The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1882-03-25
This arrangement worked to charm.

This arrangement worked to a charm.
Harold met Booth at the appointed
place and then crossed over to Union
City, small village on the Maryland
side, without suspicion or molestation.
Az the other side Of the bridge the road
turned to the left, and fo- some distance
was up hill. The night was fine but
cloudy. The roads were heavy here
and there from recent rains, but Booth
took little thought Of that. When the
level road was reached he dashed ahead
at the fullest possible speed, and never
drew rein till he reached the place, odd
ly called L. D., sixteen miles from
Washington, where he was. -forced-io
dismount, owing to a broken saddle
girth. This was quickly repaired by
handy man in the tavern, who remem.
bered well four years after, what an
enormousdrink ofbrandy Booth swallow
ell before remounting his horse. No
time was lost in getting forward. Both
fugitives kept well together on the wings
OF the wind. Beyond I. b. the road
becomes very lonely, and the country
wears desolate and deserted look
Groves Of tall pine trees on one side,
and dreary stretches of marshland on the
other, are visible.
Flying along this dark and gloomy
highway, what thoughts must have filled
Booths mind In every nodding pine
branch he must have imagined an arm
of vengeance stretched out acros the road
to smite him When nine miles from
Beantown he had to turn to the left, and
take a kind OF bride path through a
strip of pine forest. Who will envy his
thoughts as in the darkness and solitude
created by the overarching trees he
could not help rejecting, that, no mat
ter to what end OF the earth he might
fly, the avcnging hand Of an outraged
nation would reach him and punish him
for his unpardonable crime1 After
emerging from the forest path he had to
ride through a number OF fields, the
road taking that course along the head
lands.
At : o. clock in the morning he reach
ed the fence that surrounds the plot on
which stood DIR. Mudd's dwelling
Booth and Harold dismounied. 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 for
ward to the entrance door. The knock
was answered by Mrs. Mudd, with a
light in her hand, and. as she told me
four years subsequently, she was shocked
At disappearance OF Booth. "Hiseyes,
she said, chad 4 most unnatural expires
sion. either from excessive drinking or
excessive mental excitement. | 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 parlor and laid upon a
lounge.
DIR. Mudd was then called and asked
By Booth TO examine his leg and see
what was the matter withit. To do this
it would be necessary TO pull of 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 slipped
OFF the remainder OF the boot from the
foot, and Mrs. Mudd offered one of her
sof, wooden slippers in its place.
The doctor spent some time feeling
for 4 fracture or an induration, and
could discover none, but at last found
that il was a clean break Of the leg, just
a. 4 stick OF candy might be broken in
81 ....l.11.. ap1 ..f.a eOarneh
surfaces. He then dressed the leg and
bound il tightly at the point where the
break occurred, putting on boot made
of pas;eboard, extending from the instep
TO a point below the knee. The boot
leg that he cut of he threw away in 4
corner, and never thought more about
il and yet it was this bootleg that came
within hair of having him hanged,
and as il was had him sentenced to the
Dry Tortugas for life.
Neither Mudd nor his wife had the
faintes, idea that Booth had assassinated
the President, and in the remote part OF
this country where he lived were not
likely to hear the news for several days.
Booth told them a plausible story about
being out hunting and falling Off his
horse. After an hours stay in Mudd's S
house, during which time Booth consum-
cd a bottle OF whisky and three ham
sandwiches, both he and Harold started
on horseback, Booth feeling much pain
from his leg, for the Virginia ferry, sew.
en- miles away. They crossed the ferry
with their horses and pulled up at Gar
rctt's farm, where Booth was killed a
few days after, and that was the end oi
the wild ride for life Of John Wilkes
Booth.
To go back to DIR. Mudd. Little did
that unsophisticated physician dream oi
the trouble he was destined TO undergo
from having entertained Lincoln's as.
sassin.
On the following Monday company
Of cavalry, under the command Of Col.
O'Beirne, which was then, in conjunction
with several other companies, securing
the country in all directions, stopped al
Mudd's house and made search fol
Booth. One Of the cavalrymen picked
up the discarded bootleg lying in the
corner, and scrutinizing il all over found
inside on the leather the initials 81. W.
b." That was enough. To the cavalry
men il was proof strong as holy writ
that Mudd was one Of the conspirators.
They then threw arope round his neck
fastened one end to the pommel Of q
saddle, and literally dragged him or
foot all the way to Washington, leaving
his beautiful wife in an agany Of grief
and with family Of four children ts
look after.
Booth rode the forty miles from