Existing comment:
His Name is Mudd:
After a century and a half, controversy still swirls around this Maryland country doctor who, on the night of Lincoln's assassination, set Booth's broken leg and provided him with shelter for the night. Dr. Samuel Mudd claimed not to have recognized the injured traveler who knocked on his front door in the pre-dawn hours of April 15. However, Mudd had met Booth on at least three occasions, twice near the doctor's Maryland farm and once in the capital itself.
Innocent or Guilty?
Was Mudd innocent or guilty? His wartime involvement with the Confederate underground and his failure to notify authorities immediately when Booth and Herold arrived at his farm are beyond dispute. When questioned on April 18 by military investigators, Mudd not only denied knowing the assassin, but he reportedly lied about the direction the two men took after leaving his house.
Pardoned:
Convicted of conspiracy, Mudd was sent to the remote Fort Jefferson prison in Florida's Dry Tortugas. While there, yellow fever broke out. When the prison's physician died, Mudd was pressed into service. On Christmas 1867, Mudd wrote a letter to a friend, describing his efforts during the epidemic, adding "Anything that you can do to lessen the prejudice caused by an unlawful and slanderous court shall be kindly cherished and reciprocated by myself and distressed family."
Mudd's efforts earned him a presidential pardon in 1869. Returning home to his farm, he resumed his medical practice until his death in 1883 at the age of 49. |