Dr. Mudd: The Deceptive Doctor, Or Not?

7 Pages 1752 Words

ly knows if Dr. Mudd’s name will ever be
cleared, or even if it should be. Did Mudd know about the conspiracy
all along and was he waiting for and expecting Booth, or was he just a
victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Dr. Mudd’s Role in Lincoln’s Assassination
During Mudd’s initial interview with investigating detectives on
April 18, 1865, just three days after the shooting, he claimed, “I never
saw either of the parties before, nor can I conceive who sent them to my
house” (Steers 1). With these words, Samuel A. Mudd, was telling only half of the truth. This was because Booth and Mudd had
met at least three times in the preceding six months (Mills 112). The
first time that they met , Mudd claimed, was when Booth was interested
in buying his farm (Weichman 10). Some historians, however, believe that
since Booth lied trying to protect himself, that it was also quite
possible for him to be lying again about what events actually took place
with him and Booth. They believe that this was the first of the many
meetings in the plot to kidnap President Lincoln (Steers 2).
Consequently, Mudd...