Mudd, Surratt and Harbin

[loetar44]

Roger,

If Harbin's story is to believed, and in my opinion there is no reason not to believe Harbin, and if GATH is correct in describing Harbin’s recollections, than Harbin already met Booth in October,1864 and November, 1864. Would this imply that the story (generally accepted as true) that Dr. Mudd introduced Harbin (alias “Wilson”) “for the first time” to Booth at the famous Bryantown Tavern meeting on December 18, 1864 is false?


Laurie,

Forrest J. Bowman, Professor of Law, West Virginia University, once wrote in his article “The Curious Case of Dr. Mudd”(1995): “Bennett F. Gwynn, a neighbor of Dr. Mudd, testified that he and his brothers, who were trying to avoid arrest by General Dan Sickles, had slept in the woods behind the Mudd home, on bedclothes provided by the Mudds, and were fed by the Mudds. Gwynn testified he feared arrest because he was a captain in the home guard, a militia unit organized ‘to stand by the State in any disloyal position it might take against the [United States] Government,’and that Dr. Mudd, knowing of his concern over being arrested (and being aware of why Gwynn was concerned, i.e., aware that Gwynn was a member of the Rebel militia), sheltered him. Then Gwynn, under cross-examination, revealed a bit of information that serves to take Dr. Mudd out of the ‘civilian’ class and into the class of ‘enemy soldier,’ so far as the United States government was concerned. He admitted that Dr. Mudd was a member of one of these militia companies.”

If Bennett Gwynn’s testimony is to believed, and in my opinion there is no reason not to believe Gwynn, than Dr. Mudd was indeed a member of the Confederate underground in Charles County and a member of the organized Confederate militia.