Louis Weichmann

[Pamela]

(09-10-2015 12:55 PM)L Verge Wrote:  Speaking of making fun of Weichmann, it reminded me that he went to high school with George Alfred Townsend at Central High School in Philadelphia (according to GATH). Townsend later wrote a very sarcastic review of Weichmann after having chanced upon him on the street years later and remembering those school days, nicknames, etc. Supposedly, Louis was not the best of students and was into having fun and being disruptive. I believe that Louis wrote a rebuttal to that article when it appeared in print. Somewhere there is a similar reference to Surratt being the excellent, attentive student at St. Charles, while Weichmann liked to have fun. Maybe that's why the church fathers were not happy to have him readmitted?

Speaking of religion, I read somewhere that Louis's father was not Catholic. His mother was, and she was the one who practically forced Louis to study for the priesthood. Maybe he was a rebellious student for that reason?

Pamela did provide us with information concerning Mrs. Weichmann being involved with the Temperance movement, but if she had to resort to taking in boarders in order to survive after Louis moved to Anderson, it wouldn't appear that her social activities provided any support. In the Victorian age, it would not have been atypical for other members of such activist groups to take destitute women under their roof -- or family members would assume responsibility for their support. Wonder why someone didn't step forward?

As to who has "shafted" Louis over the years, it is my belief that authors have relied on statements, etc. that were given close to the time of the assassination and two trials - as well as analysis of Weichmann's own writings in A True History... As to the abuse that he was given early on, much of it came from defenders of the church and of Mary Surratt. In my view, they considered the man a traitor to Mary and to the Catholic Church at a time when Catholics continued to face bigotry in many areas of society.

I would love to think that my next project could be locating the ORIGINAL manuscript prepared by Louis Weichmann before the job of editing and publishing it was done by Floyd Risvold 70+ years after being completed by Louis himself. Having been an editor (both paid and volunteer) over the past 40+ years, I know that editors can add, detract, substitute, and insinuate when preparing final copy.

Floyd Risvold was very well-respected, and I don't want to cast doubt on his work. However, he was (above all else) very high on the food chain in the business world (I believe retail), and had to know that Louis's manuscript could prove very profitable in the hands of the right publisher. It would be interesting to compare the original with the published version.

Annie taught boys school for 12 years before she married Louis. She quit to keep house for her widowed father, which despite having lost their fortune to a shyster lawyer named Broadbent, I'm sure included a servant or two or three The picture I posted of her was at age 82 when she travelled to Iowa to visit her family. She could have resumed teaching if she wanted. She travelled to Belfast, Ireland for the Grand Templar Lodge in 1906, four years after Louis's death and more than 20 years after they separated. She was the Treasurer of her chapter. Annie was not destitute, even though whatever financial arrangements she made with Louis must have ended with his death. During their marriage she travelled to London, Chicago and Minnesota with the Good Templars. The activities of the London meeting are all online, described in detail in a newspaper report. I believe Louis stayed at home with her father, who her brother's descendant told me was a "curmudgeon" and paid for her avocation. I never saw his name mentioned in the rosters and he wouldn't have been able to leave his job for weeks and months at a time. She was a Good Templar for 56 years. Good Templars were her pallbearers. She was described as "zealous" by her fellow zealots. I've posted this information already on this thread.

In his book, Louis said why his mother wanted him to be a priest--a brother died, I don't know at what age. I assume her parents were comforted greatly by a priest, and she thought it was a wonderful thing. Risvold described his editing of the book, which was minimal, in the forward. You can probably contact his descendants and query them, but do you really think he would have intentionally distorted or destroyed historical documents for a buck, which he had plenty of already?

I consider anything Abel and the crazy pastors said to be highly suspect.