Did Booth act alone?

No. He had several coconspirators. Perhaps the most interesting was Dr. Samuel Mudd. In the 1865 conpiracy trial Mudd claimed he didn’t know Booth. However, Dr. Mudd had stayed at Surrat’s boarding house (where the conspiracy was hatched) and it was possible, even likely he knew John Wilkes Booth. More on this later. What is known is that Dr. Mudd set Booth’s broken leg.

After shooting President Lincoln John Wilkes Booth jumped from the Balcony at Fords Theatre breaking his ankle. With adrenalin pumping through his body Booth ran out of the theatre to meet up with another coconspirator David Herold. Mr. Herold had just fled the home of Secretary of State William Seward who was also a target of assassination. Herold had led Lewis Paine to the Secretary’s home where it was planned Paine would kill Seward. Seward survived the attack however.

Leaving Paine to fend for him self Herold met up with Booth just outside of Washington. After stopping at John Lloyd’s tavern the two made their way to Dr. Mudds home around four in the morning. After setting Booths ankle Dr. Mudd allowed the killers to stay at the doctors house until late that afternoon. Booth and Herold then left, making their way south until Booth was killed and Herold captured at Richard Garrett’s farm.

Dr. Samuel Mudd was convicted of conspiring to kill the President and sentenced to life in prison, escaping the death penalty by one vote. But how guilty was he? Mudd claimed Booth and Herold had introduced themselves as Tyson and Henston and he was unaware the two were the ones responsible for Lincolns’ murder.

This doesn’t ring true however. John Wilkes Booth had convinced himself the common folks would consider him a hero and therefore made no attempt to hide who he was or what he had done. At the trial several witnesses who had met Booth after the shooting claimed Booth had told them he was the ‘feller who killed Lincoln’.

In 1977 evidence surfaced to further refute Dr. Mudds claim of innocence. The written confession of George Atzerodt, which had not been allowed at trial was uncovered and published. In his confession Mr. Atzerodt claims Booth had sent liquor and provisions to Dr. Mudds’ house two weeks previous to the assassination.

So it would seem Dr. Mudds name really is mud.

His Name Is Still Mudd: The Case Against Doctor Samuel Alexander Mudd