Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:05 — 6.7MB)
After the recent surrender, and end of the Civil War, the night is festive as president Lincoln prepares for a night on the town. CBS reporters interview key players as they await the arrival of the president. The affair has all the gala found in a modern red carpet event.
Ford’s theater is the focal point, and VIP’s of the nation’s capital are all in attendance. With the war over, the band plays Dixie at the presidents request. Reporters transition to the inside of the theater for a glimpse of the play that so many are going to see for some comic relaxation. A description of the theater layout and decoration is offered for the listener of the radio broadcast.
A shot rings out, and things grow hectic as reporters speculate over the full details. The president is taken to a near by shop to be layed out for medical attention, but he is never to recover. A manhunt is sent out for the shooter, and a series of attempted murders are told about.
What does it all mean? Will they catch the killer? Tune in all the way to the end for a moving dramatic portrayal of the last moments of one of America’s greatest presidents. Also some spooky premonitions that were had by the president himself, as told by one of his close aids. Condolance messages pour in from around the globe, from leaders of various world powers.
PS: according to one biography on general Grant, he was to have attended the play along with Lincoln. After some exhausting travel after the surrender, and eager to return home to his wife, he declined the invitation to be present in the presidential box, and was on a Westbound train at the time of the shooting. It is said that he regretted his decision, and was certain that if he were present, that things would have ended up differently.
