Consider the Elephant: The Life and Death of John Wilkes Booth as Told By His Brother Edwin Podcast
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The common wisdom is that the men who have attacked American Presidents â Czolgosz, Guiteau, Fromme, Hinckley, Moore, Oswald, Zangara - were disgruntled, disturbed loners. That wisdom includes John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, called a failed actor and a madman. But the truth is that Wilkes was the matinee idol of his time; and the attack on Lincoln was not the act of a maniac, but a part of a plan developed at the highest levels of the Confederacy. In "Consider the Elephant," the third podcast novel by Aram Schefrin, the story of Wilkes' life and death is told by his brother, Edwin Booth, called "Ned." Ned was the greatest Shakespearean actor of his age, as was their father Junius in his era, and their brother June was an actor, too, though less successful than his brothers. The story is soaked in the ambiance of life in the American theater in the mid nineteenth century, and full of rich characters, and it lays out in detail the path Wilkes took to the top of the celebrity heap, his growing involvement with the Southern rebels and the development in Richmond of the plot to kidnap and later assassinate the Union President.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 37
Author: Aram Schefrin
Mon, Aug 21, 2006
Ned writes a letter to Wilkes. Finis. Copyright  2006 Aram Schefrin
To find out more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 36
Author: Aram Schefrin
Thu, Aug 17, 2006
Escape: Bainbridge, Ruggles and Jett.
Copyright  2006 Aram Schefrin
To find out more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 35
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sat, Aug 12, 2006
Escape: Thomas Jones gets Wilkes to the Potomac. Copyright ÃÂ 2006 Aram Schefrin.
To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 34
Author: Aram Schefrin
Mon, Aug 7, 2006
Escape: Dr. Samuel Mudd treats Wilkes' broken leg.Copyright ÃÂ 2006 Aram Schefrin
To find out more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 33
Author: Aram Schefrin
Thu, Aug 3, 2006
The assassination. Copyright  2006 Aram Schefrin.
To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 32
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sat, Jul 29, 2006
Wilkes learns that Lincoln is going to the theater. He makes his preparations.Copyright  2006 Aram Schefrin.
To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 31
Author: Aram Schefrin
Mon, Jul 24, 2006
Wilkes urges the managers of two Washington theaters to invite Lincoln to a performance on Good Friday night. Surratt tells Wilkes he will have to escape to Canada. Copyright ÃïàÃÂÃÂÂà2006 Aram Schefrin.
To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 30
Author: Aram Schefrin
Tue, Jul 18, 2006
As their cause becomes more desperate, the Confederates decide to kill Lincoln - but without involving Wilkes. Richmond falls, and Wilkes - despondent - disbands his crew. But the Rebel plan is thwarted, and Mary Surratt asks Wilkes to assassinate the President as well as six other members of the Federal government.Copyright © ℗ 2006 Aram Schefrin. To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 29
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sat, Jul 15, 2006
Now Richmond doesn't want Lincoln snatched. Wilkes is devastated.Copyright  â 2006 Aram Schefrin.
To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 28
Author: Aram Schefrin
Tue, Jul 11, 2006
Wilkes takes his crew to a play at Ford's Theater. An attempt to snatch the President on the Seventh Street Road fails when Lincoln doesn't show.Copyright © ℗ 2006 Aram Schefrin. To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 27
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sat, Jul 8, 2006
Wilkes goes to the inaugural ball but, out of concern for Lucy Hale, decides not to snatch the President there.Copyright © ℗ 2006 Aram Schefrin. To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 26
Author: Aram Schefrin
Tue, Jul 4, 2006
Wilkes and Surratt decide to snatch Lincoln at his inaugural ball, and Wilkes concocts a clever way to get into the event.Copyright © ℗ 2006 Aram Schefrin. To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 25
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sat, Jul 1, 2006
Wilkes gets a tour of John Ford's new theater in Washington, then meets a new conspirator - Lewis Thornton Powell.Copyright © ℗ 2006 Aram Schefrin. To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 24
Author: Aram Schefrin
Wed, Jun 28, 2006
Wilkes leaves an envelope with Asia in Philadelphia, then meets the conspirators in Washington.Copyright © ℗ 2006 Aram Schefrin. To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT- CHAPTER 23
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sun, Jun 25, 2006
While the three Booths perform "Julius Caesar," Confederates raid New York City, setting fires on Broadway in the hotels and theaters.Copyright © ℗ 2006 Aram Schefrin. To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 22
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sat, Jun 17, 2006
Lincoln is re-elected, and Wilkes meets Dr. Samuel Mudd.Copyright © ℗ 2006 Aram Schefrin. To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 21
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sun, Jun 11, 2006
Wilkes tells Asia of the Lincoln kidnap plot.Wilkes meets Patrick Martin in Montreal, makes his first contacts on the route he plans to use to take the kidnapped President to Richmond, and gets details on Lincoln's routine. To find out more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
Copyright © ℗ 2006 Aram Schefrin.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 20
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sun, Jun 4, 2006
In Boston, Wilkes meets with Confederate agents from Canada and signs on to a plot to kidnap President Lincoln.To find out more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
Copyright  â 2006 Aram Schefrin.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 19
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sun, May 28, 2006
Lincoln is nominated for a second term, and Wilkes prospects for oil in Venango County, Pennsylvania.Copyright  â 2006 Aram Schefrin.
To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 18
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sun, May 21, 2006
Sick and exhausted, Wilkes tours Southern towns under Union occupation while General Grant cuts a swath through Virginia. In New Orleans, Wilkes hears the story of how his father died.To find out more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
Copyright  â 2006 Aram Schefrin.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 17
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sun, May 14, 2006
Trying to get to St. Louis, Wilkes spends Christmas in Leavenworth, is stranded in a blizzard and fights off a wolf.Copyright  â 2006 Aram Schefrin.
To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
Download File - 9.1 MB
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 16
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sun, May 7, 2006
Wilkes, Edwin and Adam survive the New York City draft riots. Copyright  â 2006 Aram Schefrin. This work can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerive 2.5 License
To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
Download File - 10.5 MB
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 15
Author: Aram Schefrin
Sun, Apr 30, 2006
John Surratt, a Confederate spy, contacts Wilkes and shows him the courier route from Washington to the Northern Neck of Virginia through T.B., Surrattsville and the Maryland countryside, and across the Potomac at Port Tobacco. To find out more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
Copyright  â 2006 Aram Schefrin.
Download File - 12.7 MB
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 14
Author: Aram Schefrin
Mon, Apr 24, 2006
Since Mollie's death, Edwin has been seeing and hearing her. With Adam's help, he arranges a seance to try to contact her.Copyright ÃÂ Ãïï 2006 Aram Schefrin. This work can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerive 2.5 License
To learn more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
Download File - 7.0 MB
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 13
Author: Aram Schefrin
Mon, Apr 17, 2006
McClellan invades Virginia, up the peninsula between the York and James Rivers. The Yankees win the battles; still McClellan retreats, believing the Rebels too strong. Wilkes returns to smuggling contraband. Edwin returns to the stage, afraid he will not be well received - but he is a sensation. He is so relieved that he finds himself for the first time able to talk to strangers. He attends New York's premier salons and soirees, and starts drinking again.
When Wilkes arrives in New York, he finds Edwin a drunkard. Wilkes brings word from Boston that Mollie is ill. But he believes she will recover, so Edwin ignores the news, as well as telegrams from Boston which say that Mollie has taken a turn for the worse and may not last the night - until a theater manager forces him to read them. Frantic, he catches a train for Boston. But it's too late.
Copyright ÃÂ Ãïï 2006 Aram Schefrin. This work can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerive 2.5 License
For more information on the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 12
Author: Aram Schefrin
Tue, Apr 11, 2006
Following Adam's advice, Ned and Mollie go to Europe. But since Mollie is four months pregnant, they go to England, where they trust the doctors, rather than France or Italy. Ned searches the places where his father hsd been, but finds little trace of him. Mollie weakens as the baby grows, and has to take to bed. Ned takes an acting engagement in London, but the British are hostile, since the U.S. Navy has boarded a British ship and taken off two southern rebels who were heading to England to convince the Queen to support the Confederacy.
Mollie gives birth to Edwina. They take a brief tour of France, then return to America. Mollie is too delicate to return to New York, so they take a house in Dorchester, outside Boston. Ned is there when Wilkes plays Boston, with great success, turning staid Brahmin women into romantic fools.
To learn more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
Copyright ÃÂ â 2006 Aram Schefrin. This work can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerive 2.5 License
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 11
Author: AAuthor: ram Schefrin
Wed, Apr 5, 2006
Wilkes triumphs in New York, and waits with Maggie at Pfaff's Cafe for the reviews.
To learn about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 10
Author: Aram Schefrin
Wed, Mar 29, 2006
New York City considers seceding, since its economic fortunes are tied to the South. But the Union buildup brings new money into the city, and New York decides to stay in the fold.Adam enlists in the Union Army, as an aide to General Grant. His last advice to Ned: go to Europe and study.
There is no fighting going on, so Wilkes goes back to the stage. In Cincinnati, Maggie Mitchell offers to arrange an appearance for him in New York. Wilkes is afraid of that, since, to him, New York is Ned's city. But in Chicago he meets Raufer, a scenery man, who introduces him to magical new staging and lighting techniques - and Wilkes realizes that, with these, he can conquer New York.
Copyright ÃÂ Ãïï 2006 Aram Schefrin. This work can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerive 2.5 License
To find out more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 9
Author: Aram Schefrin
Wed, Mar 22, 2006
Wilkes looks up a school friend, Michael O'Laughlen. He asks O'Laughlen to hook him up with Rebels in Maryland. O'Laughlen tells him that attempt on Lincoln's life has failed and that Maryland is under Federal martial law and is not going to secede. Then he introduces Wilkes to shoemaker Christian Emmerich and the Federal Marshal, George Kane. Kane is defecting to the South. At Kane's request, Wilkes agrees, rather than join a fighting unit, to stay in the North and help in the smuggling of contraband such as medicines across the lines to the South. Atfer Bull Run, Emmerich sends Wilkes to Philadelphia to pick up a package. Wilkes stays with Asia and tells her what he's doing. She is thrilled.
Copyright ÃÂ Ãïï 2006 Aram Schefrin.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 8
Author: Aram Schefrin
Wed, Mar 15, 2006
While Ned is performing in New York, South Carolina secedes. The family gathers at Asia's for Christmas in Philadelphia. Asia is rabid against Abraham Lincoln; she tells the others what she has heard: that Lincoln will be murdered in Baltimore on his way to Washington, and that then the Rebels will take Washington and conduct a coup d'etat. Wilkes announces he is going to join the Maryland militia after the state secedes. Mother makes him swear he won't.
Matt Canning books Wilkes in Rochester and Albany, New York. Wilkes stabs himself during a performance when he falls on a dagger. Wilkes seduces his female lead, then abandons her; she stabs him and herself. South Carolina assaults Fort Sumter; Edwin Ruffin fires the first shot. Virginia secedes, and Wilkes decides that if he's going to be killed (it seemed likely, considering) it would be better if it happened fighting for the South.
Copyright ÃÂ Ãïï 2006 Aram Schefrin.
This work can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerive 2.5 License
To learn more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 7
Author: Aram Schefrin
Wed, Mar 8, 2006
Desperately missing Mollie, Ned goes back on the booze. Concerned, Adam Badeau gets Wilkes to intervene with Mollie and get them back together. Ned asks her to marry him. She says "yes". In Montgomery, Alabama, Maggie Mitchell takes Wilkes to hear the Prince of Fire-eaters speak.
Maggie Mitchell is played by Anita Boyer.
Copyright ÃÂ Ãïï 2006 Aram Schefrin. This work can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerive 2.5 License
To learn more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 6
Author: Aram Schefrin
Wed, Mar 1, 2006
Asia objects violently to Ned's marriage to Mary. Out of respect for his family, Ned gives her up. Before he leaves Richmond, he gives Wilkes the lead role in Othello, and Wilkes makes his first appearance in his own name.During Wilkes' second season in Richmond, John Brown raids Harper's Ferry, hoping to set off a slave insurrection, and panicking the South. Brown is quickly captured, but Southerners who want secession use Brown as an excuse.
Wilkes meets Ned in Boston, which is hysterical over Brown, and performs Richard the Third with him. Wilkes finds the town too staid. At a gathering after the theater, Adam Badeau (Ned's New York teacher and confidante) tells Ned he has heard that Mary is in Boston, acting in Charlotte Cushman's company, and is going to marry a Boston lawyer. Ned is devastated.
Back in Richmond, Wilkes joins the Richmond Grays and travels to Charlestown to watch the hanging of John Brown, then returns to begin his role as a national star.
Maggie Mitchell is played by Gwynneth Selinger.
Copyright ÃÂ Ãïï 2006 Aram Schefrin. This work can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerive 2.5 License
To learn more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 5
Author: Aram Schefrin
Wed, Feb 22, 2006
Ned comes to Richmond to star at the Old Marshall, and falls in love with an actress named Mary Devlin. Wilkes can't understand why Ned would want to marry when he could have any woman he wants. Ned reveals his awful past, and that Mary is his salvation. Copyright ÃÂ Ãïï 2006 Aram Schefrin. This work can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerive 2.5 License
To learn more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 4
arams@adelphia.net
Author: Aram Schefrin
Wed, Feb 15, 2006
Wilkes joins a company in Richmond, Virginia. While the local men talk secession, the women fawn on Wilkes. Copyright ÃÂ Ãïï 2006 Aram Schefrin. This work can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerive 2.5 License
To learn more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
Download File - 9.5 MB
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 3
arams@adelphia.net
Author: Aram Schefrin
Wed, Feb 8, 2006
Wilkes begins his acting career in Baltimore and Philadelphia. Copyright ÃÂ Ãïï 2006 Aram Schefrin. This work can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerive 2.5 License
To learn more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 2
arams@adelphia.net
Author: Aram Schefrin
Thu, Feb 2, 2006
Edwin goes to Washington to talk to the Federal police, and to visit June in the Old Capitol Prison. Jack is finally cleared of the crime, and Asia wangles June's release through Philadelphia friends. Edwin goes to Philadelphia. June goes home to San Francisco. On a hot June night, a young Southern boy arrives at Asia's house. His father owns the farm on which Wilkes had been captured and killed. He describes for the family Wilkes' last days, and hands Edwin Wilkes' diary, which he had found in the ashes of his father's tobacco barn. Copyright ÃÂ Ãïï 2006 Aram Schefrin. This work can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerive 2.5 License
To learn more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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CONSIDER THE ELEPHANT - CHAPTER 1
arams@adelphia.net
Author: Aram Schefrin
Thu, Jan 26, 2006
Edwin Booth, while acting Shakespeare in Boston, hears the news that his brother Wilkes has assassinated President Lincoln. The rest of his run is cancelled. He believes he will never work again. His sister Asia, in Philadelphia, collapses in grief. Their mother runs to Philadelphia, and so does their brother June, but Edwin is afraid to go, and hides in his home to New York. June and Asia's husband Jack are arrested in Philadelphia on suspicion of being involved in the killing of the President. Under house arrest, Asia learns that the Federals have caught and killed Wilkes. Copyright ÃÂ Ãïï 2006 Aram Schefrin. This work can be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerive 2.5 License
To learn more about the facts on which this book is based, go to www.johnwilkesbooth.blogspot.com and click on the links.
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- Published:
2002
- LearnOutLoud.com Product ID:
C019466
Biography
Everyday People
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