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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Pierrepont, Edwards, 1817-1892 Argument of Hon. Edwards Pierrepont to the jury, on the trial of John H. Surratt for the murder of president Lincoln

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC01265.28 Author/Creator: Pierrepont, Edwards, 1817-1892 Place Written: Washington, District of Columbia Type: Pamphlet Date: 1867 Pagination: 122 p. ; 22 x 14 cm. Order a Copy

Printed at the Government Printing Office. Pierrepont was chosen to prosecute John Surratt. Presents detailed evidence against Surratt, including excerpts of testimony from various witnesses such as Mary Branson. Also includes various letters inlvolving other conspirators to further support his case. Surratt, unlike the other conspirators, was tried in a civilian court, not a military court. The trial ended with a hung jury on August 10, 1867. The federal government eventually dropped all charges against Surratt and released him from custody in the summer of 1868.

Pierrepont, Edwards, 1817-1892
Surratt, John H. (John Harrison), 1844-1916
Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865

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