- Joined
- Oct 10, 2012
- Location
- Mt. Jackson, Va
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Thanks for the great post! There was a movie about him in 1980 with Dennis Weaver, which was pretty well done from what I remember. It won an Emmy and was nominated for 2 more: "The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd"Posted today on Facebook - the Ford's Theatre National Historical Site
Among the Lincoln assassination conspirators, some questions still remain about the role of Dr. Samuel Mudd. At the start of the Civil War, Dr. Mudd lived in Charles County, Maryland where he operated a small tobacco plantation (@DrMuddHome) and served as a local doctor in the community. According to the 1860 census, he owned five enslaved people who worked on his plantation. Believing slavery was ordained by God, Dr Mudd expressed anger at Abraham Lincoln's election. Perhaps, this belief drove Dr. Mudd to join Booth's conspiracy in November of 1864. Dr. Mudd aided Booth by introducing him to John Surratt Jr. The remainder of his role in the conspiracy, though, mostly remains a mystery except for what happened on April 15, 1865. After murdering President Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth broke his leg during his escape and sought the help of Dr. Mudd. Upon reaching the Mudd farm, Dr. Mudd invited David Herold and Booth into his home and mended Booth's broken leg. Investigators believed Dr. Mudd used this surgical kit as he treated Booth. While Dr. Mudd said he didn't know Booth, the evidence contradicted his words. In June of 1865, the military tribunal convicted him. Dr. Mudd escaped execution by only one vote and was imprisoned at Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas.
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Image: Ford's Theatre National Historic Site Museum Collection, [FOTH 28]
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Do you remember the news commentator, Roger Mudd? He mentioned one night on the news that the name of his ancestor had been cleared.Mudd's grandson , Dr. Richard Mudd , died at his home in Saginaw , Michigan in 2002 at the age of 101. He waged a long term campaign to prove his Grandfather's innocence , without success . As I recall his father never mentioned his famous ancestor and he first heard about him through an aunt . He would sometimes appear on local TV or in newspapers and was a bit of a curmudgeon.
Yes , I certainly do remember him. I wish there were more like him today . He was not a direct descendant , but was from the same family tree.Do you remember the news commentator, Roger Mudd? He mentioned one night on the news that the name of his ancestor had been cleared.
Roger Mudd has class.Yes , I certainly do remember him. I wish there were more like him today . He was not a direct descendant , but was from the same family tree.
Thanks for the great post! There was a movie about him in 1980 with Dennis Weaver, which was pretty well done from what I remember. It won an Emmy and was nominated for 2 more: "The Ordeal of Dr. Mudd"
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081281/
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