On July 24th

Dr. Samuel Mudd — the physician who set John Wilkes Booth's broken leg — arrived at Fort Jefferson in July 1865, sentenced to life for conspiracy. He worked heroically through the 1867 yellow-fever outbreak that killed the fort's doctor, was pardoned in 1869, and left behind a name that still feeds a folk etymology — though 'his name is mud' predates him.

The July 24, 1915 capsize killed 844. The vessel's documented service record is the record the rest of the file stands on. It's verified history: the dossier's load-bearing detail. Sources including 'SS Eastland site' carry the record. The record keeps it — history, not lore. The file stays open on it.

The July 24, 1915 rollover is documented; 844 died. The site's documented history is the record the rest of the file stands on. This belongs to the verified spine of the entry, the layer everything else is measured against. 'SS Eastland site' documents the entry. Documented ground is what separates this file from pure legend — this is part of it.