The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-05-09

~ 49, N@N 49,
north.
Lieutenant Alexander Lovett. with some
other officers who were in pursuit of Booth
and Herold, arrived at DIR Mudd's farm on
Tuesday, the 18th of April, having tracked
the criminals to this point. They subjected
DR.. Mudd to a number of HETEROGENEOUS,
but he stoutly and persistently denied all
knowledge of Booth. saying that he had
never met him: that he heard there was an
eminent tragedian by the name of Edwin
Booth, but that he had no knowledge of
John Wilkes Booth. He said two men had
come to his house, one with a broken leg;
that the latter wore a pair of long whis-
kers and had a shawl thrown over his
shoulders; but that these parties were I'M
known to him.. The officers left the house,
but returned again on Friday. April q, for
the purpose of searching the house and
arresting DIR. Mudd. Then it was that Mrs.
Mudd became alarmed. She went upstairs
and brought down a long riding boot, split
up in front about eight inches. This boot,
Mrs. Mudd said, had been left on the bed
by the man whose leg had been broken.
Mudd said he had cut the boot from the
mans leg in order to set it. officer Lovett
then turned down the top of the boot and
saw the name of u. Wilkes written in it.
MUDD'S ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
Concealment any longer was impossible,
and DR.. Mudd now, for the first time, adj
mitted that he was acquainted with Booth;
that he had been introduced to him in the
fall of 1864 by a man named Thompson, but
at no time did he frankly and freely say
to these officers that the two men who had
called at his house on the morning of the
18th of April were Booth and Herold.
= a.. - II - -
shown that Mudd had not only met Booth
several times in 1864 and 1865, but tina he
was the very man who had introduced him
to John Surratt on Dec. %, 1864. These
lies and prevarications on the part of Mudd
came near costing him his life. He made
the most strenuous defense of any of the
ccnspiritors; but it was of no avail. He
was convicted and sent to the Dry Tor
tugas for life. When on his way to his life
long home-let it, however, be said to his
credit-he came out and acknowledged that
he knew Booth and Herold when they came
to his house on the 18th and that he had
introduced Booth to Surratt, having gone
to Washington for that express purpose on
Dec. %, 1864.
After leaving Mudd's place on the 18th
the government lost all trace of the two
assassins for a period of ten days. Nor
was this hiatus fully explained until many
years afterwards, when the matter was
fully unraveled in a very able article in the
Century. April, 1884, entitled, How Wilkes
Booth Crossed the Potomac" written by
George Alfred Townsend.
Samuel Cox, to whom Booth, with his
companion, fled for protection and assist
ance after leaving DR.. Mudd, was a prom
inent and wealthy Marylander who resided
in Charles county. He lived in a large two
story house with handsome piazzas In it's
front and rear; it was located almost di-
rectly on the line of the road by which
Booth and Herold were attempting to make
their escape. 1t was not far from Pope's
creek on the lower Potomac, and Just about
six miles south of the village of Port To-
bacco. The sympathies of Cox were en-
tirely with the South, and to no one could
the two fuGitives have applied more read
lily with the sure prospect of being helped
than to him. He had a foster brother,
Thomas Jones, with whom he had been
reared. Jones was not only a very courage
Gus and self-collected man, but also one Of
the most energetic individuals in that region
in the cause Of the South. Jones had risen
somewhat in the world and had a few
slaves. He sympathized warmly with the
u q AAA ll54I' CI
Pope's creek, the most eligible situation of
all for easy intercourse with Virginia. His
house was on a bluff eighty to one hundred
feet high, from which he could look up the
Potomac to the west, across Matthias Point.
and see at least seven miles of the river
way, while his view down the Potomac was
fully nine miles. This man during the war
was the principal signal officer for the Con-
federacy north of the Potomac, aud was the
agent for the mail that went to and was re-
ceived from the South by this route and
at this place. He was probably familiar
with all the river harbors and localities
both on the Maryland and Virginia side of
the river in that neighborhood.
On Sunday morning, the 10Th of ApriI
about 8 o'clock, a young man came from
Samuel Cox's place to Jones's farm. situ-
ated about two and a half miles back from
his old river residence, which Jones had
been forced to give up when the Confeder-
ate cause was lost. This young man was
told, if stopped on the road, to say that he
was going to Jones's to ask if he could LET
Cox have seed corn, which in that climate
is planted early in April. He told Jones
that Colonel Cox wished him 20 come i'm
medlately to his home, about three miles
to the north, and mysteriously limited that
IlSAO WSAS SOLH0 very remarkable visitors
at Cox's the night before.
OBEYED ORDERS.
Accustomed to obey the m of his
old friend, Jones mounted his horse and
went to Cox's. Jones had heard, the even
ing before, that Lincoln had been killed
When he arrived at his destination Cox
taking Jones aside, related that on the
previous night the assassin of President
Lincoln had come to his house in COM
pany with another person, conducted by
a negro, and had asked for assistance TO
cross the Potomac river. Jones was told
where the men were-in a pine thicket.
about a mile and a half from the house.
He was given instructions how to approach
them without being shot-certain signs by
whistling. Upon reaching the dense pines
Jones met Herold, to whom he explained
that he was sent by Cox. He was then
piloted TO where Booth was. He lay on the
ground wrapped in a pile of blankets. and
his face bore traces of great suffering
Booth asked many questions as to what the
people thought of the assassination. and
appeared to be proud of what he had done
Jones did the best for him he could. He
carried him papers to read and tried 10
keep him in good spirits until he got a
chance TO send him across the river. The
and for a time Jones did not really know
how he could get him away. On Tuesday
following the assassination Jones went IN
to Port Tobacco to see how the land Law
and while in the barroom OF Brawner's Ho-