Louis Weichmann

[Susan Higginbotham]

For what it's worth, here is some of what Augustus Howell had to say about Weichmann in an affidavit made some time after Mary's hanging. The affidavit is unsworn and undated and is in the John T. Ford papers at the Maryland Historical Society. (I'm working from a typewritten transcript someone made of the handwritten original, so there may be errors.)

"The whole groundwork of my torture proceeded from the Statement made and sworn to before the military commission by Louis J. Weichmann, the principal witness for the prosecution in the conspiracy case, who obtained his largest reward by implicating as many persons as possible whether innocent or guilty in the conspiracy plot--no doubt with the understanding that in consideration for his services he should accomplish his own safety. . . .

"Weichmann states he never gave any information from his books--that also is false, he gave me information and said it came from his books in his office, not only that--he obtained his office in the war department with the express understanding with Surratt that he Weichmann was to furnish Surratt with all information that came under his notice from time to time to be transmitted south--and he did furnish it. . .

"the military commission would have the world believe that he Weichmann was a detective put at Mrs. Surratts for the purpose of seeing what was going on at her house--it turned out very disastrous to Mr. Lincoln much better had they put someone else that they could trust. he Weichmann very apt in detecting other persons' business there while visiting Mrs. Surratt's--yet he was unable to detect anything relative to the Surratt & Booth oil & cotton speculation. He was the constant associate of all those parties . . .

the whole truth of the matter is this--that Weichmann had a large amount invested in this oil and cotton speculation and if Richmond had not fallen and their business prospered and the plot been a success Weichmann would have been walking the streets in Richmond hand and glove with Booth to be lionized by those who favoured the plot . . ."

He goes on in this vein at length and concludes by saying that Weichmann should be tried by a criminal court. Whether he was telling the truth about all or some of these things I don't know, but it's clear that he despised Weichmann and blamed him for the death of Mary Surratt.