Mudd Info Needed

[Laurie Verge]

Somebody pull out The Evidence book and verify that Lloyd ever testified that. Other than Kauffman, I don't ever remember anyone else claiming it. Kauffman also says that Booth told about a dozen people that he had broken his leg from his horse falling. However, I have never seen his citations for that (they are not in the 1990 article, and in American Brutus he writes only of Booth asking for nearby medical help while speaking with Lloyd) -- and I even question that Booth saw a dozen people on his escape long enough to chat about where he broke his leg.

As you can tell, this theory hits a sore spot with me. After nearly a quarter-century of having to debate it with people, I have finally decided that my stance is that the question is MOOT. Both arguments lack satisfactory documentation; however, Booth's diary places the break as occurring before he passed any pickets (the first were at the Navy Yard Bridge) -- that's a pretty good primary source. Yes, I think he was theatrical in expressing his thoughts in the so-called diary, but I also think he was basically truthful albeit boastful.

I also contend that where and how the leg was broken makes very little difference in the big picture of the assassination. Some people retort that he would not have gone to Mudd's if he didn't have a broken leg.

I retort that my personal opinion is that Mudd's was already planned as the first stopping point because of its distance from D.C. (30 miles), its location off the beaten track, the fact that it was nearing daylight and they needed to stay hidden, Mudd was a known supporter of Booth's original plans and had entertained the actor previously and introduced him to Surratt and Thomas Harbin (a chief Confederate agent), George Atzerodt's confession found by Joan Chaconas speaks of supplies and provisions being sent to Mudd's as part of the original kidnap plot, and also based on my strictly personal belief that Davey Herold had been to Dr. Mudd's on April 12 or 13 to alert him that something was still planned.

The "evidence" of the horse having an injured foreleg does not necessarily mean proof of its falling, to me. I was raised on paved Southern Maryland roads with no shoulders. Swerve too far to the right and bushes and brambles could scratch your car in 1965. In 1865, it was a dirt road with even tree branches hanging over it. A good swipe with one of those could have injured the horse, but not Booth's leg. As for the report of mud on Booth's clothing, most horsemen expect that and it's the reason why tailors created "dusters" for men to wear over their clothing while on horseback. Booth obviously did not make clothing plans for his escape...

As I warned, twenty-five years of this theory has made me grumpy. I often worry that, in our eagerness to find something new about the Lincoln assassination, we start to accept things that are purely speculative.

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Dave - Ask Lindsey to examine the rope bed in the Surratt travelers' bedroom tomorrow to see if the headboard could be detached without damaging the rest of the bed. Ours is completely original to the time period except for the new roping.

Also, I believe the only photo of the bed at Mudd's was the one taken by Oldroyd about 35 years after the assassination. The first time I saw that photo, the headboard reminded me of two in our family home (one in my grandmother's room and another in one of the guest rooms). Both of those beds were bought by my family members and never left the house. The first, which more closely resembles the Mudd bed, dates to ca. 1875, when our house was remodeled. The second bed dates to the 1890s.

My point is that I'm not even sure that the bed in Oldroyd's photo dates to 1865, but Mrs. Mudd is the provenance so I better hush.