Breaking a leg

[Rhatkinson]

That's a good guess, although it doesn't seem that other servants were protected from being identified (the slave/servant in Mary Surratt's house who told her relative on staff in an Army officer's home comes to mind), but things were different in Southern Maryland and the blacks there were in much greater danger of retribution than in DC. The bigger issue is that there was some evidence of the Ford's leap well before Booth's diary, thus Kauffman's entire theory of that being made up by Booth only cannot be correct.

On a larger point, I have always wondered why Booth gave Mudd the horse fall cover story in the first place (or even IF he did.) Booth had no problem blurting out about the murder to Lloyd (someone he didn't even know), so why then would he make up a lie to Mudd, a person he clearly was acquainted with and a fellow conspirator in the kidnapping plot? Perhaps Lloyd's reaction to the news made Booth realize it would not be well received as Booth originally hoped, so he decided to lie at least initially to Mudd in order to ensure that Mudd treated his leg. Until Booth got help for the leg, he couldn't take the chance that Mudd would be turned off because of the murder.

I do believe that Mudd lied about not knowing of the assassination until the next day in Bryantown. After Booth was treated, fed, and given a bed, I find it hard to believe that he would not come clean/brag about the murder to Mudd, a person who was part of the conspiracy to kidnap Lincoln. Remember that at this point, Booth still believed he would be treated as a hero for the murder, so he would have no reason NOT to tell Mudd about what he had done.

I think the truth is more likely than not that Mudd knew Booth had assassinated the President on the night of assassination, and Mudd was told Booth had injured his leg jumping onto the stage. The horse fall cover and Mudd's assertion that he didn't find out about the assassination until going to Bryantown the next day were probably covers that Mudd came up with to save his hide, and would not be something he would have readily admitted to lying about even years later when he was released from prison (Mudd still was trying to maintain his innocence, so he would never had admitted to knowing that information.)