The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-09-09

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Brig. Gen. M. JEFF. Thompson arrived
in St. Louis Wednesday night, on the
Iron Mounted railroad, and was escoEtad
to the military prison, where he is : nrii-
soner Of war. He was accompanies BY
Capt. Reuben Kay, his A. A. G., who
was captured at the same time and place
as JET. The reporter Of the St Louis
Republican was permitted to visit Geh.
JeK. at the prison, and learned some par
ticulars Of his capture and other incidents
not uninteresting
The General said he made an arrangement
with some members of his stasfto meet him
at focahantas, the whole party being then at
Little Rock aud intending to come to Mis
sour on recruiting tour, the General going
by way of JoAesbOr1', Ark, TO zee Ills wife,
who was there. He made the best Of LIS way
to Pocailontas, and put up at the ST Charles
Hotel. Soon after his arrival Capt Kay came
| and stopped at the same hofei- For two
days thompson was engaged in writing let.
tiers, while Captain K. employed hinlseli
drawing and examining maps Monday even
ing found them stiil at work, they Ainking
themselves perfectly safe from wars alarms,
Gen. Dayidson's army, rs they were Informed,
having left that part of the country.
About dark, however, the two heard a
noisy trampling of horses outside creating
more than ordinary confusion. Capt Kay
| whispered "what is that ?" 'Oh 2, replied
Jeh, "lts some Of our boys, perhaps, who
have heard that we are herc' Thompson
WIS sitting near window facing the street
| horseman rode up, and poi;ing his insinu
ating face inside the window, said, "Whcre
is Gen. Thompson - 81 am Gen. Thomp
son, sir" replied jeff Then Won are nv
prisoner, sir Why, how are you, Jeif.'-
"iicllo Gentry, is that yon.f replied f.,
nothin" disconnected, although he rccog,
nized Capt. Gentry, OF the "a Missouri state
| Militia Cavalry, aud commenced tearing up
his letters As Capt. Gentry dismo,lnted
| Capt. Kay whispered, ''By thunder here's
| the Feds % 'Don't cay wori,o replied
Jetf, "but take these maps and put them in
| the kitchen stove rs quickly as possib!c''-
| all the while tearing up his letters jeff
says ha could have escaped but for those liz
icrnal letters, for he had his lorses Oil tho
| other side Ct the river, intending, if danger
! of capture presented itself, to make his way
out OF the ,sck door OF the hotel, swim the
river, and, once over, the devil could not
have caught him.
But that huge pile ot le!tcts-not less than
filty-implicatcd parties in the State and
elsewhere, whtcls would s,tt them into trou
bic, and he determined TO destroy them
Thus his chances of escape momanla,ily les
sencd until Capt. Gentry entered the room,
tapped him OH the shoulder, shook hands
with him, and claimed him as his own"
Capt. e. said he was in command Of ali ex-
pedtion consisting OF the lst regular cayal
~ ana his own company, the I'd NJ s. Nj.
cavalry; fnat thcy were III search OF Col
5lrbrdge, whom they had learned was in
that "neck Of woods" but, when some seven
miles from Pocahontas, a man had told him
that ). Thompson was in the town, telling
ttnIsy -nr -1s..rs
''llc had come after Colonel" said JEFF,
sand had caught General" He didn't 20
on the principe of the man who went q fish
iHg ANA threw all the catfish he caught back
into the river, saying when go Il cattin' :,
| go 4 cattin', bat wtien goa a tislin, 90
iishin'!' lie took whatever he caught, and,
by JOye, he took nael
Not long after the capture-Jelf having
destroyed his letters and Captain Kay his
maps, with the exception Of u feT, which
proved OF considerable importance. and
which are now in possession Of the military
hcrean amusing incident occurred. Lieut..
Miller, ordnance officer Of Gen. Crandalfs
command, hearing that JeiE Thompson was
in Pocahontas, went 10 see him. Unaware
OF the presence of Federal troops, he rode
quite unconsciously into town, by mere
chance passing the pickcts in the dark, ana
proceeded quite leisurcly TO the hotel where
General jeff was stopping. AT the door he
was stopped by the guard, who told him he
could not get in unless he was an officer
"l am an oiiiceg," replied Miller, "and must
go ill.,"
lie passed in and saluted jeff, remarking,
"Alil you've got some Feds, see" obserV-
ing Il number of gentlemen in the room with
blue uniforms, and thinking they were Jcn"s
prisoners. Eyes, have" replied jeff ''and
a id big lot Of them, toon' Just tl;cn
Captain Gentry walked up TO Miller, and said
"you are my prisoncr!' ''Ant yop joling?h
asked Miller, stil believing Thompson was
'in command" "Aint he joking, General
appealing to jeff Yes" replied the latter,
but it S Il couiounded serious joke" Then
the truth flashed on the benighted and con
fused mind OF Miller that he was in town
surrounded ty Federal cavalry, and that, in
stead of Thompson holding those 'biue
coats" in the room as his prisoners, he WIS
theirs. The Lieutenant resigned his sword