Home
Dick Estell
The Radio Reader
Public Radio's Reading Program
The murder of Abraham Lincoln set off the greatest manhunt in American
history---the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth.  From April 14 to April 26,
1865, the assassin led Union cavalry and detectives on a wild twelve-day chase
through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and
9nto the forests of Virginia, while the nation, still reeling from the just ended Civil
War, watched in horror and sadness.

At the very center of this story is John Wilkes Booth, America’s notorious villain.  
A Confederate sympathizer and a member of a celebrated acting family, Booth
threw away his fame and wealth for a chance to avenge the South’s defeat.  For
almost two weeks, he confounded the man hunters, slipping away from their
every move and denying them the justice they sought.

Manhunt is a gripping hour-by-hour account told through the eyes of the hunted
and the hunters.
(non-fiction)
Copyright © 2006 The Radio Reader. All rights reserved.
For website corrections/comments e-mail:
webmaster@radioreader.net