The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-02-17

envy his thoughts as in the darkness and sol
itude created by the overreachinc trees he
could help rejecting that, no matter to what
end OF the earth he might fly, the avencine
hand OF an outraged nation would reach him
and punish him for his objectionable crime ?
Atter emerging from the forest path he had
to ride through number of fields, the road
taking that course along the headlands.
At 4 O'Clock in the morning he reached the
fence that surrounds the plot on which stood
Dr. Mudd's dwelling. Booth and Harold
dismounted. The latter opened the wicket
in the fence, with Booth leaning heavily on
his shoulder, for his broken ankle was now
giving him great pain both moved forward
to the entrance door. The knock was ar
swered by Mrs. Mudd, with a light in her
hand, and, as she told me four wears subse-
quently, she was shocked at the appearance
OF Booth. His eyes" she said chad q
most unnatural expression, either from ex-
cessive drinking or excessive mental excite
ment, don't know which. His hair was in
disorder, his clothes covered with mud. and
he appeared unable to stand" Booth was
taken into the paTlor and laid upon lounge
DR.. Mudd was then called and asked by
Booth 20 examine his leg and see what was
the matter with 1t. To do this it would be
necessary to pull off his boot, but, as it was
very close fitting the pain of the operation
would be excessive, so the Doctor took out
his knife and cut the bootleg down from the
top and around at the instep. He then Slip
ped off the remainder of the boot from the
foot, and Mrs. Mudd offered one of her soft
wooden slippers in its place
The Doctor spent some time feeling for q
fracture or an induration, and could discover
none, but at last found that it was a clean
break of the leg, just as a stick of candy
might be broken in the middle and leave two
clean smooth surfaces. He then dressed the
leg and hound 1t tightly at the point where
the break occurred, putting on a boot made
Of pasteboard. extending from the instep TO
point below the knee. The booting that
he cut off he threw away in o corner, and
never thought more about if, and yet it was
this bootleg that came within hair of hav-
ing him hanged, and as it was had him SEN
fenced to the Dry Tortugas for life
Neither Mudd nor his wife had the faintest
idea that Booth had assassinated the Presi
dent and in the remote part Of the country
where they lived they were not likely 70 hear
the news for several days. Booth told them
plausible story about being out hunting
and falling of his horse. After an hours
stay in Mudd's house, during which time
Booth consumed bottle of whiskey and
three ham sandwiches, both he and Harold
started on horseback, Booth feeling much
pain from his leg, for the Virginia ferry
seven miles away. They crossed the ferry,
with their horses and pulled up at Garrett's
farm, where Booth was killed a few days af-
ter, and that was the end of the wild ride for
life of John Wilkes Booth.
To go back to DR.. Mudd, Little did the
unsopnisticated physical dream of the trials
and trouble he was destined to undergo for
having entertained Lincoln's assassin.
On the following Monday a company Of
cavalry, under the command Of Colonel o.
Belrne, which was then, in conjunction with
several other companies, securing the coun-
try in al directions, stopped at Mudd's
house and made search for Booth. One of
the cavalrymen picked up the discarded
boot leg lying IN the corner, and scrutinizing
it all over, found inside the leather the ini-
tials y. W. B." That was enough. To the
cavalrymen it was proof strong as holy writ
that Mudd was one of the consprators They
then threw rope around his neck, fastened
one end to the pommeI of a saddle. and liter
ally dragged him on foot all the way to
washington, leaving his beautiful wife in an
agony of grief, and with a family of -four
children to be looked after
Booth rode the forty miles from Washing
ton to Mudd's house in six house. 1t took
my team of fast steppers ten hours 70 cover
the same distance. The breaking Of the sad
die girth of his horse was an evidence of the
helteI skelter pace at which he rode, but in
vain the riding, for if be had ridden to the
end Of the earth he could not have escaped
the fate that befel him.
HENRY Y. O'CoNNER.