It was a wintry Sunday afternoon and we went to the movies with our SLG friends. Yvonne was in charge of the day, and the film she had selected was “The Conspirator”. This told the story of what happened after President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated, and Vice President Andrew Johnston, and Secretary of State William Seward were brutally attacked. Mary Surratt was charged as a co-conspirator and tried in a military court on circumstantial evidence, and therefore denied a civil trial by jury. The gritty courtroom drama played out as Mary was defended by an unwilling young lawyer, who soon sees that the trial is unjust and corrupt. He does his very best for her, but Mary is being denied her right to a fair trial.
We had to admit that this story of American political history was not known to any of us, but the film had us on the edge of our seats as it slowly ground on the the inevitable conclusion. Mary was found guilty, and her young lawyer Frederick Aiken tries desperately to secure a stay of execution. This was overturned, and Mary, together with three others, went to the gallows. There were no big names that we recognised in this film, but the acting was suburb. This brilliant and engrossing piece of history was brought to life by director Robert Redford.
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