The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1869-04-14
DR.. Mudd's Account of Booth, the
Assassin, at His House.

A correspondent of the New York Herald
hunted up DR.. Mndd at his home, in Mary
land. The Doctor was scared when tolG
his visitor was reporter, and did moi
want to say anything, but talked little
We quote the correspondence:
.Above the middle height, with a red
dish moustache and chin whiskers, q high
forehead and attenuated nose, his appear
ahce Indicates a man of calm and slow re-
1ection, gentle in manner, aud of very
domestic turn. He says he was born with
in few miles of this house, and has lived
all his life in the country. His whole de.
sire now is to be allowed to spend the bal.
ance of his days quietly in the bosom OF
his family In his sunken, lnstreless eve,
pallid lips and cold, ashy complexion, one
can read the words Dry Tortugas' with a
terrible significance. In the primo of his
years, looking prematurely old and care.
| worn, there are few, indeed. who, could
gaze on the wreck and ravage in the face
of this man before them without feeling a
sentiment of sympathy and comnisera-
ton. 1 have come home said the Doc.
tor, sorrowfully, ito find nothing left me
but my house aud family. No money, no
provisions, no crops in the ground, and no
clear way before me whele to derive the
means OF support i'll my present enfeebled
condition. There was no deception here.
In the scanty furniture Of the house, and
in the pale, sad countenance Of the speak.
er there was evidence enough of poor and
altered fortune. 1t was now evening, and
growing rapidly dark. A big fire biazed
on the ample hearth. and Mrs. Mndd, an
Intelligent and handsome lady, with one
OF her children, joined the Doctor and our
M ha fs<y, Al
OF the memorable April morning after the
assassination. - r. -
Did you see Booth, Mrs. Mudd 2 we
inquired, with a feeling of intense interest
to hear her reply.
eyes she replied, 4 saw himself and
Harold after they entered this parlor.-
Booth street ched himself out on that sofa
there, and Harold stopped down to whisper
something to him. as
"'How did Booth look p
Very bad. He seemed as though he
had been drinking very hard; his eyes
were red and swollen, and his hair in dis
order
did he appear to suffer much?'
Not after he laid down on the sof;a.-
In fact, it seemed as if hardly anything
was wrong with him them
What kind of a fracture did Booth
sustain = we inquired, addressing the Doc
tor.
"'Well,' said he, after he was laid down
ON that sofa, and having told me that his
leg was fractured by his horse falling on
him during his journey up from Rich
mond, took knife and split the leg of
his boot down to the instep. slipped it off |
and the sock with it; then felt carefully |
with both hands down along his leg, but |
1T first could discover nothing like crepi- |
5ation until, after a second investigation, |
found on the outside, near the ankle, |
that felt like indurated flesh,
md then for the first time / concluded it |
vas a direct and clean fracture of the bone.
them improviscd ont Of pasteboard sort
# boot that adhered close enough to the
eg to keep it rigidly straight below the
lnee, without at all interfering with the
leXion of the leg. A low-cut shoe was
INSTITUTED for the leather boot, and be.
ween and 6 o'clock in the morning
Sooth and his companions started off for . |,
Joint on the river below
How did Booths horse look after his
ons ride 2 we inquired.
"'The boy, after putting him up in the
table" the Doctor seplied, reported that
is back underneath the forward part of
he saddle was raw and bloody. This cir
nuisance tailed with Booths account
nat he had been riding all day previous
'om Richmond, and no suspicion arose in
~ mind for one instant that the man
hose leg was attending to was any
ling more than what he represented him
If"
- - ~ ed