But Ellie had found the letters. Hidden in a trunk in her great-grandmother’s attic, buried beneath lace doilies and yellowed photographs, was a correspondence between a Union soldier named Silas Webb and his wife. Silas had been a guard at the Old Capitol Prison in 1861. In one letter, dated November 12, he wrote:
Then, DNA testing. She had found a lock of hair in the same trunk as the letters—marked “A. Lincoln, 1859.” And from the hat worn by the man in the White House, preserved at the Smithsonian? A different DNA profile. Not a match.
The phrase "when Lincoln gets exonerated" serves as a powerful reminder of the need for justice to be served. The wait for justice to be served can be a lengthy and challenging process, but it is a crucial step in rectifying the injustices faced by those wrongly accused and convicted. Through the process of exoneration, individuals can clear their names and begin to rebuild their lives. As we wait for justice to be served, we must continue to advocate for reform in the justice system and support those who have been wrongly accused. when does lincoln get exonerated
Stanton’s journal.
The Smithsonian denied the discrepancy for two years. But a whistleblower leaked the internal memo. But Ellie had found the letters
By 2029, the evidence was overwhelming. Congress held hearings. Stanton’s descendants testified. The actor John H. Little’s great-granddaughter wrote a memoir: My Grandfather, the Fake President.
The official story: Abraham Lincoln had never been accused of anything. He was the Great Emancipator, the martyr president, the man whose face was carved into a mountain. Exoneration? For what? In one letter, dated November 12, he wrote:
“Be it resolved that the individual known as Abraham Lincoln, lawfully elected President of the United States in 1860, was unlawfully imprisoned and replaced by a surrogate in 1861. Be it further resolved that the true Abraham Lincoln is hereby exonerated of all false claims of madness or desertion—claims made solely to justify his imprisonment. Be it finally resolved that his name, his honor, and his legacy are restored.”
He sighed. “Ellie, exoneration is for the wrongly accused. But who accused him? A few forgotten letters from a dead soldier? There’s no case. There’s no trial. There’s no court that has jurisdiction over a dead president from a hundred and sixty years ago.”
Here is the timeline of how and when Lincoln Burrows finds justice: