Criminal The Plot
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Feb 20, 2026 Kate Clifford Larson, historian and author of The Assassin’s Accomplice, offers a concise portrait of Mary Surratt. The conversation traces Surratt’s boarding house as a Confederate hub, John Wilkes Booth’s shift from kidnap plot to assassination, the conspirators’ preparations and April 14 violence, and the controversial military trial and execution that followed.
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Surratt's Home As A Confederate Hub
- Mary Surratt ran a tavern and post office in Maryland that became a safe hub for Confederate sympathizers and spies.
- Moving to Washington and running a boarding house placed her at the center of spy networks and political visitors like John Wilkes Booth.
From Kidnapping To Assassination
- Booth evolved from kidnap plots to assassination when kidnapping plans failed and the Confederacy faltered.
- He recruited inexperienced friends and relied on trusted safe houses like the Surratts'.
Booth's Regular Visits To The Boarding House
- John Wilkes Booth became a frequent, welcome visitor at the Surratt boarding house and sat with Mary when John Surratt Jr. wasn't home.
- Boarders recalled Mary and Booth talking for hours and Anna keeping a photo of Booth.
