Alias "Paine": Lewis Thornton Powell, the Mystery Man of the Lincoln Conspiracy [Library Binding]

Betty J. Ownsbey (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1993 | ISBN-10: 089950874X | ISBN-13: 978-0899508740

On the night that John Wilkes Booth killed President Abraham Lincoln, 20-year-old Lewis Powell burst into the house of William Seward and attempted to assassinate the Secretary of State. Under the alias Lewis Paine, he was convicted and hanged three months later along with three other Lincoln conspirators. A former Confederate soldier, Powell's role in the Lincoln conspiracy has been the subject of a great deal of debate. Was Powell simply a Southern sympathizer who participated in an organized plot to kidnap Lincoln and exchange him for Confederate prisoners of war? Or was he recruited from Mosby's Rangers for special duty directed at the president and his cabinet? Through research on his life and military activities, these questions and others are answered.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Lewis Paine (born Lewis Thornton Powell) ensured his "15 minutes of immortality" when he clumsily and unsuccessfully attacked Secretary of State William Seward as part of the wider Lincoln conspiracy. Paine has often been dismissed as a near-feebleminded dupe who was sucked into the conspiracy because of his childish belief in the Southern cause and his worship of John Wilkes Booth, but Ownsbey shows him to have been reasonably intelligent; numerous acquaintances described him as attractive and charming. Paine was the son of a Florida minister and had an uneventful, even "normal," childhood. His devotion to the Southern cause seems to have grown out of deeply held political beliefs, and his stoicism and dignity during and after his trial won the admiration of some Union officials. Yet, Paine remains somewhat of an enigma, since there are huge gaps in his life (such as his actions after he left active military service in 1863), and here Ownsbey can only speculate. As a historical character, Paine doesn't jump off the page, perhaps because he lacked the flash, verve, and mania of other notable assassins, but Ownsbey has added to assassination lore with a solid piece of research. Jay Freeman

Review

"a solid piece of research" -- Booklist/RBB

"a thoroughly credible job" -- Lincoln Herald

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Product Details

• Library Binding: 247 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 089950874X
• ISBN-13: 978-0899508740
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,938,853 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fascinating!!!, November 13, 2009

By 

Amanda L. Harding (Escondido, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Alias “Paine”: Lewis Thornton Powell, the Mystery Man of the Lincoln Conspiracy (Paperback)

In all of the books i have read regarding the Lincoln assassination, this is by far my favorite. Lewis Powell is a murky character that was largely left in the shadows by other books, except for the occasional reference that was just enough to clearly show he was fascinating, and had a story of his own. This book did not disappoint at all! Every question i had in the back of my mind when reading about this man in other books was answered in this book. The author managed, even over the span of years separating us from the time, place, and events that occurred, to make Lewis seem alive, and utterly interesting.

13 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST BOOK OF ITS KIND, February 15, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Alias "Paine": Lewis Thornton Powell, the Mystery Man of the Lincoln Conspiracy (Library Binding)

Without question this is the best researched study of one of John Wilkes Booth's main co-conspirators ever written.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Alias Paine, August 14, 2008

By 

L. Januchowski (Georgia, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Alias “Paine”: Lewis Thornton Powell, the Mystery Man of the Lincoln Conspiracy (Paperback)

I purchased this book for my husband whose great great great Uncle was Lewis Thornton Powell. It has a lot of family history that we did not really know about. His mother signed the inside of book for her grandchildren. We love history!!!!!!!!!!!