Why didn't Dr. Mudd alert authorities that Booth was at his farm initially?

• A. He wanted Booth to stay longer
• B. He didn't see Booth's presence
• C. He had the power to end the manhunt for Lincoln's killer that afternoon
• D. He believed Booth would betray him

Answer: (C)

The question is about how a single, real-time action by a civilian could change the course of a manhunt. Dr. Mudd had Booth at his farm and, in that moment, he had the ability to end the pursuit by informing authorities of Booth’s exact location. If he had reported Booth right away, police could have rushed to the farm and arrested Booth that afternoon, effectively bringing the hunt for Lincoln’s killer to a swift close that day. The emphasis is on the practical power of reporting whereabouts to trigger an immediate arrest, not on motives about Booth’s intentions or illusions about what Booth might do later. The other options don’t fit because they either contradict the basic fact that Booth was present and needed reporting to stop the chase, or they ascribe beliefs or desires that don’t directly explain why alerting authorities would have ended the manhunt that afternoon.