After raeding more history of the facts surrounding the case, Dr. Mudd was told by Booth after he treated his leg that he killed Lincoln. Dr. Mudd was also involved with a kidnapping plot of Lincoln with Booth, but the plot fell through. Because of his sympathies he chose not to tell the Union forces that Booth was hiding in the nearby woods so he is far from the innocent depicted in the film.
shareThere's a great book called 'Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase For Abraham Lincoln's Killer' by James L. Swanson which has quite a but in about Mudd's involvement. Well worth a read if you're a fan of this film.
"Think You Used Enough Dynamite There, Butch?"
the book Blood on the Moon makes a convincing case against the doctor.
shareAs I recall, Dr. Mudd was officially exonerated in some way by the U.S. legislature a couple of decades ago when his descendant Roger Mudd was a well-known newsman who fought for the cause. Does anyone else old enough remember this and am I in any way faulty in this youthful memory? I'd like to know. Also isn't a doctor's first duty to do no harm and not sit in judgment of a patient,no matter who? Even today there is controversy about doctors or medical personnel administering lethal injections to the "convicted as guilty".
shareAs I recall, Dr. Mudd was officially exonerated in some way by the U.S. legislature a couple of decades ago when his descendant Roger Mudd was a well-known newsman who fought for the cause. Does anyone else old enough remember this and am I in any way faulty in this youthful memory? I'd like to know. Also isn't a doctor's first duty to do no harm and not sit in judgment of a patient,no matter who? Even today there is controversy about doctors or medical personnel administering lethal injections to the "convicted as guilty".
hullo prenzie i think u are quite right about doctors who are supposed to do no harm. i think its in the hippocratic oath?
jolly good question whether mudd was exonerated. i dunno if dr mudd was officially exonerated but he was pardoned:
http://slick.org/deathwatch/mailarchive/msg00754.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Mudd
cheers.
Hi everybody- interesting discussion!
As explained in detail in 'Manhunt: The 12-Day Chase For Abraham Lincoln's Killer' by James L. Swanson, it wasn't the fact that Dr. Mudd rendered medical assistance to Booth that got him in trouble with the Feds- it was the fact that, even after encountering Federal authorities in his town who were searching for Booth, he failed to notify them that the man they were searching the town for was back at his house resting (he was, therefore, as soon as he heard the news of Lincoln's assassination and that Booth was the prime suspect, knowingly harboring a wanted fugitive).
And the argument that Dr. Mudd "didn't recognize Booth" has been proven false by historians; prior to fixing Booth's leg, Dr. Mudd had met Booth at least twice before, and Booth had even been his overnight houseguest once. Dr. Mudd probably didn't know that Booth was wanted for the President's murder that night when he treated his leg, but he certainly discovered that fact pretty quick when he went into town the next morning and encountered the soldiers (rather than informing on Booth, though, Dr. Mudd rode back to his farm and angrily ordered Booth and his accomplice, David Herold, to clear out).
So Dr. Mudd was arrested, charged, and convicted for harboring a known fugitve and lying to the authorites, not for being a good doctor and treating a broken leg. One has to feel sorry for Dr. Mudd, though- he was probably scared that, given his past association with Booth, Federal authorites would think he was an assassination conspirator (which he was not) and that the Feds would probably hang him (they nearly did anyway) if Booth was discovered recooperating at his house.
I never connected Roger Mudd with the doctor and I'm glad you have pointed this out to me. I had a teacher named Mudd who, along with his father, was trying to clear the name of their ancestor. I'm glad to hear that the effort was successful.
shareAn article concerning my old teacher's efforts and one that states that Roger Mudd believed him to be guilty:
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2015/07/16/mudd-reunion/30274731/
Another article on my teacher and his attempts:
http://www.deadlinedetroit.com/articles/12751/the_family_of_dr_mudd_still_trying_to_unmuddy_the_name#.VknZROIYrcc
Back when you had only 3 networks the anchorman, even one on the weekends, was still a considerable power in the media.
For the record I have read the Dr Mudd was under surveillance a lot during the war. It was also no accident that Booth found his way to Mudd's home.
"It's the system, Lara. People will be different after the Revolution."