Samuel Mudd, prisoner of Shark Island. How was he connected to Lincoln's assassination?
As an old prison warden, I sometimes like to read or watch some old movies about famous prisoners. One such movie I watched recently on the Turner classic channel last week was the "Prisoner of "Shark Island."
It was a story about Samuel A. Mudd, and his life prison sentence for conspiracy and association with John Wilkes Booth in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.
Perhaps you too missed this chapter in your history class.
It is an interesting story.
After Booth shot Lincoln in the balcony of the Ford theater on April 14, 1864, he leaped from the presidential box onto the stage floor below and fractured his leg.
As he escaped from the theater and hurting from his injury, he made his way to the home of Samuel A. Mudd, a nearby physician. Booth arrived at Mudd’s house around 4 a.m. on April 15 and was treated; he remained at Mudd’s house for a good many hours before he and David Herold, another co-conspirator, left.
More Pete: Can’t every day be like Christmas?
Mudd would delay in notifying the authorities for an extended time of the two men’s presence in his house. It was suspected at the trial of Booth’s co-conspirators that Mudd was part of the assassination plot.
As the investigation gathered evidence for Mudd’s involvement, authorities proceeded to Mudd’s house to interview him, and his wife went upstairs to retrieve a boot that had been removed from a patient and bore the name of J. Wilkes. Mudd was arrested.
A military commission was convened to conduct a trial into Lincoln’s assassination.
As the trial for Lincoln’s murder began on May 10, 1865, eight conspirators were charged. These suspects included Mary Surratt, Lewis Powell, George Atzerodt, David Herold, Samuel Mudd, Michael O’Laughlen, Edmund Spangler and Samuel Arnold.
Over 350 witnesses were called to testify; all accused were found guilty.
Surratt, Powell, Atzerodt and Herold were all hanged at the Penitentiary of the Washington Arsenal on July 7, 1865.
More: Hey Rudolph, make way for a piebald buddy
Mudd, O'Laughlen, and Arnold were imprisoned just west of Key West, Florida in the Dry Tortugas (an old fort that became a federal prison) with life sentences. Mudd escaped the ‘death penalty’ by a single vote. Edmund Spangler was given a six-year prison sentence at the notorious prison.
Some 600 prisoners initially kept the co-conspirators company in the isolated prison island some 70 miles from Key West in the waters surrounded by sharks
In the movie, "The Prisoner of Shark Island," the role of Samuel Mudd is played by Warner Baxter; he did an excellent acting performance in this role.
During his incarceration, Mudd attempted to escape and he was placed in the prison’s "dungeon," a hole in the ground with an inscription that read “Whoso entereth here leaveth all hope behind,” a verse from Dante’s Inferno.
To say the least, I suspect that Mudd was treated very harshly during his incarceration, as the union prison staff were most likely supporters and had emotional ties for the dead president.
Mudd continued to experience misery throughout his incarceration, while his wife attempted to mount every effort in an attempt to secure his release. Although the evidence was persuasive that Mudd knew Booth and was for certain an accomplice in Lincoln’s death, he maintained his innocence throughout.
Perhaps the "die" was cast in regard to Mudd’s situation and all "hope" was sacrificed for his release.
But strange things often happen in life, and Mudd’s predicament would be no different.
Because of the humid conditions at the prison and the presence of mosquitoes, a serious plague of "yellow fever" soon begin to kill inhabitants there in 1867; the epidemic would soon create unimaginable harm and misery for those at the fort.
The prison’s doctor, Joseph Sim Smith, would soon succumb to the disease, leaving the prison with no medical support.
Other individuals were also dying at an alarming rate, and as desperation became rampant, Mudd, who was the only person available with medical knowledge, was soon assigned the task of providing medical treatment to those affected.
If you can imagine the horror and desperate situation at the prison during this epidemic, you might begin to think that Dante’s verse, "Whoso entereth here leaveth all hope behind," applied to all.
Tim Rowland: 'Classy' restaurants have been pushing the envelope for too long
The movie illustrated that Mudd would work tirelessly to treat the sick and affected patients throughout the ordeal and managed to become the "hero: of the day.
As a result of his actions, the "yellow fever" passed through the prison, and many were saved. President Andrew Johnson would then pardon Mudd, Arnold and Spangler from the prison.
Mudd would return home to his family after serving four years.
And that’s the rest of the story.
Pete Waters is a Sharpsburg resident who writes for The Herald-Mail.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: Pete Waters column: Samuel Mudd, prisoner of Shark Island