Weichmann, Louis J. A True History of the Assassination of and of the Conspiracy of 1865. Edited by Floyd E. Risvold. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1975.

Chapter I, p. 3 Purpose, Military Commission, Conclusions correct, Assassination as crime against civilization, Booth did not immortalize Lincoln, Lincoln’s second inauguration, no Confederate or Catholic plot. Grand Review of Union troops in Washington

Chapter II p. 11 Weichman’s early life, residents in Washington, moves to Philadelphia, public school education, St. Charles College, Howard County, , student for Catholic ministry, college life, meets John H. Surratt in September 1859, teaching in Washington in January 1863

Chapter III p. 18 St. Matthew’s Institute, John Surratt, Surratsville—meets Mrs. Mary E. Surratt; Surratt family, David E. Herald, St. Charles College, Little Texas, Maryland; Henry B. de Sainte Marie; Weichmann appointed War Department clerk; second visit to Surrattsville; War Department Rifles—Mrs. Surratt Moves to Washington, 541 H Street.

Chapter IV p. 29 History to December 1864; Mrs. Surratt’s home in Washington, November- December 1864—accountability of and son, lecture by John Surratt, Surratt works for Adams Express Company; meeting of Booth, Mudd, and Surratt in Washington, December 23, 1864, Interview at National Hotel; Booth purchase of Mudd Farm; Booth a frequent visitor to Mrs. Surratt’s house

Chapter V p. 36 Parents of Booth; Junius Brutus Booth, tragedian, elder Booth married twice and came to U.S. in 1821; Booths lived in Hartford Country, Maryland; death of Junius Brutus Booth, Sr. in 1842; burial place; children; education of ; first employment; assists at execution of John Brown; plays in Richmond, 1861, first meeting with Lewis Powell who tried to assassinate Seward; plays with his brothers in New York, November 25, 1864; Booth’s reputation as actor

Chapter. VI p. 42 Booth in Meadville, Pa. in August 1864; meets Samuel Arnold and Michael O’Laughlin, Barnum’s Hotel, ; September; Goes to in October; seen with Martin; comes back to U.S. and Meets Drs. Queen and Mudd in Charles County, Maryland; guest of Dr. Mudd; play to capture Lincoln, letter

Chapter VII p. 53 Attempted assassination of Lincoln in 1861; many threatening letters; plan to capture Lincoln; Lincoln told about such a plan; interview with Frank Carpenter, the artist; testimony of Samuel Knapp Chester, actor; Booth’s plan limited to abduction; Charles Selby letter threatening Lincoln’s life; found in Lincoln’s secret drawer, his endorsement; assassination.

Chapter VIII p. 66 meeting at National Hotel, December 23, concerning the conspiracy; Surratt’s Rockville lecture; Booth enlists Surratt in plan to abduct Lincoln; Surratt leaves Adams

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Express Company; Surratt visits Port Tobacco, home George A. Atzerodt; Booth meetings Arnold and O’Laughlin in Baltimore the second time; first appearance Atzerodt at Mrs. Surratt’s house;

Chapter IX p. 78 John H. Surratt in New York; visits Booth’s elegant home; meets Edwin Booth; Lewis Powell alias Wood, alias Payne (Seward’s assailant); wounded and prisoner—Gettysburg; Payne in Virginia; visits Mrs. Surratt’s house

Chapter X, p. 87 Booth visits the Capitol, March 3, 1865; peculiar remark; Mudd at National Hotel; March 4, 1865; Booth on grandstand; probably intended to murder Lincoln then; affidavits of police officers

Chapter XI, p. 96 Progress of the Conspiracy; Booth telegram to O’Laughlin; Payne’s second visit to Mrs. Surratt’s house; meeting of Payne and Surratt; visit to theater on March 15; they occupy the president’s box; Booth visits them while there; conspirators try to capture Lincoln; history and home life of the Surratts

Chapter XII p. 114 Interview with John Mathews, actor and Frank Burr, journalist about abduction scheme; remarkable statement; Booth goes along with plat; deposit of carbines at Lloyd’s tavern at Surratsville; Booth plays in The Apostate at Ford’s Theater, March 18, 1865, telegram from Booth; conspirator Payne is provided with a room at the Herndon House; Mrs. Surratt visits him; Mrs. Slater; John Surratt to Richmond; letter from Samuel Arnold to Booth

Chapter XIII Page 126 Mrs. Surratt goes into country on April 1; Atzerodt visits at her request; horses used by conspirators; April 3, 1865; capitulation of Virginia; John Surratt returns to Washington; leaves from Montreal—reaches there on April 6, 1865; Booth visits Surratt house April 1-10; the “Lon” letter; Mrs. Surratt visits Surratsville on April 11; meets her tenant Lloyd on the road; mysterious conversation about “shooting irons”

Chapter XIV p. 135 April 14; Booth at Ford’s theater in morning; informed that Lincoln is coming that evening; grows abstracted; meets John F. Coyle and makes some significant remarks; hires a horse from James Pumphrey; calls at Kirkwood House and leave card for Andrew Johnson; visits Mrs. Surratt; meets John Matthews and delivers him a mysterious letter; Atzerodt registers at Kirkwood House; suspicious acts and movements of Herold; Booth meets Payne and Atzerodt at the Herndon House; at 9 pm. Booth appears on horseback in the alley at the rear of Ford’s theater

Chapter XV p. 147 Lincoln goes to City Point; enters Richmond; returns to Washington; last address; last days on earth; interview with Schuyler Colfax; meets cabinet; takes a drive with Mrs. Lincoln; goes to Ford’s theater; welcome enthusiastically; Booth appears; call of the time in front of the theater; assassination of Lincoln; Booth leaps from the box and escapes; pursuit; Payne enters Seward’s house; attempts to kill Seward; fighting scene in bedroom; Payne escapes.

Chapter. XVI p. 163 incidents at Surratt house on April 14; Mrs. Surratt goes to church in morning; Booth visits at 2 in afternoon; she goes to Surrattsville to meet Lloyd; “shooting irons”;

2 returns to Washington; Booth meetings Mrs. Surratt about 9 pm; midnight search of Surratt house by detectives; story of the murder made known to the inmates.

Chapter XVII p. 180 great excitement in Washington morning after murder; pursuit of assassins; arrest of Samuel Arnold at Fortress Monroe; arrest of Michael O’Laughlin at Baltimore; escape of Payne; Mrs. Surratt’s home is visited and searched; arrest of Mrs. Surratt; arrest of Payne; arrest of Atzerodt in Maryland

Chapter XVIII p. 189 escape of Booth and Herald into Maryland; crossing of Anacostia Creek; Lloyd’s Tavern; arrest of Lloyd; visit of Booth and Herald at Dr. Mudd’s house; arrival at Samuel Cox’s place; Booth and Herald place in the care of Thomas A. Jones; assassins are secreted six day in pines of lower Maryland; flight across the Potomac; Booth writes a diary

Chapter XIX meeting of Booth and Herald with three Confederate soldiers at Port Conway; assassin taken in them; crossing of the Rappahannock; Booth and Herald are lodge at Garrett’s farm by Captain Jett; Booth’s trail struck at last by the Government; eager pursuit by soldiers and detectives; Captain Jett is arrested at Bowling Green; Booth and Herald discovered at night at Garrett’s barn; exciting scenes around the barn; Herold surrenders; Booth is shot by ; return of the pursuing party to Washington on tug John S. Ide with Herold and Booth’s body; identifications of the body at Washington; burial

Chapter XX p. 217 author experience on morning of assassination; at office of superintendent of police; visit to government stables; return to Surratt house; Mrs. Herold’s home; trip to Canada in pursuit of Surratt; Return meeting with Stanton; old Capitol Prison; Dr. Mudd; interesting details

Chapter XXI p., 233 trial of the conspirators; charge and specifications against them; opinion of the Attorney General; military commission; composition of the court; prisoners select their counsel; plead not guilty in charges against them

Chapter XXII p. 244 details of the great trial; testimony against Herald, Payne, Atzerodt, Dr. Mudd, Arnold, O’Laughlin, and Spangler

Chapter XXIII page 263 case of Mary Surratt; “shooting irons”; return to Payne to her home; clergy testify for her; Letter no. 5; remarks of Jefferson Davis, Greensboro, North Carolina

Chapter XXIV final meeting of commission; Herald, Atzerodt, Payne, Mary Surratt, guilt to be hnanged; O’Laughlin, Arnold, Mudd sentenced to Dry Tortugas for life; Edward Spangler sentence to Dry Tortugas for six years; majority of commission recommend Mrs. Surratt’s sentence be commuted to life; Johnson disregards the petition; issues of writ of habeas corpus in case of Mrs. Surratt; suspension by Johnson; sentence of commission carried out

Chapter XXV p. 284 conclusion of commission endorsed by the people—except for Mrs. Surratt; members of commission persecuted; suicide story in relations to Stanton; criticism of Hancock and Hartranft; letters of Hartranft and Frederick Aikin, Judge Advocates Bingham and Burnett

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Chapter XXVI p. g 296 controversy between Andrew Johnson and Joseph Holt; papar by Henry L. Burnet

Chapter XXVII p. 316 Important paper by Rev. J. A. Walter on Mary Surratt case

Chapter XXVIII p. 327 author’s return home; appointment in Philadelphi Custom House; discharged; whereabouts of John Surratt; letter from Holt; Surratt after assassination; his secretion in Canada by Fathers Boucher and LaPierre; departure from Canada in steam Peruvian meeting with Dr. McMillan, surgeon; astounding revelation to him

Chapter XXIX p. 328 Surratt in England; France; ; English college; enlists in Papal Zouaves; is discovered by Sainte Marie who reports this to American minister; attempts to capture Surratt; interview with Cardinal Antonelli; Surratt is arrested; escape; leaps into a yawning chasm; Naples, sails to , ; recapture; on board gunboat Swatara; states homeward; his arrive in Washington in February 1867

Chapter XXX p. 354 trial of John Surratt; Judge George P. Fisher; Edwards Pierrpont, A. G. Riddle, Edward C. Carriangton, Nathaniel Wilson are counsel for the government; for Surratt, Joseph H. Bradley Sr. and Jr., Richard T. Merrick,; testimony about Surratt’s presence in Washington on evening of April 14, 1865; argument of counsel; case to jury; disagreement and discharge of jury; final release

Chapter XXXI p. 380 Confessions of Arnold and Atzerodt; connection with the conspiracy; history of abduction plot; Booth owner of the revolvers and carbines

Chapter XXXII p. 388 Weichmann’s discussion of Dr. Mudd

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