occurring in her own house; he, the friend, coming into possession of important facts, and not making them known to her, the head of the household, but claiming now, since this overwhelming misfortune has fallen upon Mrs. Surratt, that, while reposing in the very bosom of the family as a friend and confidant, he was a spy and an informer, and, that, we believe, is the best excuse the prosecution is able to make for him.  His account and explanation of the mustache would be treated with contemptuous ridicule in a civil court.

But this is not all.  Concede Weichmann’s account of the mustache to be true, and if it was not enough to rouse his suspicions that all was not right, he states that, on the same day, he went to Surratt’s room and found Payne seated on the bed with Surratt, playing with bowie knives, and surrounded with revolvers and spurs.  Miss Honora Fitzpatrick testifies that Weichmann was treated by Mrs. Surratt “more like a son than a friend.”  Poor return for motherly care!  Guilty knowledge and participation in crime or in wild schemes for the capture of the President would be a good excuse for not making all this known to Mrs. Surratt.  In speaking of the spurs and pistols, Weichmann knew that there were just eight spurs and two long navy revolvers.  Bear in mind, we ask you, gentlemen of the commission, that there is no evidence before you showing that Mrs. Surratt knew anything about these things.  It seems farther on, about the nineteenth of March, that Weichmann went to the Herndon House with Surratt to engage a room.  He says that he afterwards learned from Atzerodt that it was for Payne, but contradicts himself in the same breath by stating that he inquired of Atzerodt if he were going to see Payne at the Herndon House.  His intimate knowledge of Surratt’s movements between Richmond and Washington, fixing the dates of the trips with great exactitude; of Surratt’s bringing gold back; of Surratt’s leaving on the evening of the third of April for Canada, spending his last moments here with Weichmann; of Surratt’s telling Weichmann about his interview with Davis and Benjamin—­in all this knowledge concerning himself and his associations with those named as conspirators he is no doubt truthful, as far as his statements extend; but when he comes to apply some of this knowledge to others, he at once shakes all faith in his testimony bearing upon the accused.

“Do you remember,” the question was asked him, “early in the month of April, of Mrs. Surratt having sent for you and asking you to give Mr. Booth notice that she wished to see him?”

Weichmann stated in his reply that she did, that it was on the second of April, and that he found in Mr. Booth’s room John McCullough, the actor, when he delivered the message.  One of two things to which he swears in this statement cannot be true; 1.  That he met John McCullough in Booth’s room, for we have McCullough’s sworn statement that at that time he was not in the city of Washington, and if, when he delivered the message to Booth, McCullough was in the room, it could not have been the second of April.