Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1881-12-01
IEEE DAVIS, CAPTURE.

Jeff DAVIS CAPTURE.
The Story as Related by One Who
cAiessO Tines
On the 9th day Of May, 1866. Colonel
Pritchard, with the Fourth Michigan
Cavalry, parted with the First Wiscon-
sin Cavalry nj the fork Of roads near
Abbeysville, Ca, about noon, and when
some four miles from there halted and
made some hurried preparations for a
forced march. Leaving all baggage
pack.mules. disabled men and horses IN
charge Of Major Hathaway. he started
between the hours Of three and four
p. m. on a circuitous road TO lrwins-
VILE. Ca, marching some fifty or sixty
miles. arriving there near twelve that
night where he learned from a negro
that party Of strangers were encamped.
perhaps n mile from the town, and to
where the negro guided them; and
when within some hundred and nifty
rods from the strangers camp, no
pickets being observed, Colonel Pritch-
ard dismounted q part Of his force and
advanced as near as was prudent,
where they lay perfectly quiet until
break Of day, when the mounted men
were ordered up quietly and all adj
vanced together quickly and took the
camp by surprise, surrounding 1t (some
eight or ten tents) instantly. A guard
was placed ut each tent, and a few
minutes after a lady appeared at
the door of one Of them and
asked the guard to stay out so that
they could dress. as there were none but
ladies' In the tent. A few minutes
later she appeared at the door again and
asked permission Of the guard to
let her go for a pail of water. and the
request was granted. Two persons
passed out OF the tent dressed in women's
apparel, one Of them carrying pail, and
both going In the direction Of swamp.
At this stage Of the drama Private
James +. Bullard, who was in the act
OF buckling the girth Of his saddle on
10 n spirited bay horse that he had pro-
cured a few moments before by a forced
swap" with a Confederate prisoner of
high station, and having his eyes roam
ing admiringly about the head and
shoulders of the new steed, noticed in
the direction in which the horse was
looking what appeared to be two wO-
men some six or eight rods distant.
Looking up TO Corporal George Munger,
his partner, who was mounted besides
him, he said: "There go to- women
who ought to be stopped. There may
be more rebs out there" Munger re-
piled: That's so; I'll stop Them" and
suiting the action to the word, he dash
cd of. At the same moment Billiard
jumped int his saddle and followed
arriving near the supposed women but
a moment after Munger, who, however,
had ordered them to stop. One of the
ladies said: 1--WE are going to the spring
for water" Munger replied: "You
will have TO go back" at the same time
riding nearer so as to stop their further
progress into the swamp On looking
them fairly in the face while it was
still twilight he noticed that one of
them was a man, on which discovery
he pointed his carb ne at him, when
the man threw off a shawl which GOV.
cred his head and shoulders, also a
woman's loose wrapper. The lady then
threw her arms about her male
companions neck, exclaiming, i'm a
plaintive but composed tone of voice.
"Please don't shoot himr' and the man
replied: "Let them shoot, | might as
well die here as anywhere" Now let
II DO remembered that the scene of
the discovery Of the two persons. Mr..
and Mrs. Davis, by Billiard, and their
capture by Munger and him Jointly.
lasted but a few moments, and that no
one was present or nearer than seventy.
i've OF one hundred feet except the four
persons mentioned, consequently no
one could have heard what was said nj
the moment of the capture, But a few
moments later, however, quite a num-
Der of the command were present. sur.
rounding the prisoners in the spot
where they were stopped, and from
which they were marched back to
their tent, the MN having no hat and
leaving the shawl and wrapper where
they were dropped at he time and
place of the discovery. At this time
neither Munger nor Billiard knew
who the prisoners were, but i'm less
than fifteen minutes their identity was
made known 10 all present, and IL was
on the following day that the private
soldiers of the command learned of
the reward. This is the simple story
Oh the capture Of Jefferson Davis. as
related by James +. Billiard. one of the
two soldiers who captured him.