The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1883-04-12
JEFF. DAVIS CAPTURE,
WHATS Philadelphia says-No Feminine
Apparel Seen.
Ihi2ddrlhia Times.

what" fhiladoiphan says-No Feplinine
Apparel Seen.
Ihiiadtiphia Times.
kaspar knobel, the Grst man to Law
hands on Jefferson Davis when the latter
was fugitive, after the downfall of the
Confederate Government, now lives in
Philadeiphia. Atthe time of the cap.
ture MIR. knobel was q private in the
Fourth Michigan cavalry. His nara
tive, which was contributed to the Week.
ly Times of this date, is rs follows:
Op the evening of the 7th of May,
1860, the Fourth Michigan cavalry regi-
ment, to which belonged, was ordered
whether oE wiy We rode on the whole
night, only mal.inga short pause to take
lunch. We did likewise the fcl,ow:pg
day, but had IN .ioO7ening to take refuge
from thunderstorm i'm some woods
where we sought to shield ourselves in
the best possible manner against the in.
clemency of the weather. The next
morning, somewhere between 8 and 10
O'Clock, we met o vehicle with only three
wheels, driven by colored man. Col.
Pritchard bade him halt and answer our
questions. He told us he had fallen in
with troop of "iankees"-it became
evident that he did not know the differ.
ence between Union aud Confederate
soldiers-who had taken wheel from
his wagon, probably to prevent him from
reveali Ig their flight too quickly, for, as
he said, it was sure thing that they
were trying to escape.
Such was the story Of the negro, and
now the reason for our being engaged In
this exciting chase flashed in upon US
that We were hunting for no less noble
prey than the beaten leader of the Con-
fedsracy, on whose head the Government
had set q large price Our commander,
as matter of course, took notes Of this
statement and ascertained the exact place
where the meeting had taken place.
Then we we're ordered to hold ourselves in
readiness. A harder work than we had
yet done was impending. Those who had
confidence in themselves aud their horses
for further ride Of forty or fly miles
were told to announce themselves. One
hundred and twenty. eight men did go, I
among them, and we started. Twelve
o'clock Mt night between the 9th and 10th
OF May wo arrived at Irwinsville, Irwin
county, Ga., where Davis, according to
all probability, was to be found.
THE CAMP DISCOVERED.
In whispered tones we were ordered to
distribute ourselves 10 groups of thirteen
in all directions and be on the lookout for
all suspicious persons in the place. The
group to which belonged, after having
ridden on for nearly mile, discovered
campfire in southwestern direction,
which was near extinction-a very suspi-
cious circumstance-that made our hearts
beat quicker with joyous anticipation.
1t being, however. yet dark we could do
nothing else for the present than impa.
tiently wait for the dawn of day. The
| eastern sky had scarcely redeemed before
we advanced as noiselessly rs possible
and almost stumbledove two tents, whose
inmates evidently we're yet slumbering
and who thus could be easily surprised.
| was foremost in entering one OF these
tents, and, sure enough, found the fugi.
tive and his family lying there in pro.
Jefferson Davis rested in q gray cos.
tune on the left side of the tent. As
soon as he was awake and had comnre.
| nenued the situation he tried, evidently
Tor the purpose of concealment, to cover
himself with something-I can not at this
time tell exactly what-but of resistance
ne ne offered none at all. l then hurried to
the other tent. where found 9 ;sGrt OF
the staff of the Confederate leader.
Here, also, perfect quietude reigued, easi-
ly explained by the exertioDs and excite.
ment incident to their flight. They were
surprised to the extent that tore away a
saddle from under the head of one of
| the sleeping officers aud they all eurren.
dered Internationally, without Offering
| the least resistance.
FIRED UPON BY FRIENDS.
| Mt nnfi1 fb a M xt,.o ~
associates had been thus accomplished
was tue signal shot that had been agreed
upon the previous day fired, which soon
brought Col. Pritchard and his compan.
ions to the scene Of action. This shot.
however, was, to our great astonishment,
at once responded to by heavy fire from
the neighboring woods, which fire we, of
course, answered. by this skirmish we
had one young man killed, his heart
| being pierced by buiiei, and one woun-
ded. Our astonshment increased great
| ~ when be tock one of our assailants a
prisoner and discovered that he belonged,
like ourselves, to the Union army. They
formed, in fact, part Of the First Wis.
consin cavalry regiment, and had, like
ourselves. arrived the evening before in
the neighborhood of IEwinsyilIe without
knowing or having the slightest idea Of
the presence of Davis, still less Of our
own. The victim OF this fatal encoun.,
ter were buried with military
honors. We had breakfast, to US, as q
matter OF course, q very Joyous one, in
which Jefferson Davis and our other
prisoners participated, and then we rode
back to headquarters. srt.'@ ~
THE, COMMON STORY UNTRUE. "a.
Such is the true history of the capture
OF Jefferson Davis, and, as every one can
see, it differs materially from the common
ly accepted 8 tory, not alone in respect to
the feminine appsreland the bowie.knife,
but also in regard TO tho short encounter.
between Union soldiers, which furnished,
| 30 to speak, the last victims on the altar
of the ambition Of the Confederate lead
er. 1 have q very ihteresting relic Of
this affair In my possession. After hav-
ing entered the tent Of. Davis and accom-
plished his capture, q atraveling bag was
found among what little baggage there
was containing shirt aud three collars.
besides children's s6iled linen. These
naturally became interesting spoils for
tho soldiers, who distributed them among
themselves. Ono of these collars is still,
| in my possession Tho collar, which, for
l good and sufficient reasons, at this time
has no very clean look, bears this prcud !
inscription: Ia ,.ga3!i,,... SIS Il, -. Il
| "This collar waa worn by jefferson
Davis st the time ho was made prisoner
Of war, May 10, 1855, and was taken
from him by Kaspar Knobel, private of