You may accept heard the phrase, or even acclimated the phrase, "My name is mud." Many historians aspect the byword to Dr. Samuel Mudd who afterwards the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln was bedevilled of cabal in 1865. Mudd was adored from the gallows by one vote and was bedevilled to activity in prison. Afterwards confined four years in a South Carolina prison, he was pardoned by President Johnson due to Mudd's abetment alleviative prisoners during a chicken agitation epidemic. Dr. Mudd spent the blow of his activity aggravating to bright his name, and his birth accept approved through present time, including a case that was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2003, to posthumously bright the stigma from their family.
How was Mudd affiliated to John Wilkes Booth, Lincoln's assassin, and the added conspirators? What was his declared accord in the conspiracy? Dr. Mudd was a bounded boondocks doctor in Maryland. He had met Booth in November of 1864 if Booth was searching for absolute acreage in Maryland. Booth visited Mudd's home and purchased a horse from a neighbor. Several weeks afterwards in December, Mudd and Booth met afresh in Washington, DC area they aggregate drinks at a bounded tavern. The two did not see anniversary added afresh until April 15, 1865, the day afterwards Booth assassinated Lincoln at the Ford's Theater in Washington. Mudd advised Booth for the torn leg he suffered if leaping from the balustrade afterwards cutting Lincoln. Booth larboard Mudd's abode the afterward day and the two never met again.
Dr. Mudd was questioned about his affiliation with Booth by authorities initially as a witness. Unfortunately, he told authorities that he had met Booth alone already afore if he initially met him for the absolute acreage matters. Whether it was advised or inadvertent, he did not acquaint them about the additional appointment with Booth several weeks later. Mudd afterwards wrote that the additional appointment was a adventitious affair while on a Christmas arcade trip. Regardless of how the appointment occurred or if it was a advised blank or not, the actuality that Mudd bootless to acquaint badge of that affair led him to again be beheld as a suspect.
At Mudd's trial, prosecutors were able to acrylic Mudd as a cheat and altercate that he advisedly addled board artlessly because he bootless to acknowledgment that additional encounter. The jury, based on that affirmation begin Mudd accusable of the conspiracy.
Unless you are the victim of a crime, or you are a absolutely different and innocent eyewitness, you should consistently seek the admonition of a bent aegis advocate afore giving ANY account to police. As illustrated with the case of Dr. Mudd, if you do accord a account which is incomplete, even if that blank is an innocent mistake, you can be portrayed as corrupt and misleading, and ultimately accusable of a crime.
The best affair to do if you are approached by badge for a account is to anon appeal that you accept a bent advocate present during all questioning. Anything you say to your advocate is confidential. Furthermore, if you do accord a account through your attorney, that account may not be acclimated adjoin you in any way.