The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1865-07-21
Rebel Account Of the Capture of JEFF
Davis

| One Of he staff officers OF JEFF Davis
has published detailed account of the
flight from Richmond and the final capture
Of Davis by federal troops The nara.
ton concludes as follows:
No longer leaning on the least particle
Of his presidential dignity-no longer
trusting TO the hopes of any political
| Nicav Der Jefferson Davis started from
Richmond, bent on finding "a !oophole for
, himse: on tie Florida CEASE. Thence
" the Lord direct hju5." Tia was com
p'eteiy subAned, yet lost not an iois Of lis
mAnlIness, 10 position IF faith il tie rec
titudP If his cause We knew nothing az
vet OF tie reward which was. It that very
time, ttauuied all over The souih-a reward
for him as the accompice of a>sa>sins
II Was reserved for lis csp:ure--for the
Concentration cf so7rows on Bis head
the announcement Ct this Yes ard lie
was, however, happily ignorant Of it. |
grant you that neither the death Of Nj
Lincoln nor the doom Of bis nnrderers so
greatly grieyed bin IS the demise Of the
confederate states He thought much
more Of Johnstou's unauthorized surrender
# department; more If .ha .aiutAcayt-
eIness which bad overcome The PEOPLE
more Of what Was sacred 10 him as cuun-
trv ard cause, than 81 al else beside
Thoughts of this sort fretted him femful.s,
and day By day betokcned the progress of
depressing spirits. Added to all this came
frequent intelligence Of .awiess acts by
soldiers once in the confederate service
No narration Of these cuirages failed 10
affect him EeeuIy.
At last lie got information tha, his own
wife and tauily were in danger from yte
assaults Of MILITARY mo1auder,. Mys
Davis wiz her .hree children ana accom-
lnHled h be- sister, Miss bowel. had q
wagon main ot her own, about twenty or
thirty miles from her husbands patty
She as very anxious 20 90 her own way
and be 10 embarrassment TO him So
felt equal TO the task of protecting herself
fIon the reckless couiedefaiys. and fei
sure Of avoiding federals. But no sooner
did he ascertain that she was in danger
iLat two gangs had coucoctGd a scheme
10 seize ali her trunks under the Impres
sion that SIZE carried the rebel gold than
he resolved, at all hazards, to 90 to her
rescue. Il was fond husbands s fond
fathe, lu'atuation. No remcnstranla
availel lie set out aud rode eighteen
mile, 20 meet the object of his love and
soicitude He me, them, ana the first to
rebuke him for his excess and toudness vas
the auXi,us wife aud mother A tent Of
two was already pitched, and lie, weary TO
exhaustion, went 10 sleep intending TO re
trace his steps before morning. Had lie
not gone TO assure himself Of bis wife's
safety, and had he not been excessively
tatIgued while there, Col Pritchard would
be without the honor Of capturing him,
for nothing was easier than his escape, as
Breckenridge and Wood and the writer Of
this knows, and by meeting no Interrupt
ton themselves, have proved. Their i'm
munity might have been his.
But Davis ran his risks and took his
chances, fully conscious Of imminent dan
ger, yet powerless. from physical wear>
ness, to do all he designed doing against
the danger. When the musketry firing
was heard in the morning, at "dm gray
dawn" it was supposed to he between the
a oro LaE'nJona TaLo1 80. ,,S -"
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II FADED an,Loritv he saw fa,s cararr.
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