Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1865-03-04
Generals Crook aud Kelly In Rich,
mona.
IFrOm the RichuOnd Enquiror.I

From the Richmond EnquircE.I
The Yankee Generals Crook and Kelly,
and the Adiutant General of the former,
Thayer Melvin, arrived in Richmond yes
tsrdsy morning, at two o'clock, by the
Central cars. As previously stated, these
officers were captured in Cumberland, Ma
ryland, on Tuesday last, by Lieutenant
McNeill and thirty men. From one ofthe
men engaged in this dashing and brilliant
enterprise, we learn the following incl
dents of the capture;
The party crossed the Potomac In front
of the town at late hour on the night Of
the event and, capturing the only sentinel
to be seen, induced him to divulge the
countersign.
The main body of the detachment was
then posted in convenient position, and
the Lieutenant commanding, with several
of his men, boldly rode into the town,
which was garrisoned by over 400 Union
troops.
The headquarters of General Crook were
st one hotel, and those of Kelly at another,
and, their locations being duly made
known by the captured sentinel, the daring
partissns made their way to those of the
/ AO4 AAAOAg oAAANuuk JAbb III AIOub VI hAACA buO
Lieutenant halted, and inquired of the
sentinelif the General was in. Receiving
an affirmative reply, he said he had i'm
portsnt dispatches to him, and dismount-
ing, followed by his men, advanced to the
sentinel, gave the countersign, and passe2.
in. Upon entering the hotel, the squad
was received by an old negro woman, who
it appears was the ''night clerk of the es-
tsblishment, and upon making known
their desire to be conducted to the room of
General Crook, the old domestic looked 'at
them with kind of humorous suspicion,
and remarked, "Well, you all is de strang-
est soldiers, I Ideclsr-you-you-y must
take de light yeselves and go fust; I'll
pint the room out to you. won't carry
you dar, though, no how" 1t did not
make any difference TO our bold cavaliers
which method the old woman preferred
They took the light and the lead, and in a
moment or two were in front of the door,
where the old woman hastily left them.
After several Intellectual responses from
within, entrance was obtained, and the
visitors were ordered to enter.
"Is this Gen. Crook?' asked tie Lieu
tenant, holding the light so as to give him
full view of the General, as he looked
drowaily at them from his bed.
eyes, what do you want ~ was the reply.
81 said the Lieutenant, Tam General
Rosser," and drawings pistol and present
ing it added ~ have some very important
business with you, General Crook, and will
give you precisely two minutes to get up
and put on your clothes"
The bewildered General did not know
how to reply, and did not dare to resist.
He saw at glance that it would be as use
less as dangerous to escape by raising an
alarm, and he did not stop to solve the
mystery of so unexpected call. He obeyed
at once, and a gentle suggestion of the
propriety Of keeping quiet being whisper
ed in his ear, be passed out with his escort
IS mute as q mummy. On their egress,
the party persuaded the sentinel on duty
to follow them, by inducements similar to
those submitted to the General, and max
in their prisoner mount behind them, rode
back to the main body.
In the meantime 8 second detachment
rode up TO the quarters of General Kelley,
when similar scene occurred, and that
officer was, in due time, uRder guard.
But the party was not content. Ascer-
tanning the quarters of the Adiutsnt Gen
eral they gave him passing call, found
him in bed with his wife, who happened,
70, pity him, ye Benedicts y TO be blush
ing bride-snd as peremptoriIy but as
quietly as possible, uuder the circumstances
succeeded in HmutRtiDg" him from bliss.
tul bridegroom into miserable poor devil
of prisoner, This Gaping the climax of
the nights sport the rendezvous was re-
gained, and, with their prisoners riding be-
hind them, the command recrossed the
river, and sped away through Hampshire.
By some means the affair was discovered
soon after they left, and whole regiment
pursued them to no purpose for fifty miles.
Upon being presented to General Early
st his headquarters in the Valley, the pris-
oners were received with the homely but
no doubt acceptable greeting: "Take seata,
gentlemen, presume you are tired after
your ride;" and then added the hero of
brilliant victories and stunning defeats,
with an intensifcstion of that ine-tooth
comb peculiarly of his enunciation, TI ex-
pect some enterprising Yankee will be
stealing of With me in the same Ysy one
of these days"
Whether the prisoners relished the Joke
or not, cur informant failed to depose.
They were doubtless in no humor for Jokes.
They are now in the Libby Prison, where,
it is hoped, they will be kept until our gal
liant men arrested by them as "guerrillas"
and confined in ch aims and dungeons on
that pretense, are released.
-Sa