> 00:44:02,333 or Martha Izola Mills, was married... 838 00:44:02,467 --> 00:44:03,800 - Yes. Yes. - ...to John Wilkes Booth. 839 00:44:03,934 --> 00:44:05,867 Is that something that's always been known? 840 00:44:06,000 --> 00:44:08,133 Always. Always in our family, 841 00:44:08,266 --> 00:44:10,500 and in all the generations and all the different branches. 842 00:44:10,633 --> 00:44:14,400 Always known. Always accepted. Always acknowledged. 843 00:44:14,533 --> 00:44:17,900 Talk of the date when they were married... 844 00:44:18,033 --> 00:44:21,967 -[Fishburne] And while hisee no convincing evidence of that marriage, 845 00:44:22,100 --> 00:44:26,467 Joanne Hulme believes the proof exists in a document written by the minister 846 00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:29,867 who is alleged to have officiated their wedding. 847 00:44:30,000 --> 00:44:33,000 What it looks like is a marriage certificate 848 00:44:33,133 --> 00:44:36,800 that was dated January 9th, 1859 by Reverend Weaver. 849 00:44:36,934 --> 00:44:39,967 "This is to certify that on January 9th, 1859, 850 00:44:40,100 --> 00:44:43,266 I performed a ceremony joining in a holy matrimony 851 00:44:43,400 --> 00:44:48,533 John Byron Wilkes Booth and Martha Mills at my home in Dingletown, Connecticut." 852 00:44:48,667 --> 00:44:52,867 -[Fishburne] And there's a further shocking revelation in "This One Mad Act." 853 00:44:53,000 --> 00:44:55,834 There's an historic record of Martha I. M. Booth 854 00:44:55,967 --> 00:45:00,433 marrying John Stevenson in Baltimore in 1871. 855 00:45:00,567 --> 00:45:03,900 But Forrester's book claims Martha Izola's marriage to Stevenson 856 00:45:04,033 --> 00:45:07,400 was an arrangement to cover for Booth's escape 857 00:45:07,533 --> 00:45:10,900 and to conceal the identity of Booth's newborn son Harry 858 00:45:11,033 --> 00:45:14,333 by giving him Stevenson's name. 859 00:45:14,467 --> 00:45:19,767 Ansaldi: "One Mad Act" refers to this conversation that Harry has with his father 860 00:45:19,900 --> 00:45:21,400 at the end of his father's life. 861 00:45:21,533 --> 00:45:22,900 His father is dying. 862 00:45:23,033 --> 00:45:24,467 -[Fishburne] According to Forrester, 863 00:45:24,600 --> 00:45:26,266 the man Harry believed was his father 864 00:45:26,400 --> 00:45:27,967 confessed that Harry was really the son 865 00:45:28,100 --> 00:45:33,367 of his friend John Wilkes Booth. 866 00:45:33,500 --> 00:45:39,100 You can't father a child five years after you have been dead. 867 00:45:41,567 --> 00:45:44,600 There are plenty of stories about John Wilkes Booth 868 00:45:44,734 --> 00:45:47,367 having children, being married. 869 00:45:47,500 --> 00:45:51,433 I can believe that he probably got a woman pregnant. 870 00:45:51,567 --> 00:45:54,166 I would find it hard to believe that he never did. 871 00:45:54,300 --> 00:45:57,767 But as for the marriage, I'm very skeptical about it. 872 00:45:57,900 --> 00:46:02,066 Now in this age of genealogy done through DNA, 873 00:46:02,200 --> 00:46:06,967 I'm expecting we'll see an answer before too long. 874 00:46:07,100 --> 00:46:10,934 -[Fishburne] Coming up on "History's Greatest Mysteries"... 875 00:46:11,066 --> 00:46:15,100 This is a certified copy of the actual marriage certificate. 876 00:46:15,233 --> 00:46:18,133 It says that "John W. Booth married to a Louisa Payne." 877 00:46:18,266 --> 00:46:19,800 This is a series of documents 878 00:46:19,934 --> 00:46:24,467 from the state of Tennessee, Franklin County, from 1872. 879 00:46:24,600 --> 00:46:28,166 They do appear to be from that time frame, 1872. 880 00:46:28,300 --> 00:46:31,667 We can compare the actual groom's signature 881 00:46:31,800 --> 00:46:34,767 with the known John Wilkes Booth signature. 882 00:46:46,500 --> 00:46:48,767 -[Fishburne] A critical step in investigating 883 00:46:48,900 --> 00:46:52,066 whether John Wilkes Booth escaped after killing President Lincoln 884 00:46:52,200 --> 00:46:55,100 and fathered a son named Harry Jerome Stevenson 885 00:46:55,233 --> 00:46:59,934 is the DNA testing of Harry Jerome Stevenson's descendants. 886 00:47:00,133 --> 00:47:02,600 Dennis Farley and his sister Linda Casey 887 00:47:02,734 --> 00:47:06,100 are the great grandchildren of Harry Jerome Stevenson. 888 00:47:06,233 --> 00:47:09,500 The official historical record says that Harry was the son 889 00:47:09,633 --> 00:47:11,700 of Martha Izola and John Stevenson. 890 00:47:11,834 --> 00:47:14,000 But Dennis and Linda recall learning that 891 00:47:14,133 --> 00:47:18,633 their ancestor's father was really John Wilkes Booth. 892 00:47:18,767 --> 00:47:20,400 We were all at my grandmother's house. 893 00:47:20,533 --> 00:47:22,633 I think it was Joanne Gorto, started telling people, 894 00:47:22,767 --> 00:47:24,266 "You know, we're related to John Wilkes Booth." 895 00:47:24,400 --> 00:47:26,333 Of course, most of us didn't believe it, 896 00:47:26,467 --> 00:47:28,900 but my grandmother's mouth just dropped 897 00:47:29,033 --> 00:47:31,000 because she didn't ever want this story to get out. 898 00:47:31,133 --> 00:47:34,667 She thought people would take retribution on the family, you know? 899 00:47:34,800 --> 00:47:37,066 - Right. - She asked people just keep it within the family. 900 00:47:37,200 --> 00:47:40,600 Ansaldi: And this would have been Harry Jerome Stevenson's daughter. 901 00:47:40,734 --> 00:47:44,633 Did you guys ever know of John Henry Stevenson? 902 00:47:44,767 --> 00:47:46,166 Dennis Farley: Uncle Tom was the one that told us 903 00:47:46,300 --> 00:47:48,433 that this man Stevenson 904 00:47:48,567 --> 00:47:50,800 took the kids under his name. 905 00:47:50,934 --> 00:47:53,500 So that they could mask the identity, again, of the child. 906 00:47:53,633 --> 00:47:56,934 Yeah. We did hear that Stevenson was a convenience thing to help her child. 907 00:47:57,066 --> 00:48:00,533 And that, uh, it-- 908 00:48:00,667 --> 00:48:03,867 Ansaldi: And you never heard of the story of Martha Izola 909 00:48:04,000 --> 00:48:08,633 meeting John Wilkes Booth in California and taking a boat to India? 910 00:48:08,767 --> 00:48:11,200 I did hear about the boat trip. 911 00:48:11,333 --> 00:48:13,900 In that story, they go to India 912 00:48:14,033 --> 00:48:18,166 with John using an alias, John Byron Wilkes. 913 00:48:18,300 --> 00:48:20,900 There is a will that is created in India. 914 00:48:21,033 --> 00:48:23,700 -[Fishburne] Those who believe Booth escaped to India 915 00:48:23,834 --> 00:48:28,000 cite as proof the will of John Byron Wilkes. 916 00:48:28,133 --> 00:48:32,066 A certified copy of the will was found in Clay County, Indiana. 917 00:48:32,200 --> 00:48:37,333 The unsigned will, apparently executed in Bombay in 1883, 918 00:48:37,467 --> 00:48:39,066 gives sums of money to wives, 919 00:48:39,200 --> 00:48:41,500 lovers, and "heirs of my body" 920 00:48:41,633 --> 00:48:44,767 known to be associated with Booth. 921 00:48:44,900 --> 00:48:47,467 Ansaldi: And in that, Harry Jerome Stevenson is listed. 922 00:48:47,600 --> 00:48:49,800 Ogarita is also listed. 923 00:48:49,934 --> 00:48:52,066 Izola is listed. 924 00:48:52,200 --> 00:48:54,533 - Well, whether it's all true or not... - Yeah. 925 00:48:54,667 --> 00:48:58,166 - ...DNA will tell. - DNA will tell. 926 00:48:58,300 --> 00:49:00,800 -[Fishburne] Author Troy Cowan believes Booth escaped 927 00:49:00,934 --> 00:49:03,300 and fathered Harry Jerome Stevenson. 928 00:49:03,433 --> 00:49:07,667 Cowan's interest in the Booth story was sparked by his own family lore. 929 00:49:07,800 --> 00:49:11,734 I became interested in the John Wilkes Booth story because of my aunt Jane Davis. 930 00:49:11,867 --> 00:49:14,300 Her grandfather was John Riley Davis, 931 00:49:14,433 --> 00:49:16,800 and he was a cousin of Jefferson Davis. 932 00:49:16,934 --> 00:49:19,433 After Jefferson Davis got out of prison, 933 00:49:19,567 --> 00:49:21,333 John Wilkes Booth wrote him a letter 934 00:49:21,467 --> 00:49:25,533 saying that he was alive, well, and living in Mexico. 935 00:49:25,667 --> 00:49:28,834 -[Fishburne] But Cowan doesn't believe Booth died in India. 936 00:49:28,967 --> 00:49:31,567 In his version, Booth returned from India 937 00:49:31,700 --> 00:49:34,100 very much alive and went to Mexico, 938 00:49:34,233 --> 00:49:37,700 where many Confederate veterans fled after the Civil War. 939 00:49:37,834 --> 00:49:42,500 Booth left Mexico and went to Glen Rose, southwest of Dallas, 940 00:49:42,633 --> 00:49:45,800 and he opened a business selling liquor and tobacco. 941 00:49:45,934 --> 00:49:49,033 About this time, a US Marshal from Paris, Texas, 942 00:49:49,166 --> 00:49:51,734 was coming to Glen Rose for his marriage. 943 00:49:51,867 --> 00:49:53,934 Booth did not want to be seen. 944 00:49:54,066 --> 00:49:57,000 He went east and he wound up in Sewanee, Tennessee, 945 00:49:57,133 --> 00:49:58,934 and he got a job as a carpenter. 946 00:49:59,066 --> 00:50:01,867 There he met Louisa J. Payne. 947 00:50:02,000 --> 00:50:04,433 -[Fishburne] Fugitive Booth's alleged travels out west 948 00:50:04,567 --> 00:50:07,934 were a particular interest to the late Arthur Ben Chitty, 949 00:50:08,066 --> 00:50:11,166 who did extensive research into local Booth lore 950 00:50:11,300 --> 00:50:12,967 in Franklin County, Tennessee. 951 00:50:13,100 --> 00:50:17,934 The team met with his daughter to explore his theories. 952 00:50:18,066 --> 00:50:19,834 He started collecting oral histories. 953 00:50:19,967 --> 00:50:22,100 He never called himself a historian 954 00:50:22,233 --> 00:50:24,633 because he didn't do all the comparative analysis. 955 00:50:24,767 --> 00:50:26,533 He called himself a historiographer. 956 00:50:26,667 --> 00:50:28,700 And the distinction was that he collected this stuff, 957 00:50:28,834 --> 00:50:30,600 and then let's see what happens with it later. 958 00:50:30,734 --> 00:50:33,100 So a gentleman came from Fayetteville to give 959 00:50:33,233 --> 00:50:36,100 one of these oral histories to your dad? 960 00:50:36,233 --> 00:50:39,767 His name was Reese. He had known Macager Payne. 961 00:50:39,900 --> 00:50:44,200 Now Macager Payne was the purported stepson of John Wilkes Booth, 962 00:50:44,333 --> 00:50:47,633 who was nine years old at the time Booth entered their lives. 963 00:50:47,767 --> 00:50:50,967 - Here's something from Macager-- - Oh, yeah. 964 00:50:51,100 --> 00:50:55,533 "This John Wilkes Booth made the acquaintance 965 00:50:55,667 --> 00:50:58,033 with my mother at Sewanee, Tennessee. 966 00:50:58,166 --> 00:51:02,133 And the 25th of February, 1872, he married my mother. 967 00:51:02,266 --> 00:51:05,800 He told mother and me that he was the man that killed Lincoln. 968 00:51:05,934 --> 00:51:08,367 And that he was a rich man, if he could get to Little Rock. 969 00:51:08,500 --> 00:51:11,333 And we got as far as Memphis, Tennessee. 970 00:51:11,467 --> 00:51:14,367 There he disappeared, and we never heard of him any more." 971 00:51:14,500 --> 00:51:17,700 Cowan: While in Memphis, he was recognized. 972 00:51:17,834 --> 00:51:22,000 He got frightened and went back to Glen Rose, Texas. 973 00:51:22,133 --> 00:51:25,533 Em Turner Chitty: Louisa was four or five months pregnant when he left. 974 00:51:25,667 --> 00:51:27,367 -[Fishburne] Louisa gave birth to a daughter 975 00:51:27,500 --> 00:51:31,300 she named Laura Ida Elizabeth Booth. 976 00:51:31,433 --> 00:51:33,333 He was married here, and then your dad 977 00:51:33,467 --> 00:51:36,800 went looking for proof of that, and he actually found it. 978 00:51:36,934 --> 00:51:41,467 So this is a certified copy of the actual marriage certificate. 979 00:51:41,600 --> 00:51:46,667 It says that "John W. Booth married to a Louisa Payne February of 1872." 980 00:51:46,800 --> 00:51:48,567 There's also a marriage license. 981 00:51:48,700 --> 00:51:51,367 That's CC Rose. He's the justice of the peace. 982 00:51:51,500 --> 00:51:54,200 And you have J. and O. W. Boothe. 983 00:51:54,333 --> 00:51:56,800 And the other thing I see is an "E" at the end of it. 984 00:51:56,934 --> 00:52:00,900 -[Fishburne] Is it possible that "E" was an effort 985 00:52:01,033 --> 00:52:03,934 on Booth's part to disguise his true identity? 986 00:52:04,066 --> 00:52:06,233 Okay, but look at this. "Rose." 987 00:52:06,367 --> 00:52:10,700 A CC Rose was on the marriage certificate. I believe it was the judge. 988 00:52:10,834 --> 00:52:12,734 - "We, John Wilkes Booth--" - And, I think-- 989 00:52:12,867 --> 00:52:16,266 "CC Rose, are held and firmly bound 990 00:52:16,400 --> 00:52:20,467 to the state of Tennessee in the sum of $1,250." 991 00:52:20,600 --> 00:52:23,066 John Wilkes Booth owed CC Rose 992 00:52:23,200 --> 00:52:24,633 $1,250 according to this document. 993 00:52:24,767 --> 00:52:28,433 Which is a lot of money. It's like $25,000. It's huge. 994 00:52:28,567 --> 00:52:31,266 "Whereas the above-bound Booth 995 00:52:31,400 --> 00:52:34,700 has this day obtained a license to marry Louisa Payne, 996 00:52:34,834 --> 00:52:36,567 this obligation to be void." 997 00:52:36,700 --> 00:52:40,900 He had to-- he had to void his debt with CC Rose, 998 00:52:41,033 --> 00:52:44,233 and the way he did it was marrying Louisa Payne. 999 00:52:44,367 --> 00:52:46,700 Ansaldi: Was this a shotgun wedding? 1000 00:52:46,834 --> 00:52:49,266 Chitty: Maybe CC Rose was, like, an uncle. 1001 00:52:49,400 --> 00:52:54,033 He was rescuing her reputation. 1002 00:52:54,166 --> 00:52:57,600 -[Fishburne] To test this theorArt Roderick brought the Payne marriage papers 1003 00:52:57,734 --> 00:53:02,166 to forensic document examiner Robert Floberg for analysis. 1004 00:53:02,300 --> 00:53:05,266 Well, Rob, I know you've spent quite a few years in law enforcement. 1005 00:53:05,400 --> 00:53:08,400 How long have you been doing document examinations? 1006 00:53:08,533 --> 00:53:11,000 I've been doing it now for 30 years. 1007 00:53:11,133 --> 00:53:14,100 This is a series of documents from the state of Tennessee, 1008 00:53:14,233 --> 00:53:20,033 Franklin County, from 1872, which purport to be marriage licenses 1009 00:53:20,166 --> 00:53:23,934 and accompanying documents between Louisa Payne and John Wilkes Booth. 1010 00:53:24,066 --> 00:53:27,800 They do appear to be from that time frame, 1872. 1011 00:53:27,934 --> 00:53:31,433 The middle name is not really evident, so it's John W. Boothe. 1012 00:53:31,567 --> 00:53:36,233 We don't know that it's Wilkes. Boothe is spelled B-O-O-T-H-E. 1013 00:53:36,367 --> 00:53:38,133 Why would they add an "E" to Booth? 1014 00:53:38,266 --> 00:53:40,433 The story is that after they got married, 1015 00:53:40,567 --> 00:53:43,166 he confessed to her that, "Hey, I'm John Wilkes Booth." 1016 00:53:43,300 --> 00:53:45,533 And being the religious woman that she was, 1017 00:53:45,667 --> 00:53:47,767 she wanted to be married under his real name. 1018 00:53:47,900 --> 00:53:50,266 And the question is, did he alter his handwriting? 1019 00:53:50,400 --> 00:53:52,300 - Right. - You can disguise your handwriting, 1020 00:53:52,433 --> 00:53:53,934 but it's difficult. 1021 00:53:54,066 --> 00:53:56,133 There's so many aspects you have to disguise. 1022 00:53:56,266 --> 00:53:58,767 And I doubt that he could have done that under the pressure 1023 00:53:58,900 --> 00:54:00,533 of signing a court document. 1024 00:54:00,667 --> 00:54:02,734 What do you think about this particular document? 1025 00:54:02,867 --> 00:54:05,900 Robert Floberg: It's an agreement between a justice of the peace 1026 00:54:06,033 --> 00:54:08,367 and a John W. Boothe. 1027 00:54:08,500 --> 00:54:11,667 We can compare the actual groom's signature 1028 00:54:11,800 --> 00:54:14,400 with the known John Wilkes Booth signature. 1029 00:54:14,533 --> 00:54:20,066 There are inconsistencies to where I doubt that this would be John Wilkes Booth. 1030 00:54:20,200 --> 00:54:22,734 There's an inconsistency with the "T" crossing 1031 00:54:22,867 --> 00:54:25,066 and how the lowercase letters are created. 1032 00:54:25,200 --> 00:54:27,400 - So it's two different people? - Not John Wilkes Booth. 1033 00:54:27,533 --> 00:54:30,367 Not John Wilkes Booth. 1034 00:54:30,500 --> 00:54:34,200 -[Fishburne] Floberg also the John Byron Wilkes will. 1035 00:54:34,333 --> 00:54:36,300 - That's unfortunate there's no handwriting on the will. - Right. 1036 00:54:36,433 --> 00:54:38,066 It's just a typewritten document. 1037 00:54:38,200 --> 00:54:41,834 Filed in Clay circuit court in state of Indiana. Right. 1038 00:54:41,967 --> 00:54:44,333 And did the typewriter exist in 1883? 1039 00:54:44,467 --> 00:54:49,266 Well, yes, it did. At that time, typewriters had been around at least ten years, 1040 00:54:49,400 --> 00:54:54,667 and this specific typeface was in existence in the 1880s. 1041 00:54:54,800 --> 00:54:56,934 The early typewriters were all capital letters, 1042 00:54:57,066 --> 00:55:00,633 so it is conceivable that this is a legitimate document. 1043 00:55:00,767 --> 00:55:04,800 Unfortunately there's no cursive signature from the testator, 1044 00:55:04,934 --> 00:55:07,433 and that would have been John Byron Wilkes. 1045 00:55:07,567 --> 00:55:09,934 John Wilkes Booth had a very unique cursive signature, 1046 00:55:10,066 --> 00:55:12,600 and if he would have signed this alias name 1047 00:55:12,734 --> 00:55:16,133 with a lot of the similar letters and the letter connections, 1048 00:55:16,266 --> 00:55:20,600 we could conceivably make a match. 1049 00:55:20,734 --> 00:55:24,533 -[Fishburne] Coming up on "History's Greatest Mysteries"... 1050 00:55:24,667 --> 00:55:27,300 If you can prove that somebody was born after the date 1051 00:55:27,433 --> 00:55:29,567 of John Wilkes' supposed death, 1052 00:55:29,700 --> 00:55:31,300 that would be proof that John Wilkes never did 1053 00:55:31,433 --> 00:55:34,000 die in the barn and he lived after that. 1054 00:55:34,133 --> 00:55:35,834 That's why you need the DNA. 1055 00:55:46,100 --> 00:55:49,166 -[Fishburne] To further investigate the mystery of John Wilkes Booth, 1056 00:55:49,300 --> 00:55:52,033 the team went to Massachusetts and the grave 1057 00:55:52,166 --> 00:55:54,066 of the assassin's oldest brother, 1058 00:55:54,200 --> 00:55:56,367 Junius Brutus Booth, Jr. 1059 00:55:56,500 --> 00:55:59,667 Their guide is his great-grandson Tony Booth. 1060 00:55:59,800 --> 00:56:03,734 So right over here is your great-grandfather. 1061 00:56:03,867 --> 00:56:06,934 How were you told that you were part of the Booth family? 1062 00:56:07,066 --> 00:56:09,400 Actually, it was probably when I was 13 or 14. 1063 00:56:09,533 --> 00:56:12,400 There was a trunk that was hidden away in the attic. 1064 00:56:12,533 --> 00:56:16,266 And one day I got in there and opened it up and I found all these costumes. 1065 00:56:16,400 --> 00:56:19,967 Then I asked my mom and she said, "Well, you're a Booth." 1066 00:56:20,100 --> 00:56:23,600 And I said, "What does that mean particularly?" 1067 00:56:23,734 --> 00:56:26,100 And she said, "Well, you're related to John Wilkes Booth." 1068 00:56:26,233 --> 00:56:30,467 And it was sort of a stigma, but it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. 1069 00:56:30,600 --> 00:56:32,800 I'm not a fan of John Wilkes Booth. 1070 00:56:32,934 --> 00:56:35,033 He's the same to me as everybody else. 1071 00:56:35,166 --> 00:56:37,133 He's a devil and a killer, 1072 00:56:37,266 --> 00:56:40,433 and I had no desire to be related to the guy. 1073 00:56:40,567 --> 00:56:44,266 Ansaldi: Did your mom ever tell you about your great-grandfather? 1074 00:56:44,400 --> 00:56:46,433 Were any of your uncles theatrical? 1075 00:56:46,567 --> 00:56:49,133 Yeah, she mentioned that they were actors. 1076 00:56:49,266 --> 00:56:51,367 - Yeah. - And that this stuff that I'd found 1077 00:56:51,500 --> 00:56:53,633 was a costumes, you know, 1078 00:56:53,767 --> 00:56:56,100 that they wore, like, for "Julius Caesar" 1079 00:56:56,233 --> 00:56:59,767 and for some of these other plays that they did on stage. 1080 00:56:59,900 --> 00:57:02,333 -[Fishburne] To help solve the mystery, 1081 00:57:02,467 --> 00:57:05,367 Tony Booth agree to provide his DNA. 1082 00:57:05,500 --> 00:57:07,166 It will be compared to those who believe 1083 00:57:07,300 --> 00:57:10,133 they may be descended from children fathered by Booth 1084 00:57:10,266 --> 00:57:12,333 after history says he died. 1085 00:57:12,467 --> 00:57:16,633 If you can prove that somebody was born after the date of John Wilkes death, 1086 00:57:16,767 --> 00:57:18,233 supposed death, that would be proof 1087 00:57:18,367 --> 00:57:20,900 that John Wilkes never did die in the barn, 1088 00:57:21,033 --> 00:57:22,300 that he'd lived after that. 1089 00:57:22,433 --> 00:57:25,066 I, in a way, hope that he did die, 1090 00:57:25,200 --> 00:57:27,700 because he deserved to die right there in the barn. 1091 00:57:27,834 --> 00:57:30,433 But if he didn't, then let's find out why, 1092 00:57:30,567 --> 00:57:33,200 or where, and how he escaped. 1093 00:57:33,333 --> 00:57:36,400 -[Fishburne] Theories about Booth's possible escape 1094 00:57:36,533 --> 00:57:40,300 often include a mysterious figure named James William Boyd. 1095 00:57:40,433 --> 00:57:43,467 The majority of historians agree that John Wilkes Booth 1096 00:57:43,600 --> 00:57:46,300 was killed at the Garrett barn by Union troops 1097 00:57:46,433 --> 00:57:49,300 on April 26th, 1865. 1098 00:57:49,433 --> 00:57:52,633 His accomplice David Herold was arrested and later hanged 1099 00:57:52,767 --> 00:57:54,967 with fellow co-conspirator Lewis Powell, 1100 00:57:55,100 --> 00:57:57,333 George Atzerodt, and Mary Surratt. 1101 00:57:57,467 --> 00:58:00,867 After his arrest, David Herold had given testimony 1102 00:58:01,000 --> 00:58:03,266 that Booth was using the alias Boyd 1103 00:58:03,400 --> 00:58:05,033 when they crossed into Virginia 1104 00:58:05,166 --> 00:58:07,467 and met the Confederate cavalry there. 1105 00:58:07,600 --> 00:58:09,867 And one of those Rebel troopers, Willie Jett, 1106 00:58:10,000 --> 00:58:13,266 testified that Booth gave his name as James William Boyd 1107 00:58:13,400 --> 00:58:15,266 when they took him to Garrett's farm. 1108 00:58:15,400 --> 00:58:18,533 Yet some researchers and Booth family members believe 1109 00:58:18,667 --> 00:58:20,967 Booth wasn't at Garrett's farm that night. 1110 00:58:21,100 --> 00:58:23,867 Some suggest he escaped the manhunt in the company 1111 00:58:24,000 --> 00:58:26,266 of a young man named Edwin Hynson. 1112 00:58:26,400 --> 00:58:29,033 But if Booth wasn't traveling with David Herold, 1113 00:58:29,166 --> 00:58:32,000 then who was the man with Herold in that burning barn? 1114 00:58:32,133 --> 00:58:37,567 And who was James William Boyd? 1115 00:58:37,700 --> 00:58:40,033 It's well-documented that a Confederate soldier 1116 00:58:40,166 --> 00:58:42,300 named James W. Boyd existed, 1117 00:58:42,433 --> 00:58:44,233 and that while a prisoner of war, 1118 00:58:44,367 --> 00:58:45,934 he petitioned Secretary of War 1119 00:58:46,066 --> 00:58:48,600 Edwin Stanton for his release. 1120 00:58:48,734 --> 00:58:50,967 What happened to Boyd after his release 1121 00:58:51,100 --> 00:58:54,266 is where the mystery lies. 1122 00:58:54,400 --> 00:58:59,166 In a statement purportedly made by the Confederate officer John Singleton Mosby 1123 00:58:59,300 --> 00:59:01,800 shortly before his death in 1916, 1124 00:59:01,934 --> 00:59:04,800 Mosby claims he sent James William Boyd 1125 00:59:04,934 --> 00:59:07,033 to help Booth kidnap Lincoln. 1126 00:59:07,166 --> 00:59:09,433 If Mosby's statement is authentic, 1127 00:59:09,567 --> 00:59:11,633 it's a stunning claim. 1128 00:59:11,767 --> 00:59:15,500 Author Troy Cowan asserts that when the kidnap plot failed 1129 00:59:15,633 --> 00:59:18,433 and Booth impulsively killed the president instead, 1130 00:59:18,567 --> 00:59:21,834 Boyd fled south along the same path as Booth. 1131 00:59:21,967 --> 00:59:26,133 John Wilkes Booth and David Herold met up with him by accident 1132 00:59:26,266 --> 00:59:29,367 at Cox's farm, the next house after Dr. Mudd's. 1133 00:59:29,500 --> 00:59:34,266 James William Boyd led David Herold and John Wilkes Booth into the swamp. 1134 00:59:34,400 --> 00:59:36,633 -[Fishburne] According to Cowan, Boyd arranged 1135 00:59:36,767 --> 00:59:40,133 for their successful river crossings into Virginia. 1136 00:59:40,266 --> 00:59:42,600 Cowan: At the Rappahannock, after they crossed, 1137 00:59:42,734 --> 00:59:45,633 Booth reached in his pockets to pay James William Boyd 1138 00:59:45,767 --> 00:59:47,667 and he didn't have his money, 1139 00:59:47,800 --> 00:59:50,266 and he thought he left it in the wagon. 1140 00:59:50,400 --> 00:59:54,166 -[Fishburne] Cowan believes Booth sent Boyd back across the river to get his money 1141 00:59:54,300 --> 00:59:56,100 while Booth rode on ahead. 1142 00:59:56,233 --> 00:59:58,834 Cowan: Booth arrived at the Garrett farm on the 24th, 1143 00:59:58,967 --> 01:00:02,000 and the next day, he left for Harper's Ferry. 1144 01:00:02,133 --> 01:00:06,667 On the 25th, late at night, Herold and James William Boyd 1145 01:00:06,800 --> 01:00:08,633 came to the house looking for Booth, 1146 01:00:08,767 --> 01:00:10,467 and Booth had already left. 1147 01:00:10,600 --> 01:00:12,100 They needed a place to sleep, 1148 01:00:12,233 --> 01:00:14,700 so they offered them their corn crib to sleep in. 1149 01:00:18,400 --> 01:00:23,266 -[Fishburne] Dr. Robert Arnold describes how he believes Boyd came to be killed, 1150 01:00:23,400 --> 01:00:27,500 not by Boston Corbett, but by a shot from above. 1151 01:00:27,633 --> 01:00:30,200 It began with the arrest of Willie Jett. 1152 01:00:30,333 --> 01:00:32,633 Dr. Arnold maintains that the frightened Confederate 1153 01:00:32,767 --> 01:00:36,934 participated in a dark scheme to cover up Booth's escape. 1154 01:00:37,066 --> 01:00:41,300 Willie Jett was a marksman. 1155 01:00:41,433 --> 01:00:43,100 He's gonna kill Boyd by shooting him, 1156 01:00:43,233 --> 01:00:44,633 then he's going to kill Herold. 1157 01:00:44,767 --> 01:00:46,767 Then when the barn burns down, 1158 01:00:46,900 --> 01:00:48,300 there will be enough fire and everything 1159 01:00:48,433 --> 01:00:50,100 that they'll be so disfigured 1160 01:00:50,233 --> 01:00:52,166 that nobody'll really know who it is. 1161 01:00:52,300 --> 01:00:55,867 And then they would take the corpses back to Washington and be heroes. 1162 01:00:56,000 --> 01:00:59,100 -[Fishburne] Dr. Arnold says Conger's plan went awry 1163 01:00:59,233 --> 01:01:01,667 when David Herold wanted to surrender. 1164 01:01:01,800 --> 01:01:06,266 Arnold: Doherty opened the door and let David Herold surrender. 1165 01:01:06,400 --> 01:01:11,200 The next thing was James Boyd decided to surrender also. 1166 01:01:11,333 --> 01:01:14,867 And Jett shot him and everybody saw it, 1167 01:01:15,000 --> 01:01:18,433 and the trajectory was 20 degrees from horizontal, 1168 01:01:18,567 --> 01:01:21,100 so he probably shot from up in the hayloft. 1169 01:01:21,233 --> 01:01:23,066 And instead of letting him burn, 1170 01:01:23,200 --> 01:01:26,066 they all ran in and took the body out, 1171 01:01:26,200 --> 01:01:29,233 and he could be easily identified as not being Booth. 1172 01:01:29,367 --> 01:01:31,834 -[Fishburne] But there was a lot of reward money on the line, 1173 01:01:31,967 --> 01:01:35,300 and letting Booth escape would have been a national embarrassment. 1174 01:01:35,433 --> 01:01:38,333 Arnold: They kept the dead man there at the farm 1175 01:01:38,467 --> 01:01:43,066 long enough for Stanton to gerrymander the autopsy onboard the Montauk, 1176 01:01:43,200 --> 01:01:47,500 and then quickly get him underground and pass him off as Booth. 1177 01:01:47,633 --> 01:01:49,300 -[Fishburne] But would it have been possible 1178 01:01:49,433 --> 01:01:51,900 to pass off Boyd as Booth? 1179 01:01:52,033 --> 01:01:54,500 Investigator Art Roderick went to Virginia Tech 1180 01:01:54,633 --> 01:01:57,066 to see if cutting edge facial recognition technology 1181 01:01:57,200 --> 01:01:59,734 can provide an answer. 1182 01:01:59,867 --> 01:02:02,200 Our website is called Civil War Photo Sleuth. 1183 01:02:02,333 --> 01:02:05,967 We actually allow people to try to identify 1184 01:02:06,100 --> 01:02:08,800 unknown soldiers and sailors from the Civil War era. 1185 01:02:08,934 --> 01:02:10,934 How many photos do you have in the database here? 1186 01:02:11,066 --> 01:02:12,934 Right now we have almost 30,000. 1187 01:02:13,066 --> 01:02:16,600 - Wow. - So it is using a combination of human intelligence 1188 01:02:16,734 --> 01:02:18,900 - and artificial intelligence. - Right. 1189 01:02:19,033 --> 01:02:21,934 Kurt Luther: The artificial intelligence is face recognition. 1190 01:02:22,066 --> 01:02:25,500 We provided him two different photographs of John Wilkes Booth 1191 01:02:25,633 --> 01:02:27,900 as sort of a test subject. 1192 01:02:28,033 --> 01:02:30,033 -[Fishburne] Dr. Luther's software 1193 01:02:30,166 --> 01:02:32,333 matched the two completely different photos of Booth 1194 01:02:32,467 --> 01:02:34,667 out of 30,000 possibilities. 1195 01:02:34,800 --> 01:02:37,100 The system clearly works. 1196 01:02:37,233 --> 01:02:39,567 But what can it say about James William Boyd's 1197 01:02:39,700 --> 01:02:42,300 resemblance to John Wilkes Booth? 1198 01:02:42,433 --> 01:02:45,066 Was he similar enough that his body 1199 01:02:45,200 --> 01:02:47,834 might have been mistaken for John Wilkes Booth? 1200 01:02:47,967 --> 01:02:51,400 -[Fishburne] But while Dr. Luther's software matched two picture of Booth 1201 01:02:51,533 --> 01:02:53,200 out of 30,000 options, 1202 01:02:53,333 --> 01:02:57,600 there was no match between photos of Booth and Boyd. 1203 01:02:57,734 --> 01:03:00,533 It turns out that there are about 200 results 1204 01:03:00,667 --> 01:03:02,867 that look similar enough to this gentleman 1205 01:03:03,000 --> 01:03:04,800 to show up as results. 1206 01:03:04,934 --> 01:03:07,834 What we're not seeing are any of the photos of Booth... 1207 01:03:07,967 --> 01:03:11,166 - Right. - ...that we've uploaded. 1208 01:03:11,300 --> 01:03:15,066 -[Fishburne] Coming up on "History's Greatest Mysteries"... 1209 01:03:15,200 --> 01:03:17,467 People have been arguing whether it was really Booth 1210 01:03:17,600 --> 01:03:20,233 killed in the Garrett barn or not for a hundred years. 1211 01:03:20,367 --> 01:03:24,667 If we prove that you are indeed a Booth family match... 1212 01:03:24,800 --> 01:03:26,433 - Yes. - ...that would mean 1213 01:03:26,567 --> 01:03:28,800 that Booth couldn't have died in that barn. 1214 01:03:28,934 --> 01:03:32,467 I would like for them to exhume John Wilkes Booth. 1215 01:03:32,600 --> 01:03:35,900 Suppose John Wilkes Booth actually wasn't buried in here. 1216 01:03:44,867 --> 01:03:48,233 -[Fishburne] The team met with another DNA donor, Matt Wilkinson, 1217 01:03:48,367 --> 01:03:52,066 who believes his ancestor may have been born to John Wilkes Booth 1218 01:03:52,200 --> 01:03:55,567 after history says he died in 1865. 1219 01:03:55,700 --> 01:03:58,266 The relation goes through this guy right there. 1220 01:03:58,400 --> 01:03:59,867 Ansaldi: Harry Jerome Stevenson, 1221 01:04:00,066 --> 01:04:01,900 who would be your great-grandfather, 1222 01:04:02,033 --> 01:04:04,133 was the son of John Wilkes Booth. 1223 01:04:04,266 --> 01:04:06,834 - That's correct. - He was born in '71. 1224 01:04:06,967 --> 01:04:09,700 - Right. - -[Fishburne] If Wilkinson proves to be a Booth, 1225 01:04:09,834 --> 01:04:11,467 he must deal with a dual legacy. 1226 01:04:11,600 --> 01:04:13,767 Part of a renowned acting family 1227 01:04:13,900 --> 01:04:17,066 and a descendant of Lincoln's assassin. 1228 01:04:17,200 --> 01:04:21,367 My grandmother chose not to discuss it. 1229 01:04:21,500 --> 01:04:26,066 If we prove that you are indeed a Booth family match... 1230 01:04:26,200 --> 01:04:28,133 - Yes. - ...that would mean that Booth 1231 01:04:28,266 --> 01:04:30,200 couldn't have died in the barn, 1232 01:04:30,333 --> 01:04:31,900 because then your great-grandfather 1233 01:04:32,033 --> 01:04:34,433 could never have been born. Harry's the ringer. 1234 01:04:34,567 --> 01:04:39,500 Clearly, this would wipe away a chunk of history around all these events. 1235 01:04:45,367 --> 01:04:48,767 This notion that John Wilkes Booth survived 1236 01:04:48,900 --> 01:04:51,767 is one the fuels a lot of myths 1237 01:04:51,900 --> 01:04:54,767 about the time period. 1238 01:04:54,900 --> 01:04:57,967 Elle Harvell: In a way, it perpetuates a version of the Lost Cause, 1239 01:04:58,100 --> 01:05:01,033 because if he did live on, and if he did survive, 1240 01:05:01,166 --> 01:05:03,200 and he was not killed, 1241 01:05:03,333 --> 01:05:06,266 that's part of the Confederate Lost Cause, 1242 01:05:06,400 --> 01:05:09,967 this notion that the South will rise again. 1243 01:05:10,100 --> 01:05:15,200 The Confederacy had a win. 1244 01:05:15,333 --> 01:05:18,667 And so all of this is sort of out there and stirring the pot 1245 01:05:18,800 --> 01:05:21,900 of whether or not John Wilkes Booth got away with it, 1246 01:05:22,033 --> 01:05:25,400 getting to Texas or Oklahoma or any of the other places 1247 01:05:25,533 --> 01:05:27,700 that people believe that he was. 1248 01:05:27,834 --> 01:05:30,300 The notion that someone would show up 1249 01:05:30,433 --> 01:05:33,333 in a small Southern town or enclave 1250 01:05:33,467 --> 01:05:36,467 where there was great, great Confederate sympathy 1251 01:05:36,600 --> 01:05:40,166 and claim to be John Wilkes Booth makes sense 1252 01:05:40,300 --> 01:05:43,967 because that person would have the support, 1253 01:05:44,100 --> 01:05:47,533 would seem like a movie star of sorts. 1254 01:05:47,667 --> 01:05:49,033 Some of the girls would line up, 1255 01:05:49,166 --> 01:05:51,867 maybe sneak out their houses to see him-- 1256 01:05:52,000 --> 01:05:54,834 getting away with wooing girls 1257 01:05:54,967 --> 01:05:58,333 and leaving town with babies behind. 1258 01:05:58,467 --> 01:06:01,834 -[Fishburne] But before John Wilkes Booth could live to woo young ladies 1259 01:06:01,967 --> 01:06:07,400 and father children, he would first have to elude the Union manhunt. 1260 01:06:07,533 --> 01:06:09,767 Cowan: People have been discussing and arguing 1261 01:06:09,900 --> 01:06:11,700 whether it was really Booth killed in the Garrett barn 1262 01:06:11,834 --> 01:06:14,066 or not for a hundred years, 1263 01:06:14,200 --> 01:06:16,967 and that will not change until we have a definitive answer. 1264 01:06:17,100 --> 01:06:20,700 And the only thing that can be definitive is DNA testing. 1265 01:06:20,834 --> 01:06:23,900 You could possibly test the vertebrae 1266 01:06:24,033 --> 01:06:25,700 from the autopsy of John Wilkes Booth. 1267 01:06:25,834 --> 01:06:27,433 You possibly could. 1268 01:06:27,567 --> 01:06:30,200 If I could just get a little small sample of that 1269 01:06:30,333 --> 01:06:33,266 and compare it to a direct descendant 1270 01:06:33,400 --> 01:06:35,100 from the Booth family, 1271 01:06:35,233 --> 01:06:36,867 I think I can discover whether 1272 01:06:37,000 --> 01:06:38,900 that's really Booth or not. 1273 01:06:39,033 --> 01:06:40,900 -[Fishburne] DNA testing the remains 1274 01:06:41,033 --> 01:06:43,567 from Booth's autopsy aboard the Montauk 1275 01:06:43,700 --> 01:06:45,867 would settle the issue, but the three vertebrae 1276 01:06:46,000 --> 01:06:47,600 and section of spinal column 1277 01:06:47,734 --> 01:06:50,266 kept at the National Museum of Health and Medicine 1278 01:06:50,400 --> 01:06:53,400 have never been tested because they are deemed too valuable. 1279 01:06:53,533 --> 01:06:54,900 They're historical artifacts, 1280 01:06:55,033 --> 01:06:57,367 so they're valuable to American history. 1281 01:06:57,500 --> 01:07:01,300 So your decision is do we preserve the bones 1282 01:07:01,433 --> 01:07:03,433 at the expense of the genome? 1283 01:07:03,567 --> 01:07:05,767 Or would we want to take the genome out 1284 01:07:05,900 --> 01:07:07,800 at the expense of the bones? 1285 01:07:07,934 --> 01:07:09,533 -[Fishburne] Dr. Robert Arnold, 1286 01:07:09,667 --> 01:07:11,467 who has experience identifying dead bodies, 1287 01:07:11,600 --> 01:07:14,433 suggests that another key to solving the mystery 1288 01:07:14,567 --> 01:07:18,166 might lie in a Baltimore cemetery. 1289 01:07:18,300 --> 01:07:23,166 I would like for them to exhume John Wilkes Booth, examine the body, 1290 01:07:23,300 --> 01:07:26,233 and use what's known as tinal radiology, 1291 01:07:26,367 --> 01:07:30,967 where they X-ray the skull in the same plane as a picture and match it. 1292 01:07:31,100 --> 01:07:33,734 That's a very good way of identification. 1293 01:07:33,867 --> 01:07:36,100 -[Fishburne] But there's another problem. 1294 01:07:36,233 --> 01:07:40,300 The exact location of John Wilkes Booth's grave is also a mystery. 1295 01:07:40,433 --> 01:07:43,033 Where John Wilkes Booth was buried 1296 01:07:43,166 --> 01:07:44,600 in Green Mount Cemetery 1297 01:07:44,734 --> 01:07:47,166 was an issue from the very beginning. 1298 01:07:47,300 --> 01:07:49,133 -[Fishburne] John Wilkes Booth's body, 1299 01:07:49,266 --> 01:07:51,166 or the body of the man said to be Booth, 1300 01:07:51,300 --> 01:07:54,967 was released by the government to the family in 1869. 1301 01:07:55,100 --> 01:07:57,667 According to the documentary record, 1302 01:07:57,800 --> 01:07:59,333 the body was brought to Green Mount 1303 01:07:59,467 --> 01:08:02,200 on February 18th, 1869, 1304 01:08:02,333 --> 01:08:06,000 and interred in February or March of that year. 1305 01:08:06,133 --> 01:08:08,033 For several months, it was stored 1306 01:08:08,166 --> 01:08:11,066 in the undertaker's own family crypt. 1307 01:08:11,200 --> 01:08:16,967 It wasn't until June 13, 1869 that Mary Ann Booth 1308 01:08:17,100 --> 01:08:20,900 actually purchased the lot in Green Mount Cemetery. 1309 01:08:21,033 --> 01:08:25,367 Just 13 days later on June 26th, 1869, 1310 01:08:25,500 --> 01:08:30,333 there was indeed the burial of John Wilkes Booth's body 1311 01:08:30,467 --> 01:08:34,166 in the Booth plot somewhere. 1312 01:08:34,300 --> 01:08:37,166 -[Fishburne] Somewhere, but where exactly? 1313 01:08:37,300 --> 01:08:41,700 In 1995, Frank Gorman represented Green Mount Cemetery 1314 01:08:41,834 --> 01:08:45,867 in a case brought by Booth family members to exhume Booth's body 1315 01:08:46,000 --> 01:08:49,433 and determine of it's really their infamous relative buried there. 1316 01:08:49,567 --> 01:08:52,033 After four days of trial, the judge decided 1317 01:08:52,166 --> 01:08:55,166 that the evidence was not convincing 1318 01:08:55,300 --> 01:08:58,033 that John Wilkes Booth had escaped 1319 01:08:58,166 --> 01:09:00,166 or that he wasn't buried here. 1320 01:09:00,300 --> 01:09:03,600 And because it wasn't convincing, it wasn't compelling, 1321 01:09:03,734 --> 01:09:05,266 he turned down the petition. 1322 01:09:05,400 --> 01:09:07,533 He said you can't dig him up. 1323 01:09:07,667 --> 01:09:09,900 I read something somewhere about the amount of people 1324 01:09:10,033 --> 01:09:12,066 that are buried in that particular plot. 1325 01:09:12,200 --> 01:09:13,667 - Was that an issue during-- - Yeah, it was. 1326 01:09:13,800 --> 01:09:16,467 The cemetery and others really don't know 1327 01:09:16,600 --> 01:09:19,066 - exactly where in the cemetery he is. - Right. 1328 01:09:19,200 --> 01:09:22,900 Approximately ten or more Booth family members 1329 01:09:23,033 --> 01:09:25,066 are buried in that plot. 1330 01:09:25,200 --> 01:09:28,467 Edwin Booth did not want the grave to be marked. 1331 01:09:28,600 --> 01:09:30,934 That was his deliberate intention. 1332 01:09:31,066 --> 01:09:34,100 Suppose John Wilkes Booth actually isn't buried in there? 1333 01:09:34,233 --> 01:09:37,266 I'll answer that, but only with the clear premise that I believe he is. 1334 01:09:37,400 --> 01:09:39,066 I don't accept your premise. 1335 01:09:39,200 --> 01:09:42,100 But if John Wilkes Booth's not in here, 1336 01:09:42,233 --> 01:09:46,133 I think that would be a terrible thing to happen. 1337 01:09:46,266 --> 01:09:49,633 It would-- to this country, at this time especially, 1338 01:09:49,767 --> 01:09:51,667 it would glorify Booth, 1339 01:09:51,800 --> 01:09:53,900 and kind of diminish 1340 01:09:54,033 --> 01:09:56,000 a horrible thing that he did, 1341 01:09:56,133 --> 01:09:58,800 and give some kind of aid and comfort 1342 01:09:58,934 --> 01:10:03,133 to elements of the country who see Booth as a hero. 1343 01:10:03,266 --> 01:10:05,333 - Right. - And you think of President Lincoln, 1344 01:10:05,467 --> 01:10:07,166 probably the most admired-- 1345 01:10:07,300 --> 01:10:10,667 certainly the one or two most admired presidents 1346 01:10:10,800 --> 01:10:15,200 would have the end of his story kind of upset. 1347 01:10:15,333 --> 01:10:18,467 So, I'll leave it this way, I'm glad that he is in here, 1348 01:10:18,600 --> 01:10:20,633 - and I think that he is. - So, you're sure that he is in there? 1349 01:10:20,767 --> 01:10:22,767 - Yes, Art, I am. - Okay. 1350 01:10:26,800 --> 01:10:30,500 -[Fishburne] Coming up, did John Wilkes Booth become David E. George? 1351 01:10:30,633 --> 01:10:33,000 Cowan: Shortly before his death, David E. George confessed 1352 01:10:33,133 --> 01:10:36,000 to his landlady that he was really John Wilkes Booth, 1353 01:10:36,133 --> 01:10:39,734 and they had him preserved with extra embalming fluid. 1354 01:10:39,867 --> 01:10:44,266 But there's not question that David George was mummified. 1355 01:10:44,400 --> 01:10:48,066 The question is is David George John Wilkes Booth? 1356 01:11:00,834 --> 01:11:04,200 Truth in history is so difficult to get to. 1357 01:11:04,333 --> 01:11:04,800 Historians want 1358 01:11:04,934 --> 01:11:07,333 to get to the truth, 1359 01:11:07,467 --> 01:11:10,467 but they also insist on having evidence. 1360 01:11:10,600 --> 01:11:15,233 It's hard for a mainstream historian or an academic 1361 01:11:15,367 --> 01:11:17,567 to buy into some of these alternate theories 1362 01:11:17,700 --> 01:11:21,233 because that would mean that many, many generations of, 1363 01:11:21,367 --> 01:11:23,033 you know, whether they're Lincoln historians 1364 01:11:23,166 --> 01:11:25,266 or historians of the assassination, 1365 01:11:25,400 --> 01:11:26,967 that they were wrong. 1366 01:11:27,100 --> 01:11:28,567 -[Fishburne] The team met with another 1367 01:11:28,700 --> 01:11:30,667 possible John Wilkes Booth descendant. 1368 01:11:30,800 --> 01:11:32,900 Like the relatives of Harry Jerome Stevenson, 1369 01:11:33,033 --> 01:11:35,400 Lisa Booth agreed to DNA testing, 1370 01:11:35,533 --> 01:11:38,467 but she has a different family tree. 1371 01:11:38,600 --> 01:11:42,800 When did you find out that you were a descendant of John Wilkes Booth? 1372 01:11:42,934 --> 01:11:46,367 My father's John Wilkes Booth III, so early on. 1373 01:11:46,500 --> 01:11:50,033 So if your granddad was John Wilkes Booth II, 1374 01:11:50,166 --> 01:11:52,533 then his father, when was he born? 1375 01:11:52,667 --> 01:11:55,633 Lisa Booth: In December 1866. 1376 01:11:55,767 --> 01:11:58,467 - A whole year after the barn. - Correct. 1377 01:11:58,600 --> 01:12:02,567 Our family always said that he did not die in Garrett's barn 1378 01:12:02,700 --> 01:12:04,667 and continued to travel south. 1379 01:12:04,800 --> 01:12:06,900 So that would have him traveling into Texas 1380 01:12:07,033 --> 01:12:11,200 and then meeting up with your great-great-grandmother at that point? 1381 01:12:11,333 --> 01:12:13,800 I don't know her name. It's not listed in this Bible. 1382 01:12:13,934 --> 01:12:17,333 - This is your family Bible? - It belonged to my grandfather, yes. 1383 01:12:17,467 --> 01:12:19,700 That's where births and deaths were recorded. 1384 01:12:19,834 --> 01:12:21,867 So this says John Wilkes Booth 1385 01:12:22,000 --> 01:12:26,133 was born 8th of December, 1866. 1386 01:12:26,266 --> 01:12:29,834 We think that this was the son of John Wilkes Booth. 1387 01:12:29,967 --> 01:12:31,367 They just didn't add the "junior" to this one. 1388 01:12:31,500 --> 01:12:34,133 Ansaldi: Sitting with Lisa, her showing me 1389 01:12:34,266 --> 01:12:38,100 her family's Bible and the handwritten account 1390 01:12:38,233 --> 01:12:41,133 from a family member in a spiral notebook, 1391 01:12:41,266 --> 01:12:44,700 she was told as a child that what the government said, 1392 01:12:44,834 --> 01:12:47,467 what history said, wasn't the truth. 1393 01:12:47,600 --> 01:12:49,667 This is the truth. 1394 01:12:49,800 --> 01:12:53,934 He meets up with, obviously, a young lady in Texas? 1395 01:12:54,066 --> 01:12:55,700 In Shelby County, Texas. 1396 01:12:55,834 --> 01:12:59,033 This child was of that relationship, 1397 01:12:59,166 --> 01:13:01,934 and then he took off to parts unknown. 1398 01:13:02,066 --> 01:13:05,300 You're providing us with a sample DNA for you. 1399 01:13:05,433 --> 01:13:09,433 We actually have a control sample of Booth DNA 1400 01:13:09,567 --> 01:13:14,400 that really can prove whether or not any of this could potentially be true. 1401 01:13:14,533 --> 01:13:17,700 - What does that feel like? - I just think it's great to have an answer, 1402 01:13:17,834 --> 01:13:18,767 one way or the other. 1403 01:13:18,900 --> 01:13:20,266 Good, bad, or indifferent, 1404 01:13:20,400 --> 01:13:21,767 you are who you are. 1405 01:13:23,500 --> 01:13:25,133 There have been many stories 1406 01:13:25,266 --> 01:13:27,367 about John Wilkes Booth escaping, 1407 01:13:27,500 --> 01:13:29,467 and where he went, and what happened to him. 1408 01:13:29,600 --> 01:13:31,533 -[Fishburne] Where did Booth go? 1409 01:13:31,667 --> 01:13:34,200 According to author Troy Cowan's version of the story, 1410 01:13:34,333 --> 01:13:38,667 by 1870, Booth was living incognito in the Wild West. 1411 01:13:38,800 --> 01:13:41,033 Cowan: He went to Granville, Texas, 1412 01:13:41,166 --> 01:13:43,433 where he lived for another five years. 1413 01:13:43,567 --> 01:13:45,367 He used the name John St. Helen. 1414 01:13:45,500 --> 01:13:48,400 -[Fishburne] During this time, the man known as John St. Helen 1415 01:13:48,533 --> 01:13:50,367 met a young lawyer names Finis Bates, 1416 01:13:50,500 --> 01:13:53,567 who wrote a book published in 1907 entitled 1417 01:13:53,700 --> 01:13:56,867 "The Escape and Suicide of John Wilkes Booth." 1418 01:13:57,000 --> 01:14:00,934 Booth became very sick and he thought he was going to die. 1419 01:14:01,066 --> 01:14:05,667 So he confessed to Bates that he was really John Wilkes Booth. 1420 01:14:05,800 --> 01:14:08,867 -[Fishburne] But according to Bates' and Cowan's tale, Booth did not die. 1421 01:14:09,000 --> 01:14:11,000 He eventually moved further west 1422 01:14:11,133 --> 01:14:13,967 to the frontier town of Enid, Oklahoma. 1423 01:14:14,100 --> 01:14:16,934 While in Oklahoma, his alias was David E. George. 1424 01:14:17,066 --> 01:14:19,934 Shortly before his death, David E. George confessed 1425 01:14:20,066 --> 01:14:22,800 to his landlady that he was really John Wilkes Booth. 1426 01:14:22,934 --> 01:14:24,800 -[Fishburne] The man known as David E. George 1427 01:14:24,934 --> 01:14:27,367 died in Enid in 1903. 1428 01:14:27,500 --> 01:14:30,000 His death was reported as a suicide. 1429 01:14:30,133 --> 01:14:33,200 Newspapers across the country ran with the story of his confession. 1430 01:14:37,934 --> 01:14:40,533 Finis Bates read an article in the paper about the death 1431 01:14:40,667 --> 01:14:44,433 that this man confessed to being John Wilkes Booth. 1432 01:14:44,567 --> 01:14:47,266 So he wanted to go down to Oklahoma and see 1433 01:14:47,400 --> 01:14:49,767 if David E. George was John St. Helen, 1434 01:14:49,900 --> 01:14:51,700 and discovered that it was the same man. 1435 01:14:51,834 --> 01:14:55,033 And they had him preserved with extra embalming fluid. 1436 01:14:55,166 --> 01:14:58,300 So, David E. George was so embalmed that he became a mummy. 1437 01:15:01,367 --> 01:15:05,834 There's no question that David George was mummified. 1438 01:15:05,967 --> 01:15:11,066 The question is is David George John Wilkes Booth? 1439 01:15:11,200 --> 01:15:13,934 On that, the evidence is overwhelming that he was not. 1440 01:15:14,066 --> 01:15:18,100 If you compare the many pictures of John Wilkes Booth during his life 1441 01:15:18,233 --> 01:15:22,367 to the pictures of David E. George produced by Finis Bates, 1442 01:15:22,500 --> 01:15:24,800 they are not the same person. 1443 01:15:24,934 --> 01:15:27,700 -[Fishburne] Art Roderick bpictures of David E. George 1444 01:15:27,834 --> 01:15:31,300 and John St. Helen, who Finis Bates claimed were the same man, 1445 01:15:31,433 --> 01:15:33,700 to Professor Kurt Luther at Virginia Tech 1446 01:15:33,834 --> 01:15:37,700 to see if either of them match John Wilkes Booth. 1447 01:15:37,834 --> 01:15:40,000 Now this individual, David E. George, 1448 01:15:40,133 --> 01:15:42,967 says that he is John Wilkes Booth. 1449 01:15:43,100 --> 01:15:45,900 This is obviously a postmortem photograph. 1450 01:15:46,033 --> 01:15:48,000 It's gonna be difficult to use this 1451 01:15:48,133 --> 01:15:51,834 to make a identification for a couple of reasons. 1452 01:15:51,967 --> 01:15:54,166 - People's faces change as they get older. - Right. 1453 01:15:54,300 --> 01:15:58,166 The other issue here, of course, is this individual's deceased. 1454 01:15:58,300 --> 01:16:02,433 And we can see that the body's starting to undergo changes in the facial structure. 1455 01:16:02,567 --> 01:16:04,567 And those changes are gonna make it difficult 1456 01:16:04,700 --> 01:16:07,166 to compare with an identified reference image. 1457 01:16:07,300 --> 01:16:09,367 So given the passage of time 1458 01:16:09,500 --> 01:16:11,567 and the decomposition of this body, 1459 01:16:11,700 --> 01:16:14,667 I think it's very difficult to make any strong claims 1460 01:16:14,800 --> 01:16:17,400 that this is a photo of John Wilkes Booth. 1461 01:16:17,533 --> 01:16:20,767 -[Fishburne] But what about Booth's other Wild West doppelganger? 1462 01:16:20,900 --> 01:16:23,100 This individual is John St. Helen, 1463 01:16:23,233 --> 01:16:25,934 who claimed he's John Wilkes Booth. 1464 01:16:26,066 --> 01:16:28,400 - This is a tintype? - Looks like it, yes. 1465 01:16:28,533 --> 01:16:31,934 But we're missing a whole other side of this gentleman's face. 1466 01:16:32,066 --> 01:16:35,567 People's facial features are different on both sides of their face. 1467 01:16:35,700 --> 01:16:40,200 Because of this damage, we're not able to use automatic face recognition technology. 1468 01:16:40,333 --> 01:16:42,967 -[Fishburne] With the tintype too damaged to use, 1469 01:16:43,100 --> 01:16:44,767 Dr. Luther loaded a painted reproduction 1470 01:16:44,900 --> 01:16:46,734 of the tintype into his database 1471 01:16:46,867 --> 01:16:49,467 to see how closely it matches the two photos 1472 01:16:49,600 --> 01:16:51,433 of John Wilkes Booth in the system. 1473 01:16:51,567 --> 01:16:53,767 Luther: So we have over 1,000 possible matches, 1474 01:16:53,900 --> 01:16:57,667 but we're not seeing anybody like John Wilkes Booth. 1475 01:16:57,800 --> 01:17:02,166 The top result is actually a Confederate general names James Holtzclaw. 1476 01:17:02,300 --> 01:17:06,500 -[Fishburne] Next, forensic document examiner Robert Floberg 1477 01:17:06,633 --> 01:17:09,200 evaluated a notarized affidavit 1478 01:17:09,333 --> 01:17:12,467 by the owner and clerk of the Enid, Oklahoma hotel 1479 01:17:12,600 --> 01:17:15,967 in which David E. George died in 1903. 1480 01:17:16,100 --> 01:17:19,533 This supposedly is an account done by two individuals 1481 01:17:19,667 --> 01:17:23,567 regarding the death of David E. George in 1903 1482 01:17:23,700 --> 01:17:26,000 that George is telling these two individuals 1483 01:17:26,133 --> 01:17:28,166 that he is John Wilkes Booth. 1484 01:17:28,300 --> 01:17:30,233 There's a phrase at the end of the document, 1485 01:17:30,367 --> 01:17:33,200 "George declaring on his deathbed 1486 01:17:33,333 --> 01:17:35,467 that he was John Wilkes Booth." 1487 01:17:35,600 --> 01:17:38,500 -[Fishburne] Those words are the only reference in the entire document 1488 01:17:38,633 --> 01:17:41,200 to David E. George's alleged confession. 1489 01:17:41,333 --> 01:17:44,033 This is the phrase in question that appears to have been added 1490 01:17:44,166 --> 01:17:46,233 onto the original document. 1491 01:17:46,367 --> 01:17:48,367 How can you tell it was added on? 1492 01:17:48,500 --> 01:17:50,500 When the document is magnified, 1493 01:17:50,633 --> 01:17:54,633 the phrase "on his deathbed" is blotted. 1494 01:17:54,767 --> 01:18:00,066 There's a notary stamp, and when one writes over an indented notary stamp, 1495 01:18:00,200 --> 01:18:02,800 the quill pen hangs up in the indentations 1496 01:18:02,934 --> 01:18:04,734 - and it leaves an ink blot. - Oh. 1497 01:18:04,867 --> 01:18:06,934 -[Fishburne] Floberg then examined the signatures 1498 01:18:07,066 --> 01:18:09,934 on two documents signed by David E. George. 1499 01:18:10,066 --> 01:18:12,734 Is his signature a match for Booth's? 1500 01:18:12,867 --> 01:18:15,934 You compare the uppercase "D" in "David" 1501 01:18:16,066 --> 01:18:18,734 and the uppercase "D" in "dear." 1502 01:18:18,867 --> 01:18:22,200 It's interesting that there are some very similar letter forms, 1503 01:18:22,333 --> 01:18:24,066 but however, the rest of the story, Art, 1504 01:18:24,200 --> 01:18:26,066 is that everything has got to line up. 1505 01:18:26,200 --> 01:18:28,567 All of the lowercase letters have to be consistent 1506 01:18:28,700 --> 01:18:30,767 to make a positive comparison. 1507 01:18:30,900 --> 01:18:34,233 In studying Booth's writing, he's very artistic 1508 01:18:34,367 --> 01:18:37,100 and has a very flowery cursive writing. 1509 01:18:37,233 --> 01:18:39,500 David E. George, not so. 1510 01:18:39,633 --> 01:18:42,333 Now could age have made the difference in his writing? 1511 01:18:42,467 --> 01:18:45,700 No, I don't think so. The letter forms are formed so differently 1512 01:18:45,834 --> 01:18:49,100 that people don't alter their handwriting to that extent. 1513 01:18:49,233 --> 01:18:52,867 So I believe that these are two different individuals. 1514 01:18:53,000 --> 01:18:56,734 -[Fishburne] This evidence contradicts the stories that John St. Helen 1515 01:18:56,867 --> 01:19:00,266 and David George were actually John Wilkes Booth. 1516 01:19:00,400 --> 01:19:03,934 But what about the mystery surrounding Harry Jerome Stevenson? 1517 01:19:04,066 --> 01:19:06,800 Was this young man, born five years after Booth 1518 01:19:06,934 --> 01:19:09,500 was supposed to be dead, truly his son? 1519 01:19:09,633 --> 01:19:12,867 The results from the DNA tests of his descendants 1520 01:19:13,000 --> 01:19:16,500 are coming up next on "History's Greatest Mysteries." 1521 01:19:16,633 --> 01:19:20,166 We'd love to hear the results from your analysis 1522 01:19:20,300 --> 01:19:22,133 of the DNA that we've collected. 1523 01:19:22,266 --> 01:19:24,367 Colleen Fitzpatrick: The DNA of the descendants 1524 01:19:24,500 --> 01:19:26,200 of Harry Jerome Stevenson... 1525 01:19:26,333 --> 01:19:28,934 You guys are biologically... 1526 01:19:40,567 --> 01:19:43,867 -[Fishburne] Some Booth family members believe John Wilkes Booth 1527 01:19:44,000 --> 01:19:47,367 fathered children after his supposed death. 1528 01:19:47,500 --> 01:19:49,934 If DNA testing proves that's true, 1529 01:19:50,066 --> 01:19:52,300 the history books will need correction. 1530 01:19:52,433 --> 01:19:56,700 Junius Brutus Booth, Sr., was the assassin's father. 1531 01:19:56,834 --> 01:19:59,066 Junius had a sister named Jane, 1532 01:19:59,200 --> 01:20:02,033 who is Joanne Hulme's great-great grandmother. 1533 01:20:02,166 --> 01:20:05,100 Since Joanne has been genetically proven to be a Booth, 1534 01:20:05,233 --> 01:20:08,734 the possible Booths have been tested against her DNA. 1535 01:20:08,867 --> 01:20:13,700 DNA samples were taken from four descendants of Harry Jerome Stevenson, 1536 01:20:13,834 --> 01:20:16,133 the alleged son of John Wilkes Booth, 1537 01:20:16,266 --> 01:20:19,300 born five years after history says Booth died. 1538 01:20:19,433 --> 01:20:22,834 Lisa Booth also gave a DNA sample. 1539 01:20:22,967 --> 01:20:25,967 Her ancestors include men named John Wilkes Booth, 1540 01:20:26,100 --> 01:20:27,767 John Wilkes Booth, Jr., 1541 01:20:27,900 --> 01:20:30,533 and John Wilkes Booth III. 1542 01:20:30,667 --> 01:20:33,400 It's time to see if DNA testing can help settle 1543 01:20:33,533 --> 01:20:36,767 one of history's greatest mysteries. 1544 01:20:36,900 --> 01:20:40,433 We've been waiting for this moment for months, 1545 01:20:40,567 --> 01:20:43,166 and in Joanne's case, almost 50 years, 1546 01:20:43,300 --> 01:20:45,600 so we'd love to hear the results 1547 01:20:45,734 --> 01:20:48,400 from your analysis of the DNA that we've collected. 1548 01:20:48,533 --> 01:20:53,266 The DNA of the descendants of Harry Jerome Stevenson 1549 01:20:53,400 --> 01:20:54,667 doesn't match Booth DNA. 1550 01:20:54,800 --> 01:20:56,433 Wow. That was the one I thought-- 1551 01:20:56,567 --> 01:20:58,133 So we have to rule those out. 1552 01:20:58,266 --> 01:20:59,700 Ansaldi: That would be Andy Gorto, 1553 01:20:59,834 --> 01:21:00,967 Linda Casey, 1554 01:21:01,100 --> 01:21:03,800 Dennis Farley, Matt Wilkinson. 1555 01:21:03,934 --> 01:21:05,166 - Wow. - And then the descendants 1556 01:21:05,300 --> 01:21:07,934 of the John Wilkes Booth from Mississippi. 1557 01:21:08,066 --> 01:21:09,633 Ansaldi: That would be Lisa Booth. 1558 01:21:09,767 --> 01:21:11,367 That DNA doesn't match either. 1559 01:21:11,500 --> 01:21:13,133 Roderick: And she had the three descendants 1560 01:21:13,266 --> 01:21:14,767 that actually had the name of John Wilkes Booth. 1561 01:21:14,900 --> 01:21:16,734 Ansaldi: John Wilkes Booth III, the second. 1562 01:21:16,867 --> 01:21:19,500 DNA doesn't lie when it tells you about relationships 1563 01:21:19,633 --> 01:21:21,300 and whether people are connected or not. 1564 01:21:21,433 --> 01:21:25,867 Did the Ogarita descendant match the Booth DNA? 1565 01:21:26,000 --> 01:21:27,934 - No, he did not. - Wow. 1566 01:21:28,066 --> 01:21:30,533 Ansaldi: That also now means that Ogarita 1567 01:21:30,667 --> 01:21:32,166 - was not a descendant... - Has no relationship... 1568 01:21:32,300 --> 01:21:33,500 Both: ...of John Wilkes Booth. 1569 01:21:33,633 --> 01:21:35,300 Ansaldi: Izola Paige Forrester, 1570 01:21:35,433 --> 01:21:37,734 who penned the book "This One Mad Act," 1571 01:21:37,867 --> 01:21:40,967 she was thought of to be John Wilkes Booth's granddaughter. 1572 01:21:41,100 --> 01:21:45,233 We can prove, based on this science today none of that is true? 1573 01:21:45,367 --> 01:21:48,600 There's just no scientific evidence supporting it, let's put it that way. 1574 01:21:48,734 --> 01:21:50,967 Roderick: There is absolutely no connection 1575 01:21:51,100 --> 01:21:52,967 between Ogarita's descendants 1576 01:21:53,100 --> 01:21:55,867 and the Stevenson descendants to John Wilkes Booth. 1577 01:21:56,000 --> 01:21:59,367 There's no DNA evidence he had any children. 1578 01:21:59,500 --> 01:22:03,200 He has not, based on our scientific study, 1579 01:22:03,333 --> 01:22:05,367 fathered children after the barn. 1580 01:22:05,500 --> 01:22:07,033 And it doesn't mean that he possibly 1581 01:22:07,166 --> 01:22:08,400 couldn't have escaped from the barn. 1582 01:22:08,533 --> 01:22:11,033 - Right. - None of this proves 1583 01:22:11,166 --> 01:22:13,734 whether John Wilkes Booth survived or not. 1584 01:22:13,867 --> 01:22:16,433 because we don't have his DNA to compare. 1585 01:22:16,567 --> 01:22:19,834 All we can do is say that the people we have tested, 1586 01:22:19,967 --> 01:22:24,000 the Jerome Stevenson group and the Ogarita descendant, 1587 01:22:24,133 --> 01:22:26,767 they're not descendants of John Wilkes Booth or the Booth family. 1588 01:22:26,900 --> 01:22:30,700 You have to go back to Izola Martha Mills and start thinking, 1589 01:22:30,834 --> 01:22:32,867 - "Hmm, what was she up to?" - What was going on? 1590 01:22:33,000 --> 01:22:35,600 Yeah. She had something going. 1591 01:22:35,734 --> 01:22:39,000 -[Fishburne] The investigators sat down with Joanne Hulme 1592 01:22:39,133 --> 01:22:41,233 and the descendants of Harry Jerome Stevenson 1593 01:22:41,367 --> 01:22:43,567 to share the DNA test results. 1594 01:22:43,700 --> 01:22:45,033 At the heart and soul of the project 1595 01:22:45,166 --> 01:22:47,266 is whether or not John Wilkes Booth 1596 01:22:47,400 --> 01:22:48,700 actually survived the barn, 1597 01:22:48,834 --> 01:22:51,567 and not only that, had children, 1598 01:22:51,700 --> 01:22:55,367 one born after the barn incident 1599 01:22:55,500 --> 01:22:57,667 by the name of Harry Jerome Stevenson. 1600 01:22:57,800 --> 01:23:02,100 And you're all descended from Harry Jerome Stevenson, correct? 1601 01:23:02,233 --> 01:23:06,200 - All: Yes. Correct. - Okay. We collected all of the DNA-- 1602 01:23:06,333 --> 01:23:08,233 and you all matched, by the way. 1603 01:23:08,367 --> 01:23:10,100 You guys are all related for sure. 1604 01:23:10,233 --> 01:23:12,467 So congratulations. 1605 01:23:12,600 --> 01:23:16,433 We used Joanne, who is a confirmed Booth, 1606 01:23:16,567 --> 01:23:18,734 and we made the comparison, 1607 01:23:18,867 --> 01:23:21,433 and you guys are not biologically 1608 01:23:21,567 --> 01:23:25,166 related to Joanne. 1609 01:23:25,300 --> 01:23:27,066 You guys are biologically 1610 01:23:27,200 --> 01:23:30,066 not related to John Wilkes Booth 1611 01:23:30,200 --> 01:23:32,734 - based on this study. - That's a no? 1612 01:23:32,867 --> 01:23:34,433 - Ansaldi: That's a no. - That's a yes or a no, yeah? 1613 01:23:34,567 --> 01:23:38,333 I'm sure it's not. It was just a rumor. 1614 01:23:38,467 --> 01:23:40,867 Did you always think it was just a rumor? 1615 01:23:41,000 --> 01:23:43,867 - I always thought it was a rumor. - Why is that? 1616 01:23:44,000 --> 01:23:46,900 Because my Uncle Tom had mentioned something about it, 1617 01:23:47,033 --> 01:23:49,567 and he said he had his doubts about it. 1618 01:23:49,700 --> 01:23:51,767 Now, Uncle Tom was a very smart man. 1619 01:23:51,900 --> 01:23:55,400 That's my father. You know, he had his doubts. 1620 01:23:55,533 --> 01:23:58,000 For me, I mean, I'm not surprised. 1621 01:23:58,133 --> 01:24:00,166 I wouldn't have been shocked either way. 1622 01:24:00,300 --> 01:24:03,967 Everything in our family, you know, kind of originated 1623 01:24:04,100 --> 01:24:07,033 out of the book, "This One Mad Act." 1624 01:24:07,166 --> 01:24:11,667 We have disproven that Harry Jerome Stevenson 1625 01:24:11,800 --> 01:24:14,533 is a descendant of John Wilkes Booth. 1626 01:24:14,667 --> 01:24:16,967 I did not know this until today, 1627 01:24:17,100 --> 01:24:21,100 and I am much more devastated than you are. 1628 01:24:21,233 --> 01:24:26,166 I believed in the stories. I wanted to be related to you. 1629 01:24:26,300 --> 01:24:30,367 And I had no idea my day was gonna start and end this way. 1630 01:24:30,500 --> 01:24:34,467 We spoke to our expert, and she's perfectly fine 1631 01:24:34,600 --> 01:24:36,500 that if she had to testify in court, 1632 01:24:36,633 --> 01:24:39,867 that this is exactly what she would relay back to you. 1633 01:24:40,000 --> 01:24:43,166 I'm comfortable with the outcome. You know, it's good to know. 1634 01:24:43,300 --> 01:24:45,300 Finally somebody has solved the mystery. 1635 01:24:45,433 --> 01:24:49,533 - Yeah, yeah. - The rumors now can stop. 1636 01:24:49,667 --> 01:24:52,967 You guys are in some ways off the hook. 1637 01:24:53,100 --> 01:24:54,066 Roderick: Yeah. 1638 01:24:57,000 --> 01:24:59,367 -[Fishburne] At this point, there's no scientific basis 1639 01:24:59,500 --> 01:25:03,000 to support claims that John Wilkes Booth fathered children 1640 01:25:03,133 --> 01:25:05,533 after he was supposed to have died at Garrett's farm. 1641 01:25:05,667 --> 01:25:09,266 But other unresolved mysteries linger. 1642 01:25:09,400 --> 01:25:12,433 Joanne seems to be more devastated than anybody else... 1643 01:25:12,567 --> 01:25:15,767 - Yeah. - ...because she thought she had all these cousins. 1644 01:25:15,900 --> 01:25:18,600 But she walked away hanging her hat on the fact 1645 01:25:18,734 --> 01:25:21,600 that she still believes that John Wilkes Booth was not killed in the barn. 1646 01:25:21,734 --> 01:25:23,567 - Ansaldi: Right. - Wasn't in the barn. 1647 01:25:23,700 --> 01:25:26,367 Ansaldi: We now know that he didn't father children 1648 01:25:26,500 --> 01:25:29,066 after he supposedly died at Garrett's farm. 1649 01:25:29,200 --> 01:25:33,100 But we still haven't proven who actually did die at Garrett's farm. 1650 01:25:33,233 --> 01:25:35,533 - Right. - For me, it's not over yet. 1651 01:25:35,667 --> 01:25:38,567 We know exactly how to wrap this up. 1652 01:25:38,700 --> 01:25:41,000 Exhume the body from the cemetery. 1653 01:25:41,133 --> 01:25:44,934 And secondly, test the stuff that's in the museum in Washington, DC. 1654 01:25:45,066 --> 01:25:47,033 - The vertebrae and the spinal cord. - Ansaldi: Right. 1655 01:25:47,166 --> 01:25:49,400 Roderick: Maybe there's enough information there now 1656 01:25:49,533 --> 01:25:53,133 to possibly reopen the Green Mount Cemetery case. 1657 01:25:53,266 --> 01:25:55,734 We're talking a case that was 25 years ago. 1658 01:25:55,867 --> 01:25:58,200 The way DNA evidence has advanced would possibly 1659 01:25:58,333 --> 01:26:00,300 make a good case getting the body exhumed. 1660 01:26:00,433 --> 01:26:02,800 Ansaldi: Make sure, just for history's sake 1661 01:26:02,934 --> 01:26:07,266 that they did actually get John Wilkes Booth. 1662 01:26:07,400 --> 01:26:08,834 -[Fishburne] The role of assassin 1663 01:26:08,967 --> 01:26:11,500 was one John Wilkes Booth relished. 1664 01:26:11,633 --> 01:26:14,633 But while some believe tantalizing questions remain, 1665 01:26:14,767 --> 01:26:17,600 the evidence supports the historical account. 1666 01:26:17,734 --> 01:26:19,967 The infamous performers last act 1667 01:26:20,100 --> 01:26:22,967 took place with his death at Garrett's farm. 1668 01:26:23,100 --> 01:26:24,800 I'm Laurence Fishburne, 1669 01:26:24,934 --> 01:26:29,467 thank you for watching "History's Greatest Mysteries".