Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-06-04

Jur DAVIS CAFrURE.

DAY. JUNE 4. 1881
JEFF DAVIS CAR1URE.
The cosssder.ss F1eeaSens's Own Account
1t . A1eh D0pated Incldont.
From Mr.. Davis Forthcoming Book.
After short time I was hailed by q
voice which recognized as that of my
private secretary, who informed me that
the marauders had been hanging around
tho camp. and that he and others were on
post around it and were expecting an
assault as soon as the moon went down.
A silly story had got abroad that it was q
treasure train, and auri sacra flames had
probably instisated these marauders, as it
subsequently stimulated General j. H.
Wilson to send out large force to cap
ture the same train. For the protection of
my family travelled with them two or
three days, when, believing that they
had passed cut of the region Of marauders
I determined to leave their encampment
at nightfall to execute my original pur
pose. My horse and those of my party
proper were saddled preparatory to a
start, when one of my staff, who had rid
den into the neighboring village, returned
and told me that he had heard that q
marauding party intended to attack the
camp that night. This decided me to
wait long enough to sec whether there was
any truth in the rumOr, which l sup
posed would be ascertained in q few
hours. My horse remained saddled and
my pistols in the holsters, and lay down,
fully dressed, to rest. Nothing occurred
to rouse me until just before dawn,
when my cOachman, 4 free cOlOred man,
who faithfully clung to our fortunes,
came and told me there was firing
over the branch just behind our
encampment. 1 stepped out of my
wife's tent and saw some horsemen whom
1 Immediately 1ecOOnized as cavalry, do.
plOying around the encampment. turned
back and told my wife these were not the
expected marauders, but regular troopers.
She implOrcd me to leave her at once. l
hesitated, from unwillingness to do 50,
and lost few precious moments before
yielding to her importantly. My horse
and arms were near the road on which /
expected to leave, and down which the
cavalry approached d; it was, there
fore, imprac;icable to reach them.
was compelled to start in the
opposite direction. AS it was quite dark
in the tent, picked up what was sup
posed to be my ''raglan,' waterproof,
light Overcoat within sleeves it was sub
sequently found to be my wife's, 50 very
like my own as to be taken for it. As 1
started my wife thOughtfully threw over
my head and shoulders shawl. had gone
perhaps fifteen or twenty yards when a
trooper galloped up and ordered mo to
halt and surrender, to which 1 gave a de-
fiant answer and, dropping the shawl and
raglan from my shoulders, advanced
toward him. He leveled his carbine at
me, but expected if he fired ho would
miss mo, and my intention was, in
that event, to put my hand
under his foot, tumble him off on
tho othor side, spring into his saddle and
attempt to escape. My wife, who had
been watching, when she saw the soldier
aim his carbine at me, ran forward and
threw her arms around me. Success de-
pended OH instantaneous action, and, re-
cognizing that the opportunity had been
lost, turned back, and, the morning be-
ing damp and chilly, passed ON to u fire
beyond the tent. Our pursuers had taken
different roads and approached our camp
from opposite directions they encounter
ed each other and commenced firing, both
suppOsing they had met our armed escort
and some casualties resulted from their
conflict with an imaginary boGy of COnfed-
crate troops. During tho confusion, while
attention was concentrated upon myself,
except by those who were engaged in pill
lage, one of my aides, Colonel J. Taylor
Wood, with Lieutenant Barnwell, walked
off unObserved. His daring exploits on
the sea had made him on the part of tho
federal government an object of special
hostility and rendered it quite proper that
he should avail himself Of every possible
means of escape. Colonel Pritchard went
over to their battle field and did not SEQ
him for long time, surely more than an
hour after my capture. He subsequently
claimed credit, in 4 conversation with me,
for the forbearance shown by his men in
not shooting me when l refused to surren-
der.
Wilson and others have uttered many
falsehoods in regard to my capture, which
have been exposed in publications by per-
sons there present--by Secretary Reagan,
by members Of my personal staff and by
the colOred coachman, Jim Jones, which
must have been convincing to all who were
not given over to believe a lie. For this
reason will postpone to some other time
and more appropriate place any further
notice Of the story and its variations, all
the spawn of a malisnity that shames the
civilization of tho age We were, when
prisoners, subjected to petty pillage.