The National tribune., 1909-12-30

that time he regarded Booths crime
as the worst thing which could happen
TO the South. 1t is possible that Mudd
was n man of sufficient intelligence to
understand that, happening when II
did. at the end of the. war. with the
Southern armies hopelessly crushed.
such an awful catastrophe could only
serve to harden the hearts of the vic
tors against the people whom they had
under the heel. 1t was this conscious
ness which made Booth speak of the
curse of Cain" being upon him and of
being abandoned"
The Maryland Peninsula.
There lies between the Anacostia.
which bounds Washington on the east.
and the Chesapeake Bay a low penin-
sula of about 80 miles in width The
higher portions of this are cultivated.
and at one time it was one of the rich
est agricultural regions in the country.
The soil-exhausting tobacco culture,
the unthrift of slave labor and un-
skilled farming methods had greatly
impoverished it, however. at the time
of the outbreak of the war. The larger
part of the more energetic and pro-
gressive inhabitants had been lured
away to the rat lands of the West, Ieav-
ing the country in possession of their
less intelligent and less ambitious
neighbors. The lower part of the penin-
Sula. where the creeks and rivers enter
the Chesapeake and Potomac. was al
ways swampy and forlorn The swamps,
filling and becoming bare again by the
movements Of the tide, were and are
to-day. dense junElcs inhabited by
snakes, wild fowl and the ''varmints"
which thrive in the shelter of those
noisome sOlitudcs.
1t was felt at once by the authorities
that Booth must be somewhere in hid
ing in these dismal recesSes. and the
whole peninsula was occupied with sol
diers on horses and on foot, with de-
tectives and officers searching for every
possible clew 1t was also felt that he
would leave this covert to try to cross
the Potomac. and make his way thru
Virginia into the more remote parts Of
the South. Therefore, the Potomac and
Chesapeake were watched day and
night by men in boats. 1t does not
seem possible. so rigorous and thoro
was the scrutiny that Booth could have
he did. for more than a~-week
1t appears that at O'Clock on Sat
urday morning. only six hours after
the shooting of the President. Herold
knocked at the front door of DIR. Mudds
house, and called out that a man out
side had broken his leg and needed
medical attendance. The Doctor arose.
and with the assistance of others took
Booth off his horse. brought him into
the house and lad him on a sofa, where
he examined and dressed his leg. To
do this he had to cut off the boot.
marked on the inside y w b." which
afterward became an important link of
evidence. After this Booth was assist
ed upstairs to a chamber directly over
the parlor. and one of the servants of
the Doctor made rude crutch for him
Herold ate breakfast with the family.
but Booth ate nothing. Booth remained
in the house until about D. m the
next day, when he and Herold left in
buggy which DIR. Mudd had secured
Mudd went ahead some little distance
to look out for the soldiers. who were
known to be patroling the country He
found these occupying all the main
roads, and directed Booth and HeroId
to take cartroad leading west to the
Zekiah swamps They lost their way,
but secured a negro to guide them to
Col. Cox's house. which they reached
early Sunday morning. Tho he refused
the TWO men admittance to his house
Booths crippled and suffering condi-
ton so appealed to Col. Cox's humanity
tnat ne took them to a secret place in
the pines. where they remained in hid
ing Tor Sin days, or until Friday, April
Il During that time they were fur
nished food by Col. Cox and his neigh
Dor. Thomas A. Jones. Both Cox and
Jones were Secessionists. and Cox had
sons in the Confederate army. still they
condemned Booths act as wanton
crime. and one which was likely TO
Drlng more evil upon the South than
any event of the war
(To be continued)