Evening star., 1901-08-02
MRS. SURRATT'S Gull 7
STATEMENT BY A MEMBER OF THE
MILITARY COMMISSION.
Gen. Harris Quotes From the Evidence
and Defends the Witness
Weichman.

tried the conspirators engaged in the assas-
sination CT President Lincoln. and who now
lives in Harrisville w. Va:
Will You kindly grant me the use or
your columns In order that l may reply to
the recent article of Mr.. John p. Brophy,
and I'm order that l may say few words
in behalf of Mr.. l.. j. Weichman. whom
deem a very upright, honest and capable
gentleman?
General Harris then writes as follows.
under date of July %, 1901, addressing his
communication to The Editor of The Even
ing Star:
The recent sensational statement of Mr..
John P. Brophy of New York in reference
to Mrs Surratt is one of the most his
leading utterances ever published
l should not notice it but for the tact OF
the gross injustice done Mr.. l.. j. Welch-
man, who was prominent witness for the
government in 1865 | know Mr.. WEIGH
man personally, have enjoyed his acqualnt-
ance for thirty-six years, and kho" nih
to be an honest and upright man. Mr.
Weichman never made a confession. as
it is called.
In 1865 Mr.. Brophy submitted what he
Sas pleased then to call after-d1scovereu
tstimony. This sent to the President,
BY him referred to the judge advocate gen
eral. who decided 1t had no bearing on the
case at all. Now, after thirty-six years,
Brophy comes and speaks OF a con
fesSion.'
Mr. Weichman probably did tell Mr..
Brophy that, 80 far as he knew, Mrs.
Surratt entirely innocent, and at no
time, either at the trial of 1850, or at John
H Surratts trial in 1867, did he say other
wise. Mr.. Brophy leaves out the words
$50 far as he knew most important
omission.
Let me quote you from Weichman's
cross-examination, which was very full on
this point. In 1t he not only absolutely
exonerates Mrs. Surratt and her son from
oil Enn 1afp uh "a
gave her the very best character of any
witness on the stand.
BY Reverdy Johnson.
Q. During the whole of that period. you
never heard him CBooth) intimate that 1t
was his purpose, that there was a pur-
pose to assassinate the President?
A. Never, sir.
O. You never heard him say anything on
the subject, anybody else during the
whole period from November until the as
sassination?
A. No. sir.
@. During the whole of that period what
was her (Mrs Surratt's) character?
A. 1t was excellent; L have known her
since 1863
@ During the whole of that time as far
as you could judge was her character good
and amiabe?
A Her character was exemplary and
lady-like in every particular.
c. Then, If / understand YOU, from No
vember up to the 14th of April, whenever
she was here she was regular in her at
tendance at her own church and apparent
ly, as far as you could Judge doing all her
duties TO God and to man?
A. Yes, sir.
BY Aiken.
Q. You were not suspicious of anything
of the sort?
A. | would have been the last man in the
world to suspect John Surratt my school,
mate, of the murder of the President of
the United States.
Now, l ask in all kindness how could Mr.
Weichman change that testimony? To do
so ii would have been necessary for him to
say that he he did know of the existence of
plot, and that Mrs. Surratt and her son
were in it. Nowhere, nor at any time has
he said anything of the kind
The truth is Weichman not the chief
witness against Mrs. Surratt. Had 1t de-
pended on what he said not hair on her
hea. would have been touched
The man who did the mischief was John
NJ Lloyd. and it is time the world knew it
1t is in evidence that Mrs Surratt came
down to his back yard at Surrattsville
twelve miles away; that she then and
there told him TO have ''the shooting irons
ready for that night, and two bottles of
him Booths field glass. She said there
would be parties to call for them
That very night at II o'clock Booth and
Herold, fresh from the murder of Lincoln
dashed down to Lloyd's, Herold CRYING ont
For Gods sake. Lloyd, make haste and
get those things" thus showing by his
words that he was apprised those things
would be ready for him. They drank each
bottle of whisky, Booth remarking that
nc could take only one of the carbines as
he had broken his leg, and then as he
drove away, he told Lloyd they had muir
dered the President and assassinated the
Secretary of State.
That the chief evidence the prin-
cipal overt act on which Mrs. Surratt was
found guilty.
To Weichman she said she was going
down into the country to about a debt
due her by one John K. Notify That was
blind to deceive Weichman. She did not
60 near Notify at ALL never saw him that
day, made no arrangements to the debt,
and simply wrote him a letter, which she
could have done at her home just as well.
But there was other evidence. 1t will be
remembered that on the night Of the 18th
OF April. when she was arrested, Payne
climbed the wooden steps of her house.
with woolen cap, made from his shirt
sleeve. his head and pick-ax on his
shoulder. saying she had sent for him to
dig a ditch, and when she was confronted
with him at a distance of two PAGES de-
MED with uplifted hand and sacred oath
that she knew him, yet by the testimony
of every one living in the house, it
shown that ne had been there twice, an
swerIng to different assumed names, and,
on the last occasion. taking his meals at
het very side for four days-yet she knew
him not.
The very act of this red d-handed murderer
fleeing to her home for protection, with
SCward'S bloOdStains still on his clothes
and standing in Booths boots was of itself
most damaging evidence against her.
Department ofiicers-Capt Wezmersltirch,
Major Smith and Capt. Morgan Remove
these two items and Weichman's testimony
as 10 the visits at various times of some
of the conspIraters TO her home falls to
the ground
Is it not time. Mr. Editor, that these
sIanders and misrepresentation cease?
l have read time and again in the papers
that because of their verdict in this case
many members of the commission had died
sudden and ignoble deaths. The truth is
every one has lived to be over seventy
and four yet survive among the number
at lightweight
TEen We had the story about Stanton
cutting his throat-a lie that lived for ten
years, until Surgeon General Barnes. whose
hand had rested on the great Secretary's
last heart beat stamped the life out of 1t.
Again. for twenty-five years we had the
story that Holt suppressed the recon-
mcndation to mercy in Mrs Surratt case
"a lie that did not cease until Holt had
breathed his last
| notice also what Col. Crook says-that
Mrs. Surratt knew of the capture but not
of the assassination Well. now, the facts
in regard to that are that the scheme of
abduction was abandoned about the middle
of March, 1865. John Surratt says as much
in his lecture of December 8, 1870. Arnold