Lewis Powell (conspirator)

Lewis Powell
Powell in wrist irons aboard the USS Saugus, photograph by Alexander Gardner, 1865
Born	Lewis Thornton Powell (1844-04-22)April 22, 1844 Randolph County, Alabama, U.S.
Died	July 7, 1865(1865-07-07) (aged 21) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Cause of death	Execution by hanging
Resting place	Geneva Cemetery
Nationality	American
Other names	Lewis Paine Payne
Known for	Conspirator in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln
Criminal penalty	Death
Criminal status	Deceased
Motive	Political
Conviction(s)	Conspiracy
Partner(s)	John Wilkes Booth George Atzerodt David Herold John Surratt Mary Surratt
Killings
Victims	1
Date	April 14, 1865 10:15 p.m. (Eastern Standard Time)
Country	United States
Location(s)	Washington, D.C.
Target(s)	Abraham Lincoln Andrew Johnson William H. Seward
Killed	Abraham Lincoln
Injured	4
Date apprehended	April 17, 1865

Lewis Thornton Powell (April 22, 1844 – July 7, 1865), also known as Lewis Payne and Lewis Paine, was an American citizen who attempted to assassinate United States Secretary of State William H. Seward on April 14, 1865. He was a conspirator with John Wilkes Booth, who assassinated President Abraham Lincoln the same night.

Powell was a Confederate soldier wounded at Gettysburg. He later served in Mosby's Rangers before working with the Confederate Secret Service in Maryland. He met Booth and was recruited into an unsuccessful plot to kidnap Lincoln. On April 14, 1865, Booth resolved to assassinate Lincoln, Seward, and Vice President Andrew Johnson.

Powell was given the task of killing Seward. He was assisted by David Herold, who guided Powell to Seward's home and kept horses ready for the escape. Powell severely injured Seward, and Herold fled before Powell could exit the Seward home. Powell lost his way in the city, and three days later arrived at a boarding house run by Mary Surratt, mother of co-conspirator John Surratt. By chance, the police were searching the house at that moment, and arrested Powell. Powell and three others, including Mary Surratt, were sentenced to death by a military tribunal and were executed at the Washington Arsenal.

Lewis Thornton Powell was born in Randolph County, Alabama, on April 22, 1844, to George Cader and Patience Caroline Powell. He was the youngest son in a family of eight children. Lewis' father was ordained a Baptist minister in 1847, and in 1848 the family moved to Stewart County, Georgia, where his father had received an appointment as pastor of Beulah Church in the village of Green Hill. About this time, Lewis' father freed the three slaves he owned. Powell and his siblings were all educated by their father, who was the local schoolmaster.

In his early years, Lewis was described as quiet and introverted, and well liked by others. He enjoyed carving, fishing, singing, reading, and studying. He also loved attending church, Sunday school, and prayer meetings. He often nursed and cared for sick and stray animals, earning the nickname "Doc" from his sisters. But Lewis could also be immensely stubborn, and the entire family was well known for their hot tempers.