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Pine Thicket 9695 Bel Alton Newtown Rd., Bel Alton, Md. While the manhunt for Booth and Herold grew close, the pair hid in this pine thicket waiting for a chance to safely cross over to Virginia. Locals brought them food, drink, and newspapers, which revealed to the disgruntled Booth that he was not being hailed as the hero he had hoped, but instead as a monstrous villain. Booth lamented in his pocket diary, “Our country owed all her troubles to him, and God simply made me the instrument of his punishment.” On April 20, their local guides led them down to the Potomac River to cross into Virginia. (Melissa A. Winn)
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A Look at John Wilkes Booth’s Escape Route After Assassinating Lincoln
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