Help Wanted

[John Fazio]

(09-20-2015 12:36 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Thanks for your thoughts, John. Again, this is possibly an unanswereable question.

While we have your attention, the debate over Louis Weichmann in another thread brought up the question as to whether or not Weichmann and Lloyd became state's witnesses against Mary Surratt. I believe that Mr. Hall said that they had turned for the prosecution. You said the same in Decapitating, but then Pamela says you made a mistake that needed correcting. There should be evidence somewhere that would settle the question.

Laurie:

Pamela is right; I misspoke when I wrote that Weichman turned state's evidence. To do so one must either be charged as a co-conspirator or co-defendant or at least be suspected of such. The persons testified against must have been co-conspirators or co-defendants or suspected to be such. When the witness agrees to testify for the prosecution, he or she acknowledges that he or she was part of the conspiracy or otherwise in league with those he or she is testifying against. As we know, Weichmann never acknowedged that he was part of Booth's conspiracy and, to our knowledge, he was never actually accused of being such by Federal prosecutors. Likewise for Lloyd.

John