[Booth, John Wilkes]: $100,000 Reward Broadside issued by the U.S. War Department, April 20, 1865. 12 1/2" x 23 7/8" $100,000 Reward Broadside issued by the U.S. War Department for the apprehension of John Wilkes Booth, John H. Surratt (misspelled "Surrat"), and David C. Herold (misspelled "Harold"), signed in print by Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. In part: $100,000 REWARD! THE MURDERER of our late beloved President, Abraham Lincoln, IS STILL AT LARGE. $50,000 REWARD Will be paid...for his apprehension...$25,000 REWARD Will be paid for the apprehension of John H. Surrat, one of Booth's Accomplices. $25,000 REWARD Will be paid for the apprehension of David C. Harold, another of Booth's accomplices...All persons harboring or secreting the said persons...or aiding or assisting their concealment or escape, will be treated as accomplices in the murder of the President and the attempted assassination of the Secretary of State, and shall be subject to trial before a Military Commission and the punishment of DEATH. Let the stain of innocent blood be removed from the land by the arrest and the punishment of the murderers... Descriptions of the three men follow, along with a Notice regarding additional reward money from the State and other authorities, making an aggregate of about TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS. At the time the poster was printed, Booth, Herold and Surratt had been identified as part of the conspiracy. Booth and Herold escaped into Maryland and then Virginia where, six days after the poster was first issued, they were found in a barn on Garrett's farm, near Port Royal, Virginia, and surrounded by a detachment of soldiers. Herold surrendered, but Booth refused, so the barn was set on fire and Booth was shot to death. Herold was tried, convicted and hanged along with other conspirators. John Surratt escaped to Canada, then Europe, but was captured and brought back and tried in 1867 in a civil court (the jury was deadlocked and Surratt went free). The broadside has been backed with archival paper for stability, has couple of areas of minor loss, and is archivally hinged at the top to an acid free mat. Overall a fine example of this rare and historic broadside. As a note, Sotheby's Auction sold an example of this broadside in April 2021, lot #309, realizing $214,000. That example had gelatin silver print photographs of Booth, Surratt and Herold added which were likely printed by Frederick Meserve in the early 20th Century. HID03101062020 © 2020 Heritage Auctions | All Rights Reserved

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