Dr.Richard Mudd

[L Verge]

I have often said that I wish I could have hired Dr. Richard Mudd as my public relations man! I just had this brought back to me when the estate of the late-author, Gordon Samples (Lust for Fame), sent some assassination-related books to Surratt House to use at our discretion.

One of the books is the 1955 reprint of Nettie Mudd's book on her father. Inside the front cover were a few newspaper clippings - one of which had a photograph of Dr. Richard examining Booth's boot. It is part of an article from the May 12, 1961, issue of The San Diego Union. The article is headlined as Mudd's A Hero: Congress Finally Clears Doctor for Aiding Lincoln's Assassin. Well, guess what gang -- it's 2014, and neither Congress nor the Executive Branch nor the Judicial Branch has cleared Dr. Mudd.

The occasion for this bold headline was the unveiling of the plaque at Fort Jefferson honoring Dr. Mudd for his efforts in the yellow fever epidemic on the island. And here, I'm quoting: "To at least one of Mudd's descendants, Dr. Richard D. Mudd, 60, of Saginaw, Mich., the plaque represents the goal of a lifetime. He has spent his adult life poring over family records, government documents, and other historical data to clear his grandfather's name.

"Richard Mudd says the bill Congress passed at the last session approving the monument [plaque] 'is tacit admission, at last, that my grandfather was convicted unjustly, that he did not conspire to kill the 16th President, or knowingly aid the man who did.'"

The rest of the article is a retelling of the Mudd story that made the rounds until several decades ago when learned historians started digging. With my apologies to Bob Summers, I just have to say that that headline and the statement from Dr. Richard did a lot to confuse history and students of history. It is no wonder that I have people visit Surratt House and argue with my volunteers and me that Dr. Mudd was cleared years ago.