Chasing Lincoln's Killer: Chapter 9–Epilogue

by James L. Swanson
Using trial manuscripts, archival materials, and interviews following President Abraham Lincoln's assassination, Swanson details the wild twelve-day chase to capture John Wilkes Booth.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Prologue–Chapter 4, Chapters 5–8, Chapter 9–Epilogue
15 words 781 learners

Learn words with Flashcards and other activities

Definition First
Print Flashcards

Other learning activities

Answer a few questions about each word. Use this to prep for your next quiz! Compete with other teams in real time to see who answers the most questions correctly! Test your spelling acumen. Read the definition, listen to the word and try spelling it!

Teaching tools

Create and assign quizzes to your students to test their vocabulary. Assign learning activities including Practice, Vocabulary Jams and Spelling Bees to your students, and monitor their progress in real-time.

Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. heinous
    extremely wicked or deeply criminal
    Whatever papers Booth read, they all condemned him for his heinous act.
  2. suppress
    control and refrain from showing
    But he was wrong to think the newspapers or government was suppressing his letter: His friend, terrified of being connected to the assassin, never delivered the letter to the newspaper.
  3. deplore
    express strong disapproval of
    He explained some of the reasons he had assassinated Lincoln: He longed for the South as it was and deplored the Union.
  4. concoct
    devise or invent
    Samuel Mudd had plenty of time to concoct his story.
  5. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
    But Booth’s filthy clothes, unshaven face, and pungent body could not conceal his obvious good breeding.
  6. chide
    scold or reprimand severely or angrily
    Later Booth would write a letter to Dr. Stuart, chiding him for his lack of Southern hospitality and honor.
  7. plight
    a situation from which extrication is difficult
    These were soldiers likely to be sympathetic to their plight.
  8. relish
    derive or receive pleasure from
    That evening, John Wilkes Booth enjoyed a leisurely supper with the Garretts. He relished the company and the genuine hospitality, so different from Dr. Stuart’s impolite, hostile reception.
  9. masquerade
    pretend to be someone or something that you are not
    The actor, still masquerading as a Confederate soldier, commented on his own crime and analyzed for the Garretts the motives of Lincoln’s killer!
  10. treachery
    an act of deliberate betrayal
    They were unaware that the Garretts, already guilty of inhospitality, were conspiring to commit a worse offense: treachery. Lincoln’s assassin had just walked into a trap.
  11. ultimatum
    a final peremptory demand
    Baker shouted an ultimatum to the fugitives: “I want you to surrender. If you don’t, I will burn this barn down in fifteen minutes.”
  12. discretion
    freedom to act or judge on one's own
    Conger, Baker, and Doherty had failed to give them any orders at all on the subject. As a noncommissioned officer, Corbett exercised his own discretion and shot Booth.
  13. inquest
    an investigation into the cause of an unexpected death
    To be absolutely certain the body was Booth’s, Stanton ordered an inquest and autopsy.
  14. autopsy
    an examination and dissection of a dead body
    To be absolutely certain the body was Booth’s, Stanton ordered an inquest and autopsy.
  15. commute
    exchange a penalty for a less severe one
    Dr. Samuel A. Mudd was imprisoned in Florida, but his sentence was commuted by President Johnson, partly for assistance during an outbreak of illness in the prison.
Created on Fri Mar 04 12:31:29 EST 2022 (updated Wed Jun 25 18:00:14 EDT 2025)

Sign up now (it’s free!)

Whether you’re a teacher or a learner, Vocabulary.com can put you or your class on the path to systematic vocabulary improvement.