John
Minchin Lloyd was
a policeman before moving to Surrattsville and in October, 1864, began
renting the tavern in the town from Mary
Surratt. When Abraham Lincoln was
assassinated on 14th April, 1865, Mrs. Surratt was arrested and charged
with being involved in the conspiracy. So also was Lloyd and he was
kept in solitary confinement before he eventually agreed to give evidence
against Mrs. Surratt.
At Mrs. Surratt's trial Lloyd told the court that a few weeks before
the assassination, John Surratt, George
Atzerodt and David Herold had arrived
at his tavern and told him to hide "two carbines, with ammunition;
also a rope from sixteen to twenty feet in length, and a monkey wrench".
Lloyd also told the court that on the Tuesday before the assassination
Mary Surratt and Louis
Weichmann visited him. "She told me to have those shooting-irons
ready that night, there would be some parties who would call for them.
She gave me something wrapped in a piece of paper, which I took up
stairs, and found to be a field-glass. She told me to get two bottles
of whisky ready, and that these things were to be called for that
night."
During the trial Lloyd admitted that he was drunk when he was visited
by Surratt and Weichmann and commented that alcohol "makes me
forget a great many things". He also agreed that he had not gone
to the authorities after John Wilkes Booth
had confessed to the killing of Abraham Lincoln.
Mary Surratt, Lewis
Powell, George Atzerodt and David
Herold, were found guilty of being involved in the conspiracy
to murder Abraham Lincoln and were hanged
at Washington Penitentiary on 7th July, 1865.
After the execution General Thomas
Harris wrote that if Mrs. Surratt's fate depended on what Louis
Weichmann said, "not a hair of her head would have been harmed.
The man who did the mischief was John M. Lloyd."
John Minchin Lloyd died in Washington
in 1892.
(1)
Louis Weichmann, testimony before
the Military Tribunal (13th May, 1865)
On
Friday, the day of the assassination, I went to Howard’s stable,
about half-past 2 o’clock, having been sent there by Mrs. Surratt
for the purpose of hiring a buggy. I drove her to Surrattsville the
same day, arriving there about half-past 4. We stopped at the house
of Mr. Lloyd, who keeps a tavern there. Mrs. Surratt went into the
parlor. I remained outside a portion of the time, and went into the
bar-room a part of the time, until Mrs. Surratt sent for me. We left
about half-past 6. Surrattsville is about a two-hour drive to the
city, and is about ten miles from the Navy Yard bridge. Just
before leaving the city, as I was going to the door, I saw Mr. Booth
in the parlor, and Mrs. Surratt was speaking with him. They were alone.
Some
time in March last, I think, a man calling himself Wood came to Mrs.
Surratt’s and inquired for John H. Surratt. I went to the door
and told him Mr. Surratt was not at home; he thereupon expressed a
desire to see Mrs. Surratt, and I introduced him, having first asked
his name. That is the man (pointing to Lewis Powell). He stopped at
the house all night. He had supper served up to him in my room; I
took it to him from the kitchen. He brought no baggage; he had a black
overcoat on, a black dress-coat, and gray pants. He remained till
the next morning, leaving by the earliest train for Baltimore. About
three weeks afterward he called again, and I again went to the door.
I had forgotten his name, and, asking him, he gave the name of Powell
I ushered him into the parlor, where were Mrs. Surratt, Miss Surratt,
and Miss Honora Fitzpatrick. He remained three days that time. He
represented himself as a Baptist preacher; and said that he had been
in prison for about a week; that he had taken the oath of allegiance,
and was now going to become and good and loyal citizen. Mrs.
Surratt and her family are Catholics. John H. Surratt is a Catholic,
and was a student of divinity at the same college as myself. I heard
no explanation given why a Baptist preacher should seek hospitality
at Mrs. Surratt’s; they only looked upon it as odd, and laughed
at it. Mrs. Surratt herself remarked that he was a great looking Baptist
preacher.
I met the prisoner, David E. Herold, at Mrs. Surratt’s on one
occasion; I also met him when we visited the theater when Booth played
Pescara; and I met him at Mrs. Surratt’s, in the country, in
the spring of 1863, when I first made Mrs. Surratt’s acquaintance.
I met him again in the summer of 1864, at Piscataway Church. These
are the only times, to my recollection, I ever met him. I do not know
either of the prisoners, Arnold or O’Laughlin.
(2)
George Cottingham, testimony before the Military Tribunal (25th May,
1865)
I am special officer on Major O’Beirne’s
force, and was engaged in making arrests after the assassination.
After the arrest of John M. Lloyd by my partner, he was placed in
my charge at Roby’s Post-office, Surrattsville. For the two days
after his arrest Mr. Lloyd denied knowing any thing about the assassination.
I told him that I was perfectly satisfied he knew about it, and had
a heavy load on his mind, and that the sooner he got rid of it the
better. He then said to me, "O, my God, if I was to make a confession,
they would murder me!" I asked, "Who would murder you?"
He replied, "These parties that are in this conspiracy."
"Well, said I, "if you are afraid of being murdered, and
let these fellows get out of it, that is your business, not mine."
He seemed to be very much excited.
Lloyd
stated to me that Mrs. Surratt had come down to his place on Friday
between 4 and 5 o’clock; that she told him to have the fire-arms
ready; that two men would call for them at 12 o’clock, and that
two men did call; that Herold dismounted from his horse, went into
Lloyd’s tavern, and told him to go up and get those fire-arms.
The fire-arms, he stated, were brought down; Herold took one, and
Booth’s carbine was carried out to him; but Booth said he could
not carry his, it was as much as he could do to carry himself, as
his leg was broken. Then Booth told Lloyd, "I have murdered the
President;" and Herold said "I have fixed off Seward."
He told me this on his way to Washington, with a squad of cavalry;
I was in the house when he came in. He commenced crying and hallooing
out, "O, Mrs. Surratt, that vile woman, she has ruined me! I
am to be shot! I am to be shot!"
I asked Lloyd where Booth’s carbine was; he told me it was up
stairs in a little room; where Mrs. Surratt kept some bags. I went
up into the room and hunted about, but could not find it. It was at
last found behind the plastering of the wall. The carbine was in a
bag, and had been suspended by a string tied round the muzzle of the
carbine; the string had broken, and the carbine had fallen down.
(3)
John
M. Lloyd,
testimony before the Military Tribunal (13th May, 1865)
I reside at Mrs. Surratt's tavern, Surrattsville,
and am engaged in hotel-keeping and farming. Some five or six weeks
before the assassination of the President, John H. Surratt, David
E. Herold, and G. A. Atzerodt came to my house. All three, when they
came into the bar-room, drank, I think. John Surratt then called me
into the front parlor, and on the sofa were two carbines, with ammunition;
also a rope from sixteen to twenty feet in length, and a monkey wrench.
Surratt asked me to take care of these things, and to conceal the
carbines. I told him there was no place to conceal them, and I did
not wish to keep such things. He then took me to a room I had never
been in, immediately above the store-room, in the back part of the
building. He showed me where I could put them underneath the joists
of the second floor of the main building. I put them in there according
to his directions.
I stated to Colonel Wells that Surratt put them
there, but I carried the arms up and put them in there myself. There
was also one cartridge-box of ammunition. Surratt said he just wanted
these articles to stay for a few days, and he would call for them.
On the Tuesday before the assassination of the President, I was coming
to Washington, and I met Mrs. Surratt, on the road, at Uniontown.
When she first broached subject to me about the articles at my place,
I did not know what she had reference to. Then she came out plainer,
and asked me about the "shooting-irons." I had myself forgotten
about them being there. I told her they were hid away far back, and
that I was afraid the house might be searched. She told me to get
them out ready; that they would be wanted soon. I do not recollect
distinctly the first question she put to me. Her language was indistinct,
as if she wanted to draw my attention to something, so that no one
else would understand. Finally she came out bolder with it, and said
they would be wanted soon. I told her that I had an idea of having
them buried; that I was very uneasy about having them there.
On the 14th of April I went to Marlboro to attend a trial there; and
in the evening, when I got home, which I should judge was about 5
o'clock, I found Mrs. Surratt there. She met me out by the wood-pile
as I drove in with some fish and oysters in my buggy. She told me
to have those shooting-irons ready that night, there would be some
parties who would call for them. She gave me something wrapped in
a piece of paper, which I took up stairs, and found to be a field-glass.
She told me to get two bottles of whisky ready, and that these things
were to be called for that night.
Just about midnight on Friday, Herold came into the house and said,
"Lloyd, for God's sake, make haste and get those things."
I did not make any reply, but went straight and got the carbines,
supposing they were the parties Mrs. Surratt had referred to, though
she didn't mention any names. From the way he spoke he must have been
apprised that I already knew what I was to give him. Mrs. Surratt
told me to give the carbines, whisky, and field-glass. I did not give
them the rope and monkey-wrench. Booth didn't come in. I did not know
him; he was a stranger to me. He remained on his horse. Herold, I
think, drank some out of the glass before he went out.
I do not think they remained over five minutes. They only took one
of the carbines. Booth said he could not take his, because his leg
was broken. Just as they were about leaving, the man who was with
Herold said, "I will tell you some news, if you want to hear
it," or something to that effect. I said, "I am not particular;
use your own pleasure about telling it." "Well, said he,
"I am pretty certain that we have assassinated the President
and Secretary Seward."
(4)
The
New York Sun (21st December, 1892)
Although
Lloyd's testimony was most damaging against Mrs. Surratt, and probably
condemned her, he himself never believed in Mrs. Surratt's guilt,
and said she was a victim of circumstances. Her association with the
real conspirators, he always held, was the cause of her conviction.
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