When Surratt was hanged for conspiring to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln, she became the first woman executed by the US federal government. Today, her execution is generally considered to have been a gross miscarriage of justice. During her trial, prosecutors failed to establish that she knew of John Wilkes Booth's unsuccessful plot to abduct Lincoln, and it is now widely believed that she was not a party to the assassination plans either. What happened to her son, who also stood accused? Discuss (http://forum.thefreedictionary.com/postst17201_Mary-Surratt-Hanged-for-Role-in-Lincoln-Assassination--1865-.aspx)
Source: The Free Dictionary Encyclopedia.