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Consider The Elephant

In this podiobook: The common wisdom is that the men who have attacked American Presidents - Czolgosz, Guiteau, Fromme, Hinckley, Moore, Oswald, Zangara - were disgruntled, disturbed loners. That wisdom includes John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, called a failed actor and a madman.But the truth is that Wilkes was the matinee idol of his time; and the attack on Lincoln was not the act of a maniac, but a part of a plan developed at the highest levels of the Confederacy.In "Consider the Elephant," by Aram Schefrin, the story of Wilkes'life and death is told by his brother, Edwin Booth, called "Ned." Ned was the greatest Shakespearean actor of his age, as was their father Junius in his era; and their brother June was an actor, too, though less successful than his brothers. The story is soaked in the ambiance of life in the American theater in the mid nineteenth century, and full of rich characters. It lays out in detail the path Wilkes took to the top of the celebrity heap

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  1. 37

    Chapter 37 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Ned writes a letter to Wilkes. Finis.

  2. 36

    Chapter 36 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Bainbridge, Ruggles and Jett

  3. 35

    Chapter 35 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Escape: Thomas Jones gets Wilkes to the Potomac.

  4. 34

    Chapter 34 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Escape: Dr. Samuel Mudd treats Wilkes' broken leg

  5. 33

    Chapter 33 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: The assassination

  6. 32

    Chapter 32 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Wilkes learns that Lincoln is going to the theater. He makes his preparations.

  7. 31

    Chapter 31 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Wilkes urges the managers of two Washington theaters to invite Lincoln to a performance on Good Friday night. Surratt tells Wilkes he will have to escape to Canada.

  8. 30

    Chapter 30 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: As their cause becomes more desperate, the Confederates decide to kill Lincoln - but without involving Wilkes. Richmond falls, and Wilkes - despondent - disbands his crew. But the Rebel plan is thwarted, and Mary Surratt asks Wilkes to assassinate th

  9. 29

    Chapter 29 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Now Richmond doesn't want Lincoln snatched. Wilkes is devastated.

  10. 28

    Chapter 28 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Wilkes takes his crew to a play at Ford's Theater. An attempt to snatch the President on the Seventh Street Road fails when Lincoln doesn't show.

  11. 27

    Chapter 26 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Wilkes and Surratt decide to snatch Lincoln at his inaugural ball, and Wilkes concocts a clever way to get into the event.

  12. 26

    Chapter 27 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Wilkes goes to the inaugural ball but, out of concern for Lucy Hale, decides not to snatch the President there.

  13. 25

    Chapter 25 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Wilkes gets a tour of John Ford's new theater in Washington, then meets a new conspirator - Lewis Thornton Powell.

  14. 24

    Chapter 24 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Wilkes leaves an envelope with Asia in Philadelphia, then meets the conspirators in Washington.

  15. 23

    Chapter 23 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: While the three Booths perform "Julius Caesar", Confederates raid New York City, setting fires on Broadway in the hotels and theaters.

  16. 22

    Chapter 22 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Lincoln is re-elected, and Wilkes meets Dr. Samuel Mudd.

  17. 21

    Chapter 21 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Wilkes tells Asia of the Lincoln kidnap plot.Wilkes meets Patrick Martin in Montreal, makes his first contacts on the route he plans to use to take the kidnapped President to Richmond, and gets details on Lincoln's routine.

  18. 20

    Chapter 20 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: In Boston, Wilkes meets with Confederate agents from Canada and signs on to a plot to kidnap President Lincoln.

  19. 19

    Chapter 19 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Lincoln is nominated for a second term, and Wilkes prospects for oil in Venango County, Pennsylvania.

  20. 18

    Chapter 18 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Sick and exhausted, Wilkes tours Southern towns under Union occupation while General Grant cuts a swath through Virginia. In New Orleans, Wilkes hears the story of how his father died.

  21. 17

    Chapter 17 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Trying to get to St. Louis, Wilkes spends Christmas in Leavenworth, is stranded in a blizzard and fights off a wolf.

  22. 16

    Chapter 16 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Wilkes, Edwin and Adam survive the New York City draft riots.

  23. 15

    Chapter 15 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: John Surratt, a Confederate spy, contacts Wilkes and shows him the courier route from Washington to the Northern Neck of Virginia through T.B., Surrattsville and the Maryland countryside, and across the Potomac at Port Tobacco.

  24. 14

    Chapter 14 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Since Mollie's death, Edwin has been seeing and hearing her. With Adam's help, he arranges a seance to try to contact her.

  25. 13

    Chapter 13 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: McClellan invades Virginia, up the peninsula between the York and James Rivers. The Yankees win the battles; still McClellan retreats, believing the Rebels too strong. Wilkes returns to smuggling contraband. Edwin returns to the stage, afraid he wil

  26. 12

    Chapter 12 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Following Adam's advice, Ned and Mollie go to Europe. But since Mollie is four months pregnant, they go to England, where they trust the doctors, rather than France or Italy. Ned searches the places where his father hsd been, but finds little trace o

  27. 11

    Chapter 11 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Wilkes triumphs in New York. He and Maggie go to Pfaff's Cafe to wait for the reviews.

  28. 10

    Chapter 10 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: New York City considers seceding, since its economic fortunes are tied to the South. But the Union buildup brings new money into the city, and New York decides to stay in the fold. Adam enlists in the Union Army, as an aide to General Grant. His last

  29. 9

    Chapter 9 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Wilkes looks up a school friend, Michael O'Laughlen. He asks O'Laughlen to hook him up with Rebels in Maryland. O'Laughlen tells him that the attempt on Lincoln's life has failed and that Maryland is under Federal martial law and is not going to sece

  30. 8

    Chapter 8 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: The family gathers at Asia's for Christmas in Philadelphia. Asia is rabid against Abraham Lincoln; she tells the others what she has heard: that Lincoln will be murdered in Baltimore on his way to Washington. Wilkes announces he is going to join the

  31. 7

    Chapter 7 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Desperately missing Mollie, Ned goes back on the booze. Adam Badeau gets Wilkes to intervene with Mollie, who quits Cushman's troop immediately and rushes back to New York. Ned asks her to marry him. She says "yes." After the wedding, Wilke

  32. 6

    Chapter 6 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Asia objects violently to Ned's marriage to Mary. Out of respect for his family, Ned gives her up. Before he leaves Richmond, he gives Wilkes the lead role in Othello, and Wilkes makes his first appearance in his own name. During Wilkes' second seas

  33. 5

    Chapter 5 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Ned comes to Richmond to star at the Old Marshall, and falls in love with an actress named Mary Devlin. Wilkes can't understand why Ned would want to marry when he could have any woman he wants. Ned reveals his awful past, and that Mary is his salvat

  34. 4

    Chapter 4 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Wilkes joins a company in Richmond, Virginia. While the local men talk secession, the women fawn on Wilkes.

  35. 3

    Chapter 3 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Wilkes begins his acting career in Baltimore and Philadelphia.

  36. 2

    Chapter 2 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Edwin goes to Washington to talk to the Federal police, and to visit June in the Old Capitol Prison. Jack is finally cleared of the crime, and Asia wangles June's release through Philadelphia friends. Edwin goes to Philadelphia. June goes home to San

  37. 1

    Chapter 1 - Consider The Elephant

    -In this episode: Edwin Booth, while acting Shakespeare in Boston, hears the news that his brother Wilkes has assassinated President Lincoln. The rest of his run is cancelled. He believes he will never work again. His sister Asia, in Philadelphia, collapses in grief.

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ABOUT THIS SHOW

In this podiobook: The common wisdom is that the men who have attacked American Presidents - Czolgosz, Guiteau, Fromme, Hinckley, Moore, Oswald, Zangara - were disgruntled, disturbed loners. That wisdom includes John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, called a failed actor and a madman.But the truth is that Wilkes was the matinee idol of his time; and the attack on Lincoln was not the act of a maniac, but a part of a plan developed at the highest levels of the Confederacy.In "Consider the Elephant," by Aram Schefrin, the story of Wilkes'life and death is told by his brother, Edwin Booth, called "Ned." Ned was the greatest Shakespearean actor of his age, as was their father Junius in his era; and their brother June was an actor, too, though less successful than his brothers. The story is soaked in the ambiance of life in the American theater in the mid nineteenth century, and full of rich characters. It lays out in detail the path Wilkes took to the top of the celebrity heap

HOSTED BY

Aram Schefrin

Produced by Evo Terra

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does Consider The Elephant have?

Consider The Elephant currently has 37 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.

What is Consider The Elephant about?

In this podiobook: The common wisdom is that the men who have attacked American Presidents - Czolgosz, Guiteau, Fromme, Hinckley, Moore, Oswald, Zangara - were disgruntled, disturbed loners. That wisdom includes John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of Abraham Lincoln, called a failed actor and a...

How often does Consider The Elephant release new episodes?

Consider The Elephant has 37 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.

Where can I listen to Consider The Elephant?

You can listen to Consider The Elephant on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.

Who hosts Consider The Elephant?

Consider The Elephant is created and hosted by Aram Schefrin.
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