Assassination Trivia

[RJNorton]

Yes, Susan! You read my mind.

Most of the assassination books I have read indicate the reason Mary Surratt was hanged was primarily due to the testimonies of Louis Weichmann and John Lloyd. And many authors, if they had to pick the more important one, would point to the damning testimony of John Lloyd.

Yet here is part of what John Surratt said about Weichmann in his lecture:

"I have very little to say of Louis J. Weichmann. But I do pronounce him a base-born perjurer; a murderer of the meanest hue! Give me a man who can strike his victim dead, but save me from a man who, through perjury, will cause the death of an innocent person. Double murderer!!!! Hell possesses no worse fiend than a character of that kind. Away with such a character. I leave him in the pit of infamy, which he has dug for himself, a prey to the lights of his guilty conscience."

However, Surratt never mentions John Lloyd. Not once. Not a single negative word about him. Yet Lloyd's testimony is looked upon as equal to, if not more important, than Weichmann's (when it comes to John Surratt's mother being executed).

Can anyone explain this? Why does John Surratt totally spare John Lloyd in his lecture? Is it because Lloyd was actually one of the co-conspirators with Booth? Is it because Lloyd was part of the Confederate underground and had information that was never revealed, and Surratt didn't want to "rouse" Lloyd publicly?

Does anyone have ideas on this?