John Wilkes Booth knew he had to act quickly to save the South. But his original plan wasnt to kill Lincoln, it was to kidnap him. From the Show: LINCOLNS . John Wilkes Booth (May 10, 1838 – April 26, 1865) was an American stage actor who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln at Fords Theatre, in Washington, . Plot to kidnap Abraham Lincoln and take him to Richmond; also Alabama man took out ad in which he offered to kill Lincoln, VP Andrew Johnson and Secretary . On April 12, 1865, after hearing the news that Robert E. Lee had surrendered at Appomattox Court House, Booth told Louis J. Weichmann, a friend of John .
