Edman (Edward) Spangler, Alexander Gardner, 1865

Unwitting Accomplice

When Booth arrived at Ford’s Theatre, he asked Edman Spangler, a scene-shifter and carpenter, to hold his horse while he went inside. Spangler left his post, giving the job to “Peanut John” Burroughs, but he later returned and was there when the fatal shot rang out. Afterwards, Spangler was arrested and convicted for helping Booth escape; he was sentenced to six years in prison but President Andrew Johnson pardoned him in 1869.