Two men standing
at the Pearly Gates.
The first man says,
"How'd you die?"
Second says,
"I froze to death.
How 'bout you?"
And the, uh, second man says,
"Well, I thought my... my wife
was being unfaithful to me,
...so I ran all the way home."
- Come on.
"And burst into the bedroom."
MAN
There's nothin' here.
- "She just..."
- Look over there.
Yes, sir.
Make sure there's men on...
Here!
We're here!
You take him first.
But, captain, he's as good as...
That's an order.
Sergeant.
Hey, watch it. Careful. Corporal!
Watch his leg.
Hip, hip... Hurrah!
Victory!
Getting a little ahead of ourselves,
don't you think?
Will, Lee surrendered to Grant,
so have a drink.
- Freddie, have you seen him yet?
- A dozen rebel armies still in the field.
I'd say peace is far from in hand.
Hamilton, you could put frost on a fire.
No, I haven't, but half his cabinet's here.
There's Interior...
and Postmaster.
- Treasury.
- Mm-hmm.
Secretary of Navy.
Where's War?
Ooh, there he is.
God, what I would give to meet him.
What? Wait.
Where are you going?
You coming or not?
Are you... Are you mad?
You can't approach Edwin Stanton
without an introduction.
Really?
- Frederick Aiken.
- Oh.
I've been to Creation and back
lookin' for you.
Senator.
Uh, Baker, Hamilton,
allow me to introduce the distinguished
senator from Maryland,
- Mr. Reverdy Johnson.
- Great honor, senator.
Gentlemen, you've done this nation proud.
Thank you, sir.
Ladies. Ladies, may I present
two genuine war heroes.
Now you all get acquainted
while I introduce the counselor
to some of my,
uh, esteemed associates.
- Ladies.
- Hello.
It's, uh, quite a turnout.
- Hello.
- It's an honor to meet the lovely...
Victory is like shit to flies, Freddie.
Why, Ed, what a delightful surprise.
Life's full of them, Reverdy.
This is our War secretary,
Mr. Edwin Stanton.
Yeah. It's a... it's a very great
pleasure, sir.
Mr. Aiken had two horses
shot from under him
and never quit the field.
Could use a loyal man like you
over at the War Department, Captain.
Sir.
Captain's back to bein' a lawyer.
Time to heal the nation, Ed,
not wage more war.
Pleasure as always, Senator.
- Captain.
- Sir.
I'm sorry you won't be able to meet
the president this evening.
Will he not be attending?
It seems Mrs. Lincoln
prefers an evening of theater
to a room full of soldiers.
Anything.
I can play anything.
Poor Blind Boy?
I don't know that one.
Uh, anything...
Oh, thank you, Nicholas.
Sarah... oh, my God.
You look beautiful.
Sarah, glad to see you.
Fred didn't mention you'd be
joining us this evening.
- That sounds like Fred.
- What sounds like Fred?
Nothing you need to worry about.
How many bottles is that now, Nick?
Uh, nothing you need
to worry about, Fred.
Shall we take a stroll?
Mm-hmm.
It's good to have you boys back.
It's good to be back.
It's very good to be back.
Oh, quite right.
Some gals and their mothers
would look...
Mr. Vice President.
Yes, Senator?
I'm sorry to bother you, sir,
but I need your authorization on this.
Is it really necessary right now?
I have so many guests.
I'm afraid it's relatively urgent.
You have to keep the sun
out of your eyes,
look straight, pull strong,
calculate the distance,
and you'll hit the mark every time.
- What?
- Not sure.
Sir?
Yes, I have a package
for Secretary Seward.
We are old friends, Mr. Trenchard,
and you needn't be afraid of us.
I ain't afraid of you,
both of you together.
Want another?
Sir?
Secretary Stanton
is a smart man.
The War Department
would be lucky to have you.
It was an honor to meet the man, but...
I'm eager to put the war behind me.
You do look awfully handsome
in your uniform.
Oh?
I suppose I'm going
to have to get used to you
in civilian clothing again.
So you did miss me?
On occasion.
Now I've no fortune,
but I am filled over with affection
that I am ready to pour over you
like apple sass over roasted pork.
Mr. Trenchard!
You are addressing my daughter,
and in my presence!
Yes! I'm offering her my heart
and my hand just as she wants them,
with nothing in 'em.
Now, I'm aware, Mr. Trenchard,
that you are not used
to the manner of polite...
Pardon me. I'm sor...
Oh.
Shit.
- Oh, no!
- Hold it!
Stop! No!
No, please! Don't!
Ohh!
Unh!
Help!
Somebody help!
Help!
...to which you have fallen guilty.
Well, I guess I know enough
to turn you inside out, old gal,
you sock dologizing old man-trap...
Ohh!
Sic semper tyrannis!
The South is avenged!
He's getting away!
Stop him!
Come on.
Come on.
Come here, you son of a bitch!
Can't get... let you out of here!
What is it?
- Major?
- What's happened?
Lincoln's been shot.
- What?
- He's been shot.
You stay here.
Open the door.
Sergeant.
Stand aside.
Over there.
Across the street.
Make way!
Please, stand aside.
Please.
Move back! Please!
- Coming through.
- Clear the way!
Back! Stand aside!
Can you see anything?
Open the door!
Try the other door.
Find another way!
Stand aside.
Over here!
Come on inside!
Back here. Back here.
Set him down easy.
Where's the doctor?
Get some towels.
Mr. Secretary, wait, sir.
No. I want to see him.
Make way!
Out of my way!
Move aside!
Out! Move!
- Where is he?
- He's down there, sir.
There, sir.
Excuse me, Mr. Secretary.
Take his pulse.
Mr. Secretary, it was the actor,
John Wilkes Booth.
Are you certain?
They've performed with him many times.
They're positive.
We haven't done anything wrong.
It's gonna be all right.
Well, one man did not orchestrate
all of this on his own.
Where's Grant?
He's on a train to Philadelphia.
Bring him to me.
I want the commander
of the Union army here.
- Move.
- Yes, sir.
Put the forts on alert, all guns manned.
And find out which members of the Cabinet
are still unaccounted for.
Sir, we should move to the War Department
to facilitate operations.
- I'm not leaving him.
- Yes, sir.
Damn the rebels.
Damn them all to hell.
Mr. Secretary, sir.
Several names have come up, sir,
including an intimate of Booth's,
a John Surratt.
What is known of him?
His mother runs
a boarding house in town.
Find him.
I want the city closed.
If any of these assassins
get south of the Potomac
or up into Canada,
they will never be found.
Right away, sir.
Also the vice president wishes
to pay his respects.
When I say it is safe
for him to do so.
And keep him away
from the liquor.
Yes, sir.
Take that woman out,
and do not let her in again.
Let's go.
It wasn't me. It wasn't me.
Move it!
Get up, you!
No!
Booth.
Yah!
That's for the judge to decide.
Sir.
Well, nice of you
to show, Mr. Aiken.
I'm sorry for being late, Senator.
You aware the trial of the conspirators
begins today?
Yes, sir.
There's not a seat to be had.
Well, now you have one.
How's that, sir?
I've taken one of the cases,
and I want you
to be my second chair.
I thought the government
was planning a military tribunal.
Oh, indeed. Stanton has chosen
nine of his most loyal officers
to be judges, all for Union.
In fact, he's picked one of the Lincoln's
pallbearers to head the Commission.
Uh, let's go.
Uh, I'm sorry, sir.
I might be being a little slow,
but won't the War Department
be handling the prosecution?
Stanton's most trusted
judge advocate general,
Joseph Holt, will be in charge.
Then what are we to do?
Defend one of the eight.
Defend one
of the assassins?
Alleged assassins, counselor.
I had a letter from the lady this morning.
She runs a boarding house,
a Mrs. Mary...
Surratt?
Yes, that's it.
Sir, her son John was Booth's right hand.
Well, if they suspect her son,
they should try him.
They would
if they could find him,
but they've got 250 agents
out looking for him.
She built the nest
that hatched this plot.
President Johnson said it himself.
Well, I know this goes hard
with you, Freddie,
but... but what they're plannin',
which is a military trial of civilians,
is an atrocity.
No, no. What she did is an atrocity.
There's no presumption of innocence,
no burden of proof,
no jury of your peers and no appeal.
All right, you were one
of Lincoln's pallbearers, too.
How can you represent her?
She's entitled to a defense, Freddie,
so I shall defend her.
Mary E. Surratt,
in aid of the existing armed rebellion
against the United States,
you are charged with having received,
entertained, harbored, concealed,
aided and assisted John Wilkes Booth,
John A. Surratt
and their confederates...
David E. Herold...
Lewis Payne...
George A. Atzerodt...
Michael O'Laughlen...
Edmund Spangler...
Samuel A. Mudd...
and Samuel Arnold...
in traitorous and
murderous conspiracy
to kill then-President
Abraham Lincoln,
Vice President Andrew Johnson
and Secretary of State
William Seward.
Pursuant to special orders
number 211 and 216,
how do you plead?
What say you, madam?
Guilty or not?
I am innocent.
In that case,
as each of the defendants
has entered a not-guilty plea,
we will begin.
Judge Advocate Holt,
please proceed.
Just a moment, your honor.
What is it, Senator?
I... I wish to request an adjournment.
An adjournment? We just got here.
My client has been in custody
for a month,
wasn't allowed to contact counsel
until yesterday.
General Hunter, a delay will only serve
to prolong the nation's sorrow.
My learned colleague,
you've had over four week s
to prepare your case,
no doubt assisted by
the entire War Department.
I believe the defendant is entitled
to equal consideration.
Senator Johnson, our fellow citizens must
be permitted to put this tragedy to rest.
The sooner we dispose of this matter,
the better... for everyone.
Everyone but my client.
Judge Advocate Holt, please proceed.
In that case, I move for termination.
Termination?
On the grounds
this trial is unconstitutional.
The defendant is a civilian
entitled to a public trial
before a jury of her peers.
The attorney general has affirmed
the legitimacy of this proceeding.
Has he furnished a verdict as well?
Senator.
You will mind the horror
which summons us.
Indeed.
We all mourn the loss
of our leader,
but in our grief, let us not betray
our better judgment
and partake in an inquisition.
Inquisition? How dare you?
Sounds to me like we have
the enemy among us.
Maryland not being among our most loyal
of states during the war,
its senator ought to certify his allegiance
to this court.
I have served this nation
as its attorney general.
That is certification enough.
Nevertheless,
we may require counsel
to sign this oath of loyalty
as prescribed by Congress.
I am a member of Congress,
the same body that creates armies,
authorizes military tribunals
and makes major generals like you.
Our authorization comes
from the War secretary, Edwin Stanton,
and by order of the president.
If our founding fathers
had desired tyranny to prevail,
the president
and his War secretary
would have been granted
such indiscriminate powers,
but they drafted a Constitution
with laws against such powers.
They did so precisely for times like this.
Order! Order! Order!
I really want you
to do this for me, Freddie.
You're not serious.
As serious as the charges
against our client.
Me? Defend her?
She doesn't stand a chance
with an old Southerner
like me defending her.
She needs a Yankee captain like you.
I'm sorry, sir. I... I can't do it.
No, you'll do fine, son.
Experience matters for nothing
when they're making up the rules
as they go along.
Besides, this government
has never executed a woman.
They've never considered a woman,
nor a man for that matter,
capable of murdering the president.
Sir, I can find you a rebel
to defend her,
but I ca... I won't do it.
There is no court in the Union
that would fairly judge that woman
with a Confederate counsel.
I won't betray my country.
I won't betray my friends
who died defending it.
I'm not asking you to betray
your allegiances, Freddie.
I'm simply ask in' you...
rather tellin' you...
to obey your oath as a... as an attorney
and do your job.
He wants me to represent Mary Surratt.
What?
- What?
- Yeah.
He can't be serious.
They're the actors
from the theater.
Open up.
Thank you, soldier.
That'll be all.
This conversation is privileged.
Sorry, sir. Orders.
Where is Senator Johnson?
The senator has instructed me
to handle your case.
You understand what you've been
charged with?
Conspiring to murder the president,
secretary of State
and the vice president...
if found guilty, you could hang?
No disrespect, Mr...
Aiken.
Mr. Aiken.
How many years have you?
So you've handled cases
like this before?
There's never been
a case like this before.
But you have defended others.
They've left nothing to chance.
Very well.
You own a boarding house
on 541 H Street?
Is that correct?
Yes.
How long you been there?
Ma'am?
All I know about you
is what I read in the papers.
It's not flattering.
I moved to Washington a year ago
with my son and daughter
after my husband passed.
And the assassins were frequent
visitors to your home.
Yes.
Well, you... heh.
You don't even deny
having been acquainted
with John Wilkes Booth
and the others behind bars?
No, sir, I do not.
My husband died a drunk, Mr. Aiken,
and left me loads of debt.
I had to support my family,
so I rented rooms to boarders.
Those men were customers,
nothing more.
And you never considered
their allegiances?
I didn't ask about their allegiances.
What about yours, ma'am?
I am a Southerner.
I'm a Catholic
and a devoted mother
above all else...
but I am no assassin.
Your freedom is gonna require
greater assurances than that.
Then you tell me what I should say
to those generals.
Oh, you can't say a thing.
You're prohibited from testifying
in your own defense.
Perhaps your son could speak for you.
Any idea where he's hiding?
No, I don't.
All right. Is there anyone
who will give your version of events?
You mean the truth?
Well, obviously the government
believes your version is not the truth.
Based on what?
They're not releasing
their list of witnesses
or the evidence they'll use against you.
And can they do that?
This kind of proceeding,
they can do to you
whatever they want.
Well, then what difference
does it make?
Those generals
have made up their minds.
I can tell by the way
they look at me.
The way they look at you?
Just the same way
you're looking at me.
I have to go.
Good day.
Mr. Aiken, I haven't a word
from my daughter since I've been here.
Would you look in on her for me?
I'd be most grateful.
Thank you.
Soldier.
Frederick Aiken,
lawyer to Mary Surratt.
It's perfect.
Pardon?
- Anna Surratt?
- Mm-hmm.
My name is Frederick Aiken.
I'm representing your mother.
What's perfect?
Uh, nothing.
No, do tell.
I'm sure I've heard much worse.
Well, I was just thinking
that this would be the perfect place
to conspire to overthrow
the government.
No one would ever suspect.
Right?
You alone here?
Yes.
Why? Are you afraid
to be seen with me?
Eh...
Your mother asked
that I look in on you.
Please tell her not to worry,
since I'm a prisoner in my own house.
Where's your brother's room?
Second floor, on the left.
Did you find what you were looking for?
Uh, yes.
Did your brother share a room
with an L.J.W.?
Louis J. Weichmann.
He was like a son to my mother.
He'll swear she's innocent.
I suppose he's disappeared, too.
Did you fight in the war, Mr. Aiken?
Uh-huh.
Kill any on our side?
Miss, do you have any documents
indicating who stayed here
or a ledger of accounts?
Do you want me to help
your mother or not?
Is there anything else
you're concealing?
Such as?
Your brother, to start.
Look, if you know...
Did you see who threw that?
No, sir.
Are you hurt?
I'm fine.
Mr. Aiken, if you have no further
need of me...
Here. I'll give you two to sell.
You have the latest on this one?
That, I'll take two.
Cigars! Jars!
Picture frames!
Original, right here, ma'am.
Who wants a cigar?
Fresh roasted nuts here.
Fresh roasted nuts.
Move along.
Mustn't keep it block ed.
Thank you very much.
Left.
Left, right, left.
- Cigars!
- Left...
Cigars!
Left. Left. Left.
Left, right, left.
Left...
Company, arms rest.
- March.
- Shoulder arms.
Quick step.
Left.
Left, right, left.
A chance to get it back?
There he is.
- Fred.
- Hey.
Hamilton here has offered
to be your second chair.
Oh. Re... Not a chance in hell.
- No? You sure?
- Oh, yeah.
I'll carry his briefcase,
but I'm not...
- Sarah.
- Fred.
Why are you here?
I'm trying to understand
why you're here.
I suppose I should wish you luck.
Come to order.
How is Anna, Mr. Aiken?
She's fine...
looking forward
to when you come home.
That's very nice of you to say, Mr. Aiken.
Judge Advocate Holt,
will you please proceed?
In the matter of Mary Surratt,
the prosecution calls as its first witness
Mr. Louis Weichmann.
I thought he was like family.
Why are they calling him?
Place your right hand on this Bible.
I don't know.
Do you swear to tell the truth,
the whole truth
and nothing but the truth,
so help you, God?
I do.
Please.
Are you acquainted with the defendant,
Mary Surratt?
Yes. Yes, I am.
I attended Divinity College
with her son John.
And until recently,
you resided at the boarding house
owned by Mary Surratt.
Is that correct?
That is correct, sir.
Were any of these men
ever present in her home?
Yes, sir.
These three over there
on several occasions.
Let the record reflect
that the witness has identified
the prisoners Herold,
Payne and Atzerodt.
And who invited these men?
John Surratt.
Objection.
Objection?
Uh, uh...
There's no way to prove
that John Surratt
even knew these men,
let alone invited them.
Mr. Surratt's absence
from this proceeding
is Mr. Surratt's problem.
Objection overruled.
Continue, Mr. Holt.
Was John Wilkes Booth
also a frequent guest of John Surratt?
Indeed, but all the Surratts adored him...
John, his sister Anna
and their mother, too.
And were there ever meetings
held at the boarding house
involving Mr. Booth?
Many, sometimes lasting
two, three hours
and always in secret,
behind closed doors.
And did you ever see Mary Surratt
object to these, uh, meetings?
No, sir.
Or to the presence of those men?
No, she did not.
- Thank you.
- She appeared to welcome them.
Thank you. That'll be all,
Mr. Weichmann.
How long did you say these
secret meetings lasted?
At least two, three hours.
You were timing them?
Eh, if you were timing them,
I suppose these secret meetings
were not, in fact, kept secret from you.
I knew about them, sir,
but I had no knowledge
of what they were about.
And that is because you never attended
any yourself, correct?
Exactly.
Why was that?
I thought them suspicious.
Suspicious?
Well, then, you see, you did know
what they were about.
No, sir, I did not.
Then why were
your suspicions aroused?
By the snatches
of rebel conversation
I overheard in the hallways
and by their frequent whisperings.
Well, in that case, if it was
of such great concern to you,
why did you not report your suspicions
to your superiors at the War Department?
I did.
Excuse me?
I did reveal my suspicions.
I made a confidant of Captain Gleason
in the War Department.
Mr. Aiken, if there's nothing else...
Counselor, will that be all?
Uh, yes.
Uh, no.
No. No, I do have something else.
Tell me, Mr. Weichmann. Tell us all.
- You ever been in Richmond?
- Objection.
I merely wish to know if the witness
has ever visited the capital
of the Confederacy.
I don't recall.
Then perhaps this train receipt
will refresh your memory.
It indicates passage to Richmond,
and it has your initials on it.
Yes.
That's right.
I considered continuing my divinity studies
there after the war.
I plan on becoming a priest.
That's very nice.
Do you recall, Mr. Weichmann,
at which institute in Richmond
you were thinking of enrolling?
The name?
Yes, Mr. Weichmann, the name.
Well, uh...
- There is no academy of the kind...
- Objection.
...in Richmond, is there,
Mr. Weichmann?
- In fact, perhaps you visited Richmond...
- Objection, General.
...for another purpose entirely.
Objection sustained.
You worked for the general in charge
of rebel prisoners, did you not?
Yes.
So?
Perhaps a distinguished clerk like yourself
knew certain information.
What sort of information?
Information that might have been of
"divine" interest
to certain rebels within the capital
of the Confederacy.
Objection, General.
The witness is not on trial here.
Well, he ought to be!
Objection sustained.
The witness is not on trial.
Sir, I am merely trying to establish
the witness' credibility
or rather the lack of credibility
of this man.
Mr. Aiken, you are incriminating
the witness.
Incriminating? Sir,
Louis Weichmann shared a room
with John Surratt.
I have a tick et that puts him
in Richmond.
I think it reasonable to assume
that he knows more about this plot
to assassinate our president
than he supposedly reported.
What Mr. Aiken think s
is entirely immaterial.
Counselor, unless you have something
more relevant to ask,
the witness will step down.
No.
No, I have nothing more... relevant to ask.
You never... you never ask a question
you don't know the answer to.
I know. I know.
How... How did you know Weichmann
was lying about Richmond, Fred?
- I didn't.
- You didn't?
S-so you gambled twice?
How did you pass the bar?
Heh heh. Well, will, it work ed.
I mean, Fred made Weichmann
look as guilty as the others.
- It was perfect.
- You're right.
And that's the problem.
They all look guilty.
Freddie, I'm sorry.
First the senator drops your client
like a load,
and then with all these
secret meetings taking place,
either she knew what was going on...
Or she damn well should have known.
Senator?
In here.
I think she's as guilty as Booth.
How could I possibly defend her?
You assume that she's guilty,
like the Commission.
You don't have any proof.
Proof or no,
don't give a damn what happens to her.
I tell you what.
If you can prove that she's guilty,
you can take yourself off the case.
Thank you, sir.
You think it'll be that easy?
I know it.
Pardon me, Father.
I wish to confer with the prisoner.
Alone, if you don't mind.
It's... It's quite all right, Mary.
I... I must be going anyway.
All right. Well, thank you
for visiting, Father.
I'll see you soon.
Your words were most comforting.
The Lord's with you.
She's refusing to eat.
I've tried to convince her to no avail.
Perhaps you could help her.
Mm.
"Search me, and know my heart.
"Try me, and know my thoughts.
And see if there be any wicked way in me."
"The Lord knows the way of the wick ed.
And the way of the wicked will perish."
You know your Proverbs, young man.
Mm-hmm.
My father was a minister.
He taught them to me as a child.
So, what is it you wish to know?
Why Booth and his associates
were constants in your home.
I ran a boarding house, Mr. Aiken.
Forgive me if I chose
to fill it with boarders.
I checked your registry, ma'am.
There's no record Booth ever
stayed at your home.
No, the fact is he stayed at the National
whenever he came to Washington,
so why was Booth in your home?
I suppose my son invited him.
They were friends.
Famous actor like Booth?
Engaging your son
out of friendship?
Mr. Aiken, my son is no less
a gentleman than you
and very capable of forming
acquaintances in society.
I've... I've read all about
your family's acquaintances, ma'am,
about how your late husband contributed
to the Confederate cause
and about your Gentleman Johnny.
What about him?
He made quite a sum as a courier
carrying rebel secrets across Union lines.
Oh, I'm well aware
of what your family's capable of,
Mrs. Surratt,
so I know you're not
telling me the truth.
Well, then you know what I do not.
You were despondent
over losing the war,
and you would have done anything
you could to save the Confederacy,
including using your own son John.
Honestly, Mr. Aiken.
So you arranged a meeting with Booth,
figuring he'd befriend your son
because of what he knew,
what expert couriers do know.
And what might that be?
The best escape routes out of town.
Your son was supposed to lead the others
to freedom that night, wasn't he?
Except he was the only one
that got away.
My son was in Canada that day.
Can you prove that?
I received a letter on April 14,
same day as the assassination,
sent from Montreal.
Where is this letter?
I don't know.
I'm done,
done defending your lies.
You're so blind with hatred, Mr. Aiken,
you can't even see the truth.
Yes, my son hated the North.
We all did.
How can a Southerner feel anything
but bitterness toward your side?
But my son did not conspire
to kill your president.
He conspired to kidnap him.
All right, here he comes.
Ready your mount.
Surratt, where the hell's Booth?
He'll be here.
All right, steady.
Wait!
He's not coming!
Lincoln's changed his plans.
- What?
- He's still in town.
He just gave a speech
at the National.
Anna, back upstairs.
Who was in the carriage?
Doesn't matter. What matters
is he wasn't in the carriage.
You should have known.
What about the weapons?
We need to hide these weapons.
We can take them to Lloyd's.
I'll take 'em.
You'd shoot your own foot off.
I said I'd do it.
Don't push me.
Enough!
Fools like you are the reason
we can lose this fight.
Johnny Surratt,
I'd like a word with you, please.
Well, answer, Johnny.
Your mama's callin'.
They planned on ransoming
Lincoln in ex change
for all the Confederate soldiers
in your prisons.
Why didn't you report them
to the authorities?
Because one of them was my son.
So rather than kidnap him,
your son helped murder
the president instead.
No.
They nearly got the vice president
and the secretary of State.
No, it's not true. It's not my Johnny.
Damn it, ma'am, you just said
he was Booth's right hand.
My son is not a murderer, Mr. Aiken.
All right, then.
Swear to it.
Supper will be ready shortly.
John?
Can't stay, mama.
I have to leave town straightaway.
What's so pressing?
Nothing that need worry you.
Just some cotton speculatin'. That's all.
Don't sport with me, son.
You're not steppin' outside this house.
Don't talk to me like I'm a child!
Richmond's falling.
Something must be done.
Johnny, I'm aware of the news
from Richmond,
and it pains me terribly.
Supper's ready.
Wh... what is it?
I'm leaving town.
No, you're not leaving town.
Yes, I am.
You and Anna are the
only family I've got left,
and I'll be damned if I let you go out there
and do something else foolish.
- Foolish?
- Johnny...
What I'm fightin' for is far more important
than any of us.
Your family is more important
than anything.
That is your responsibility!
All of our men are buried underground
right now.
- The war is over.
- Oh, you're wrong about that.
There is nothing left for you to do.
The war is far from over,
and there's still plenty I can do.
- Johnny, please.
- Unhand me, Mother.
- Unhand me, Mother.
- Please, Anna.
John!
Mother.
John, are you coming or not?
Johnny, please.
If this cause ain't worth fightin' for,
then what is?
So that was the last time
you saw your son?
Yes.
Less than two week s
before the assassination?
Yes.
So then, you see, you admit
that your son conspired to kill
President Lincoln.
I don't know.
May God help you.
Honestly, Mr. Aiken, I don't know.
Lord, I pray not.
All I know is that I did not.
I swear.
Miss Surratt.
You have to tell me exactly...
How is my mother?
She's managing.
You have to tell me
exactly what happened here.
What do you mean?
Do you know that Louis Weichmann,
uh, your friend,
testified against your mother
after you told me
he was like a son to her?
What went on here?
Why should I trust you?
Because your mother
told me everything.
She told me about John.
She told me about the plot to kidnap
President Lincoln.
Anna, did you try and stop him?
How was I supposed to do that?
'Cause you're his older sister.
You don't know how stubborn
my brother can be.
All right. Did your brother
conspire to kill the president?
My brother left town week s
before the assassination.
It proves nothing. Look, the night
he left the boarding house...
I've said all I will.
Miss Surratt, I'm trying...
I'm trying to help.
By condemning my brother?
Mr. Aiken, my mother would never
allow that, and neither would I.
Oh. All right. All right, look,
you knew about Weichmann.
If you know any potential witnesses
the prosecution might call
or what evidence
they'll use against her,
you must tell me.
Will you help me?
Let us proceed with events
following the assassination
of President Lincoln.
On the night of April 17,
what were your duties, Major Smith?
I was charged with finding John Surratt,
and we were searching the house.
Major, I found these.
They were here
in the daughter's bedroom.
Major Smith, please read aloud
what's inscribed here.
"Sic semper tyrannis."
Could you translate?
Of course.
"Thus always for tyrants."
Are those words familiar to you?
Indeed.
Booth yelled them
after he cut down our president.
You found the same three days later
in her daughter's bedroom
next to a photograph
of the assassin himself.
Like a shrine, sir.
Uh...
Please continue.
Uh, objection.
Sic semper tyrannis
is the state motto of Virginia.
It hardly constitutes proof
of a shrine to Booth.
No further proof is needed,
Mr. Aiken.
Proceed, Mr. Holt.
Continue, Major Smith.
As I was fixing to take the Surratts
to headquarters for questioning,
there was a knock at the door.
You all right, ma'am?
I... I must be mistaken.
Wait a minute.
Whom do you wish to see?
Uh, Mrs. Surratt.
This is her place.
Bring him in.
Is she expecting you?
She sent for me, asked me
to dig a gutter for her.
At this time of night?
In the morning. I just wanted
to know what time.
Bring Mrs. Surratt in here.
Ma'am, did you hire this man
to dig a gutter for you?
No, sir.
Do you know this man?
No, sir.
Is this the man
she denies knowing?
No, sir.
Is this the man
she denies knowing?
Yes, sir.
Lewis Payne.
The same man boarded at the Surratts'
prior to daggering the secretary of State
and his kin.
Yes.
Thank you, Major.
Nothing further.
Major Smith, are you aware
that Lewis Payne
boarded at the Surratts' under an alias,
claiming to be a Baptist minister
from Baltimore named Wood?
That's what she claimed.
She claimed?
I would like to submit into evidence
this ledger of guest accounts
from the Surratt boarding house.
Supposing, as this evidence would seem
to suggest, that were the truth...
suppose Mrs. Surratt
simply failed that night
to recognize Wood the preacher
in the guise of Payne the ditch digger.
He was standing in full view of her
not three paces.
General Hunter, since accepting this case,
I have come to learn that my client's
eyesight is defective.
I have here a sworn affidavit
from her doctor stating just that.
Major Smith, it was dark.
It was nighttime.
Isn't it possible Mary Surratt simply...
failed to see him?
If I saw a man dressed as a preacher
and two months later a laborer,
then I would recognize him
as the same person.
Thank you, Major Smith.
A simple yes or no will do.
Is it possible she failed
to see him properly?
Yes, I suppose it's possible.
No further questions.
The prosecution seems unable
to present any proof of guilt
beyond a reasonable doubt.
Uh, could somebody bring me
the transcript of today's trial?
Shall I read it aloud to you?
Oh, Ed.
Your young associate is
putting up a spirited defense.
Reminds me of a certain lawyer
I had to face 25 years ago.
Ah, he learned to fight in your army.
Can I get you a drink?
No, no. No, I won't be staying long.
Reverdy...
You've done as much for this nation
as any man I know.
Oh. Feeling's mutual, Ed.
Don't you think it's time for us two
old war horses to call a truce?
Heh heh.
Not if you insist on staging
this travesty.
This trial will do more
to keep the peace
than any paper treaty could.
Heh. How'd you convince
yourself of that?
Because justice, swift and firm,
will help deter the South
from ever conspiring again,
as well as discouraging the North
from seeking revenge.
What about the rule of law?
My first responsibility is to ensure
that this war stays won.
Oh, and this is how you do it,
by keeping fear alive
as long as you see fit?
Look. "Stanton warns
of future rebel plots,"
uh, water supplies poisoned, um...
firebombing cities.
Uh, yellow fever spreading
all over the place.
This is a frightened country, Ed.
You don't need to scare us anymore.
And who is to say that none
of these things could happen?
The unspeakable already has...
Our president assassinated,
The world has changed, Reverdy.
Abandoning the Constitution
is not the answer.
You may prefer dining alone.
I just hope your young associate
does as well.
If he pushes too hard,
he will make enemies
who will not soon forget.
On this, you know I'm right.
I'm here to see Secretary Stanton, boys.
Stand down.
Sorry, sir. Mr. Stanton doesn't see anyone
without an appointment.
Well, good morning, Mr. Aiken.
Morning.
Perhaps I can be of some assistance.
If you can arrange an appointment
for me with the secretary, you can.
Unfortunately he's quite busy right now,
but perhaps you'd care
to have a word with me instead.
Please.
My client is unwell.
So I hear.
Touch of the woman's curse.
I'm sure she'll be well enough
to continue her trial in a few days.
She's been in solitary confinement
for over a month.
She hasn't eaten in over a week.
She's refusing to eat.
All the prisoners are fed daily.
Soft bread and salted meat.
Unless she has a proper meal
and some fresh air,
I can't guarantee
she'll be fit for trial.
One of the conspirators
refuses to be guarded by a Negro,
and the other insists on only eating
his mother's cooking.
We can't accommodate every whim.
Come now. I am merely asking for you
to stop treating her like a savage.
How dare you accuse us of savagery?
Have you forgotten how our own
were treated by the rebels?
Of course not.
Well...
But Mary Surratt is in serious decline.
If this treatment of her continues,
she will not be sound of mind.
And I trust that is something
the government wishes to avoid.
I may have a way to serve all interests.
I'll deny ever telling you this.
Understood?
Father.
Counselor.
F eel that sun.
Do I have you to thank for this?
Well, thank you.
Well, if I could just get you
to start eating.
Left. Left.
Left, right, left.
Company halt.
Mary, there's something
I need to ask you.
Um...
I've never seen you at a loss for words,
young man.
Heh.
Do you know where your son is hiding?
Johnny?
Of course not.
Government believes you do.
What do you believe?
Heh.
I believe you know more
than you're willing to tell me.
Uh, have you ever cared for something
greater than yourself?
I've spent these last four years
fighting for something
greater than myself,
so don't...
Then we are the same.
Mary, you have to tell us
where your son is.
Us?
I have to tell "us"?
Whose side are you on?
I'm trying to defend you.
By suggesting I trade
my son for myself?
You're trying to save you, Mr. Aiken.
I wish I could give you
what you need. I truly do.
But if you want out,
you'll have to find another way.
I'm gonna take a walk.
It's so nice out.
Do you care to walk with me?
So we're stuck
in these shallow trenches.
We're surrounded on all sides.
Nobody knows what to do.
Nobody knows what to say.
We're frozen,
completely petrified.
And then from somewhere
up on the hill,
we hear this loud
booming Southern voice.
It's the rebel general.
He yells, "Y'all boys
better say your prayers,
because there are 400 of us
and only 100 of you."
You can stop right there, Baker.
And so then this madman,
he stands up,
and he yells back to him,
and he says...
he says, "Hundred?
Heck, we've got less than that.
But we don't surrender,
so come and get us."
And with that,
he pulls down his pants
and bares his arse.
You didn't.
- I didn't.
- What?
It doesn't seem as though Fred
ever intends to surrender.
Ah, it appears he already has.
She's fair, fit and 40.
Is it true Mrs. Surratt is a Catholic,
wears black from head to toe?
I hear she spits in the faces
of every Union soldier she encounters.
Apparently she wears a necklace
made from the bone of a Union soldier.
Seriously, Fred, do you honestly
doubt she's guilty?
So, okay, who would like to dance?
- Yes.
- Yes. Good.
Mmm.
# Upon the field of Gettysburg #
# when morning shone again... #
Dance?
It's more like a wake.
I suppose I should have dressed
more like Mrs. Surratt.
Heh.
# In streams of fiery rain... #
Fred, what are you doing?
I'm enduring the pain
of having to listen to Baker.
You know what I mean.
If she's found guilty,
they'll say you weren't up to the task.
And God forbid you prevail.
They'll think you just as much
a traitor as she.
Baker, how 'bout something
a little happier?
# and un...
- Little happier?
- Yeah.
All right, Fred.
Happier, he wants.
Eh...
William's right, you know.
Either outcome, you cannot prevail.
Sarah.
What is it about Mary Surratt
you find so compelling?
These are criminal,
despicable people, Fred.
They're... they're
the same sort of people
you risked your life
fighting against,
and she helped kill
your commander in chief.
I don't know what she's guilty of.
May I ask you one more thing?
What is it, Sarah?
Does the captain
remember how to dance?
Of course.
Few people
will forget what side you fought on.
Trust me. It can be lonely.
I'm just upholding my oath
as an attorney
and doing my job.
It's what you ask ed.
It's what you told me to do.
This habit of quoting me back to me
could become most irritating.
You have your mother's convictions
and your father's annoying habits.
Well, "Mary Surratt is entitled
to a defense, Freddie,
so I shall defend her."
If they want John Surratt,
then you should serve him up
on a platter.
I... I don't mean, uh, physically.
I mean in spirit.
You have to prove to the Commission
that he is responsible, not her.
She's not gonna like that.
Mr. Lloyd, you are a tenant
of Mary Surratt, are you not?
Yes, sir.
I run a tavern some 10 miles
from the city
on a property she owns.
And on the afternoon
that President Lincoln was assassinated,
did Mary Surratt pay you a visit?
Yes, sir, in the company
of Louis Weichmann.
And she brought you a package,
did she not?
Yes, sir. That's correct, sir.
Small pack age
wrapped in newspaper.
Did she tell you where
the package came from?
Said it came from
John Wilkes Booth.
John Wilkes Booth!
And what exactly did she give you?
Objection.
There's no way the defendant
could have known what was inside.
He just testified the package
was wrapped.
Overruled.
Witness will answer the question.
Mr. Lloyd, what was inside the package?
Field glasses, sir.
Field glasses?
Field glasses like these?
Exactly.
With the initials "J.W. B."
inscribed on them.
Did she give you any instructions?
Sir?
Instructions, Mr. Lloyd?
Instructions which may affect this trial?
Oh. Yes, sir.
Ahem. She told me,
"Lloyd, get those
shootin' irons ready.
There will be parties here tonight
who will call for them."
You liar!
Order!
- He's a liar!
- Order!
- It's a lie.
- Order!
Control yourself, madam.
Such outbursts will only
prejudice your case.
Oh, Lord.
I just don't see how I could possibly
further prejudice this case, sir.
Counselor,
you will control your client.
General.
Shooting irons!
Shooting irons.
And to what was she referring?
Army rifles, sir,
hidden in the joist
above the dining room.
And what else did she tell you?
She said I was to get two bottles
of whiskey ready, too.
And were these things called for,
as per the defendant's instructions?
Yes, sir.
About midnight, sir,
the night of the assassination,
by two men on horses, one...
I'd seen before.
T'other was a stranger to me.
I brought the items, thinking these
were the parties Mrs. Surratt meant.
Two of 'em rode off so fast,
they could have outrun Creation
and give it two-mile a start.
Your witness.
I did not...
Mr. Lloyd.
Mr. Lloyd, you just testified
that Louis Weichmann accompanied
the defendant that afternoon.
Right.
So then I can correctly assume
that he would also testify
to having heard her instructions to you.
No.
She took me out by the woodpile
out of earshot.
So you're saying that nobody
heard this conversation,
just you and her.
Way it happened, sir.
Of course it is.
Of course it is.
When did you learn of President Lincoln's
assassination?
Well, who can forget when they heard?
The next morning,
a Captain Cottingham told me.
He was searching for the assassins.
No doubt, you were most upset.
Indeed.
I got myself right smart in liquor.
Yes, you're... you're right smart
in liquor most days,
- aren't you, Mr. Lloyd?
- Objection.
I fact, I hear that you're
your own best customer.
Objection.
Sustained.
This Captain Cottingham,
did he ask you anything in reference
to the assassins?
He asked if any parties
had passed through.
Naturally I told him
about the two I knew.
Actually, you did not.
According to this witness report,
you said nothing for two days.
I was frightened is all.
I feared the assassins
might come for me.
Perhaps, though, you were afraid
that the authorities
might consider you an accessory.
Well, it was through the Surratts
that I got myself in such difficulty.
The Surratts.
Don't you mean John Surratt,
to be more precise?
Wasn't it he who brought
the shooting irons
to your tavern door
in the first place?
Yeah.
And he showed you
where to hide them?
I didn't want to.
So you're saying that he asked you,
forced you to do so against your will.
Yes.
So he brought them to you,
he showed you where to hide them,
and he forced you to hide them
against your will?
That's right. Yes, exactly.
If John Surratt was capable
of putting Mr. Lloyd,
Louis Weichmann
and Lord knows
how many others at risk,
who's to say he didn't do
the same to his mother?
- Objection.
- Stop this!
- Sir, it seems the...
- Stop it right now, Mr. Aiken.
- It seems the only thing...
- Objection.
- General, objection.
- that Mary Surratt might be guilty of
- is having given birth to her son John.
- How dare you?
Objection sustained.
That will be all, Mr. Aiken.
Just to be clear, Mr. Lloyd,
it was the defendant, Mary Surratt,
who just hours before
the assassination
brought you field glasses
and instructed you to prepare rifles
and two bottles of whiskey?
Yeah.
Thank you.
General Hunter,
members of the Commission,
the government rests its case
against Mary Surratt.
That'll be all, Mr. Lloyd.
You may step down.
What did they promise you
to say that, Mr. Lloyd?
Counselor, I'm warning you.
Bet a case of whiskey's all it took.
You best hush up.
I'll put you in the ground, boy.
Mr. Aiken, you will sit down, sir.
You shut him up.
Sit down, sir.
Now...
we will adjourn.
When we resume,
the defense may call its first witness.
Left. Left.
Excuse me, sirs.
Uh, Captain Cottingham?
Yes.
Can I have a word with you, please?
Sir.
And did you interview John Lloyd,
the man who runs the tavern
on Mrs. Surratt's property?
Yes, right after the assassination.
And did he tell you that Mrs. Surratt
asked for rifles and whiskey?
Yes. Lloyd said Mrs. Surratt asked him
to do all those things.
Uh, excuse me?
Did we not talk just yesterday?
We did.
And did you not say
that Mrs. Surratt never asked for whiskey
or rifles of John Lloyd?
I do not deny that.
And now you're swearing,
under oath,
that what you told me then was a lie.
Yes. I lied to you 'cause I thought
you had no business to ask me.
No business? I...
You're my witness.
Should I not expect the truth?
I state here that I did lie to you,
but under oath,
now I'm telling the truth.
Mr. Holt,
do you wish to question the witness?
Uh, no. I believe what we've heard
is more than sufficient.
Captain, you may step down.
As you know, tonight mark s
Washington's celebration
honoring our troops,
so we will adjourn.
It's not enough, is it, Mr. Holt?
It's not enough that you, uh...
you set the rules.
You... You pick the judges.
Now you have to turn
my witness as well.
Counselor, control yourself.
Control the prosecution.
Mr. Aiken.
Every witness I wish to call has either
been turned by jail or the threat of it.
That's enough!
There is no limit to how far
the prosecution is willing to go!
Stand down, counselor,
or I will hold you in contempt.
You had better comport yourself
in a more appropriate manner,
or you will find yourself
incarcerated with the others.
Good evening.
Good evening, Douglas.
- Ma'am.
- Good evening.
Mr. Aiken, may I have
a word with you?
Of course.
Would you excuse me?
His first day on the job.
I'm sorry, Mr. Aiken.
It's all right, Douglas.
It's not your fault.
Frederick!
Uh, Nick, would you escort Sarah
upstairs for me, please?
Sure, but, uh...
- Is everything all right?
- Everything's fine.
Come on, Sarah.
Even with one good leg,
I can still outdance him.
Another night, Nick.
Sarah.
Sarah, where are you going?
"Conduct unbecoming."
I'm sorry about the party.
You think I care about the party?
Please. Everything will be all right.
I promise you.
You are just like that woman,
ready to go to the gallows
for the most pointless cause.
People do get left behind
when you do that.
I can't ignore what's going on
in that courtroom.
But you can ignore me, us?
I didn't say that.
Please, I have to do this.
Do you?
I find your devotion to this frightening.
I waited such a long time for you.
I'm so sorry.
I know. But I'm back now.
No, you're not.
I am. I... ple...
Sarah, please, will you just...
We have to...
we have to talk about this.
Fred, I love you. I...
I wish I could do this.
I just... I can't.
I just can't.
Wait. Let me see you home at least.
Please wait.
Uh, Mr. Secretary.
I have to speak with you.
Mr. Aiken, perhaps this isn't
the best time.
What is happening to Mary Surratt
is an abomination.
Stand down, Captain.
It's all right.
Would you escort Mrs. Stanton in?
I'll just be a moment.
Yes, sir.
Young man...
always indebted to you
for your courage in the field,
but you must learn to tread lightly.
- Tread lightly?
- Mm.
I will not tread lightly.
You have predetermined her fate.
Mary Surratt's fate rests entirely
with the Commission.
My concern is preserving our Union.
Why did I fight for the Union
if my rights aren't assured?
You tell me.
Fine words for rallying the troops,
not for running a nation.
They assassinated our president,
and someone must be
held accountable.
The people want that.
It's John Surratt you want.
You don't even want Mary.
I'll settle for either one.
If you'll excuse me,
my wife is waiting.
Mr. Aiken.
May I come in?
- It's late.
- I know.
I need you to testify.
Very well.
I'll tell them my mother's innocent.
I need you to tell them
that your brother is not.
I won't do it.
You know what'll happen
to her if you don't?
Anna...
Your brother does not need
to be saved right now.
Your mother does.
Mr. Aiken,
are there any other
witnesses you wish to call?
Uh, yes.
The... The defense
would like to call Miss Anna Surratt.
General Hunter, what is...
Place your right hand on this Bible.
Where's my mother?
Anna, she's just right here,
behind these men.
Why won't they let me see her?
I don't know.
Please, Miss Surratt.
Do you swear to tell the truth,
the whole truth
and nothing but the truth,
so help you, God?
Miss Anna.
I do.
It'll be all right.
Miss Surratt, can you tell us
when your brother first became acquainted
with John Wilkes Booth?
Miss Surratt, you will
answer the question.
I believe my brother
met him January last.
Three months before
the assassination.
He must have been mighty pleased
to have befriended such a famous actor.
You'll have to ask him.
Well, I'm sure
we'd all like to ask him.
Your brother proudly called himself
a friend of Booth's, did he not?
Mr. Aiken, what are you doing?
Mother!
Miss Surratt.
Miss Surratt, please.
Miss Surratt.
I never...
asked what my brother's
relationship was to Booth.
It was at John's invitation
that he first came to your home,
was it not?
Yes.
Does this picture of Booth
belong to you?
I found it in a gallery one day,
and I bought it.
Your brother must have been pleased that
you held his friend in such high regard.
- No.
- No?
No. He told me to tear it up
and throw it away.
Why?
Why did your brother
tell you to destroy
a photograph of his friend, Booth?
No, Mr. Aiken!
- Please.
- I beg of you.
- Please.
- Order!
Miss Surratt, please.
Answer my question.
I suppose he was trying to protect us.
He was trying to protect
you and your mother?
Yes.
Why would he need
to protect his family?
Anna, you have to choose.
I suppose...
he and Booth
were planning something.
He was planning something.
Did you know what?
Of course not.
When did you last see your brother?
He left at the beginning of April.
Days before the assassination.
Did he tell you where he was going
or what he might be planning?
He only said he had to leave.
And did you or your mother
try to stop him?
Yes.
- But we couldn't.
- How could you? He was angry.
He was frustrated with the war.
He hated the Union.
He would have done
anything in his power,
even risk his own family
to aid Booth in his cause.
But, Miss Surratt, did your mother conspire
with John Wilkes Booth?
Absolutely not.
Thank you.
There are no more questions.
General Hunter,
the government understands
why Miss Surratt would be moved
to the most extraordinary lengths
to conceal her mother's guilt,
including incriminating
her own brother.
My mother is innocent.
Miss Surratt, you are dismissed.
The government no longer
deems it necessary to hold you.
You are free to leave.
I just want to see my mother.
Please. I'm sorry, mother.
I'm sorry.
Please.
Please, let me see her.
Sir, the defense would push
for the Commission
to show some compassion
and allow a mother
to see her daughter
for a brief moment only.
Mm-hmm.
We will reconvene in the morning.
Unh!
Frederick, it's me.
Anna.
What are you doing here?
You never asked why
I had Booth's photo.
Tear that up and throw it away.
That man is gonna get us all
in trouble, if not worse.
I should have thrown it away,
but I didn't.
So you were infatuated with Booth.
I swear I didn't know
what he was capable of.
I believe you.
But your brother did.
Can you save my mother without him?
Can you, Frederick?
Probably not.
Father Walter!
Father?
Will you excuse us for a minute?
Counselor.
I need to see John Surratt right away.
Anna Surratt sent me.
Well, as I told Miss Surratt,
I can only pass along a message.
Where is he?
I don't know.
Only that some in the church have chosen
to provide him sanctuary.
You don't seem troubled by their choice.
You prefer he be crucified by this mob?
John is hardly the Prince of Peace.
He's wanted for murder and treason.
Harboring him is not only immoral,
Father, it's illegal.
Our laws are written here, counselor,
our allegiance to God.
You forgive me, Father,
but that's a bunch
of cock and bull.
Bible bears as many interpretations
as anything else.
Is there a message
you wish me to pass along?
My case summary is tomorrow,
so you tell John Surratt
that unless he surrenders himself,
his mother will most likely be
punished for his crimes.
Mr. Aiken.
F or the lawyer as well as the soldier,
there is an equally imperative command.
That duty is to shelter from injustice
the innocent,
to protect the weak from oppression
and, when necessity demands,
to rally to the defense
of those being wronged.
After the most thorough investigation
in our nation's history,
the government's entire case
against Mary Surratt
rests on three acts...
one,
her acquaintance with Booth,
two,
her alleged instructions to Lloyd,
and, three,
her nonrecognition of Payne.
It is these three acts
that constitute the sum total
of Mary Surratt's part in this traitorous
and murderous conspiracy.
By themselves,
they constitute no crime.
Any one of you or I
might have done the same,
but the government insists
she did them with evil intent,
largely based on the testimony of two men,
John Lloyd
and Louis Weichmann.
Yet, at best, the actions of these men
undermine their credibility,
and, at worst,
they have done the unspeakable...
they have gained their freedom
by falsely accusing another
of their crime.
There can be no doubt as
to the principal and real reason
that Mary Surratt is here today.
It's because of her son, John Surratt.
He invited Booth into her home.
She did not.
And he hid rifles and ammunition
in Lloyd's Tavern.
She did not.
If John Surratt was part
of this conspiracy,
I pray to God that he receives
every punishment known to man,
but if his mother can be convicted
on such insufficient evidence,
I tell you none of you are safe.
Members of the Commission,
do not permit this injustice
to Mary Surratt
by sacrificing our sacred rights
out of revenge.
Too many of us have laid down
our lives to preserve them.
Gentlemen.
Gentlemen.
One bullet may have killed
our beloved president.
One bullet, but not one man.
Sit with me.
Is there any word?
No. They're still deliberating.
I mean about my son.
I held him too close.
I didn't want John turning out
like his father,
so I kept him near.
And when the war broke out,
he wanted to enlist,
but I wouldn't let him.
My son just needed to break free...
be his own man.
And this is the way he did it.
All those in favor?
Aye.
Well, then, we are all agreed
on the penalty of death
for the prisoners
Herold, Atzerodt and Payne.
What about the woman?
Regarding Mary Surratt,
all those in favor, gentlemen?
No.
Damn it!
No.
No, she must be punished
to the full extent.
I want these people
buried and forgotten.
The majority prefer
a more merciful sentence,
life in prison
on account of her age, gender.
I give Mr. Aiken credit.
He knew just how
to use the daughter.
It seems so.
You made my sentiments known
to the Commission?
Their minds are made.
Then let us change them.
"After mature consideration
of the evidence,
"Commission finds you,
Mary E. Surratt,
"guilty...
"guilty of conspiring
to kill and murder
"P resident Abraham Lincoln,
"guilty of conspiring
to kill and murder
"Andrew Johnson, vice president
of the United States,
"guilty of conspiring
to kill and murder
"William H. Seward,
secretary of State.
"The Commission
does therefore sentence you
to be hanged by the neck
until you be dead."
Mary Surratt to meet her doom!
F our assassins die tomorrow at noon!
Here you go, sir.
Mary Surratt to meet her doom!
F our assassins die tomorrow at noon!
Mr. Surratt.
Here, sir.
There must be something we can do.
You have three options:
Petition the president
for a stay of execution...
but, uh, he won't do that,
because if he did,
people would think
he was part of the conspiracy.
Uh, two, apply for
a writ of habeas corpus
to retry her in a civilian court,
but no judge would oppose Stanton
or the might of the War Department.
Uh, and, three, John Surratt
shows himself before noon tomorrow.
Are you going somewhere?
I have business in Baltimore.
What?
You... You can't leave now!
It's over.
Freddie, she's not your mother.
If John Surratt won't
give himself up for her,
then why should you?
Freddie!
Frederick Sebastian Aiken,
we know you're in there!
Open the door now. Come on.
Fred... ah, there he is.
Well, if it isn't
the reclusive Master Aiken.
We thought you could use this.
Hamilton, how well
do you know Judge Olin?
What are you doing?
You think he'll give me
a writ of habeas corpus?
You can't pursue a writ.
They won't allow me
to appeal this verdict,
so I'm gonna appeal for a new trial.
If you do this,
you will humiliate Stanton,
and he will destroy you.
The hell with Stanton.
Why do you... Why do you insist
on standing by her?
Hey. Hey, it makes no sense.
What they're doing to her is wrong.
If John Wilkes Booth himself
was tried in the same manner,
it would still be wrong.
Hamilton, she's to hang
in less than 12 hours.
Judge Olin's out of town.
He would have been my first choice.
What about Wylie?
Maybe Wylie.
He's, uh... he's always been known
as a Free Thinker.
Yes. He's been around for ages,
but he was the closest to Lincoln.
Then what about Carter?
Not a chance. He was with Stanton
on the night of the assassination.
Besides, they have dinner
together once a week.
Then you're saying that Wylie
is my best option.
No. Your best option is
to stop this nonsense
and help us empty this bottle.
Better listen to the man.
Judge Wylie?
I, uh... I need to apply
for a writ of habeas corpus.
At this hour of the night?
I'm sorry, sir. It can't wait.
Interrupting an old man's sleep?
I'd say you're getting off
on the wrong foot, son.
It's for Mary Surratt.
A new trial...
in a civil court
by a jury of her peers.
Is that what you want, Mr. Aiken?
Yes, please, Your Honor.
So we can relive our president's
assassination all over again.
That's not my intention.
Then to what intent?
Might this not result
in exactly the same thing?
Perhaps, but results should not be
our only measure of justice.
Are you going
to lecture me on justice?
Sorry, sir.
You realize that I was personally
appointed by President Lincoln.
Yes.
And yet you still come to me.
Forgive me, Your Honor,
but are we not obligated
to follow the law at all times,
regardless of our emotions?
And is this not driven by emotions?
Isn't that what this is all about?
It's about preventing injustice.
Now, I know that the people
are still angry.
Yes, they are, and so am I.
But I hope,
I trust that President Lincoln
appointed you because you hold
the Constitution sacred.
Whether you believe Mary Surratt
is guilty or innocent,
the Constitution was intended...
And now you're gonna
lecture me on the Constitution.
...to protect the rights of all citizens
at all times in peace or war.
And in a matter of hours,
it will have failed to protect her
unless you sign that writ.
You believe she's innocent?
I don't know.
But if we don't get a proper trial,
we never will.
You can't go in there! Wait!
I'm so sorry, Mr. Secretary.
I tried to stop him.
It's all right.
Good morning, Joseph.
Good morning.
It appears that Mr. Aiken has procured
a writ signed by Judge Wylie.
Good day.
Before you go, Captain,
tell me...
when you first learned
that our secretary of State
had been butchered
to within an inch of his life
and that they put a bullet in the back
of our president's head,
when this city was in chaos,
did you not wish to see order restored
and justice served,
or were you just concerned
with the rights of the assassins?
It's not justice you're after.
It's revenge.
I would never go to such lengths
out of vengeance,
but to ensure the survival of this nation,
I would do anything.
Mary Surratt was a party
to the most grievous crime in our history.
Necessity demands that she be given
a swift, sure and harsh sentence.
I, too, hold sacred
our rights, counselor,
but they count not at all
if our nation ceases to exist.
Please see to it that Mary Surratt
is delivered to Judge Wylie's courtroom
no later than noon...
sir.
Let's go. Come on. Stay there.
You will have to stand trial again,
but it will be a civilian trial.
And a civilian trial has no generals.
That's correct. No generals.
Bless you, son.
Bless you.
Oh, Mama.
Anna.
Should only be three.
It's time, ma'am.
What are you doing?
We need to prepare her
with the others.
No. No, she is to be transferred
to Judge Wylie's court.
I advise sedating the young lady.
You'll do no such thing.
Anna. I have procured a writ
that says she is to get a new trial.
President just suspended your writ.
I'm sorry.
She's to hang with the others.
No.
No. Frederick, do something.
I...
I'm so sorry.
Oh, no.
No. No, no, no, no.
No, Mama. No.
No, Mama. No.
I'll always be with you.
No! No!
Oh, Mama, no!
I love you, Anna.
I love you.
No!
Oh, God, no!
Mama!
Inter arma, silent leges.
"In times of war,
the law falls silent."
It shouldn't.
Word is the last Confederate general
surrendered to Union troops.
Peace.
Peace at last.
I am hereby commanded
to cause David E. Herold,
G. A. Atzerodt,
Lewis Payne
and Mary E. Surratt
to be executed
in accordance with the order of
the president of the United States,
Andrew Johnson.
The Almighty God bless you.
Stand your prisoners up.
Step them to the noose.
Okay, sir.
I'll show you where he's at...
No, I know the way.
Mr. Aiken.
I didn't think you'd come.
I don't know what help
I can be to you.
I've left the law.
I just wanted to thank you
for the kindness
that you showed my mother.
Believe me, Mr. Aiken,
I never thought they'd kill her.
Father Walter asked
that I give you these.
They were your mother's.
I hope they can be
of some comfort to you.
They belong to you.
You were more of a son to her
than I ever was.
Thank you.
# I never learned
to count my blessings #
# I choose instead to
dwell in my disasters #
# and of these cutthroat busted sunsets #
# these cold and damp white mornings #
# I have grown weary #
# I walk on down the hill #
# through grass
grown tall and brown #
# and still it's hard somehow
to let go of my pain #
# Will I always feel this way? #
# Well, I looked
my demons in the eyes #
# laid bare my chest #
# said, "Do your best to destroy me" #
# You see, I've been to hell
and back so many times #
# I must admit you kind of bore me #
# There's a lot of things
I don't understand #
# Why so many people lie #
# It's the hurt I hide #
# that fuels the fire inside me #
# Will I always #
# feel this way? #
# So empty #
# so estranged #