Nettie Mudd

Did Samuel Mudd have prior knowledge of the impending assassination of Abraham Lincoln and willingly provide aid to John Wilkes Booth after Lincoln's murder?

Historians are still divided over this issue nearly 140 years later. In 1906, Nettie Mudd published this passionate plea for her father's innocence. It includes testimony from Mudd's trial and letters written to and by him from Fort Jefferson, where he was imprisoned until 1869.

Though President Andrew Johnson pardoned Mudd, the family continued to try to get the conviction overturned. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan were both sympathetic to the cause but claimed no authority in the matter. The Supreme Court has refused to hear the case.

Not only is this book a well-reasoned case for Mudd's acquittal, it's a fascinating look into the Mudd family and the early attempts to clear his name. The letters from Mudd to his adored wife are very revealing of at least a part of Mudd's character.