Thurs. Nov. 25

Who killed Abraham Lincoln? John Wilkes Booth, as any schoolboy knows. (Exception: The people Jay Leno finds for his "Jaywalk.") But you may recall from your history texts that Lincoln's assassination wasn't a one-man show and, in fact, one of key players was Marry Surratt, who later had the honor of being the first female hanged by the US Government for her actions. On Tuesday. Nov. 25, Boston Athenæum presents a book talk by Kate Clifford Larson, author of "The Assassin’s Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln," at 6 p.m. (Larson is also Adjunct Professor of History at Simmons College.) A little back story: Mary Elizabeth Jenkins Surratt was a 43-year-old widow, devout Catholic, boardinghouse owner, and Confederate sympathizer. (Just a thought, posed as an ex-Catholic/now agnostic: What was the Catholic Church's position on slavery?) Larson found long-lost interviews, confessions, and court testimony, and herbook, illuminates Surratt’s central role in cultivating and nurturing the nefarious plan to kill Lincoln and avenge her beloved Confederacy. Larson details the enormous risks Surratt undertook in assisting the fetching young acto, Booth, her own son John Surratt, and other young men in their plot to kill Lincoln. Larson also reveals how, by remaining at large in Canada, John Surratt helped condemn his own mother to swinging from the gallow's pole.
Larson's talk costs $15, and is open to the public but reservations are recommended. Call 617- 720-7600. The cost is $15.

10 ½ Beacon Street (on Beacon Hill near the State House) 617-227-0272 www.bostonathenaeum.org