Omaha daily bee., 1883-03-30
JEFF DAVIS.
A "CirCumStantial Account Of
His Surprise and
Capture.
Story Of the Soldier Who First
Laid Hands on Him.

Ksspar Knobel, the first man to lay
hands on Jefferson Davis when the
latter was q fugitive, after the down
fall Of tho confederate government,
now lives In Philadelphia. At the
time of the capture Mr.. Knobel was q
~privatein the Fourth Michigan cavalry.
His narrative, contributed to The
Philadelphia Weekly Times, Is as fol.
lows:
On the evening of the 9TH # May,
1876, the Fourth Michigan regiment,
to which 1 beior god, Ia ordered to
start immediate .tely, without know.
Ing whi.her or why. W. rode on the
whole night, making q short pause to
take 8 lunch. We did likewise the
following day, but had in the evening
to take refuge from a thunder storm
In some woods, where we sought to
shield ourselves In the best possible
manner against the inclemenoy Of the
weather. The next morning, some.
where between o and 10 o'clock, we
met q vehicle with only three wheels,
driven by q colored man. Col. Pritch.
ard babe him halt and answer our
questions. He told us he had fallen
in with a troop CT 'Ysnkeeb'-it be.
came evident he did not know the diff
ference between Union and Confeder-
ate soldiers-who had taken a wheel
from his wagon, probably to prevent
him from revealing their fight too
quickly, for, as he said, 1t was q sure
thing that they were trying to escape.
Such was the story Of the negro, and
now the reason for our being engaged
III this exciting chase fl Nshed in upon
us-that We wore hunting for no less
noble a prey than the beaten leader Of
tho confederacy, on whose head the
government had set a large prize. Our
commander, as q matter of course.
took notes Of this statement and ascer
talned The exact place where the meet.
Ing had tken place. Then VIC were
ordered to hold ourselves In readiness.
A harder work than we had yet done
was impending. Those who had cen.
fidence n.themselves and their horses
for o further ride OF forty or fifty
miles were told to them
selves. One hundred and twenty
eight men did 30, / among them, aud
we started. Twelve o'clock at nigh.
between the 0 h aud 10Th of May, we
arrived at I~rwlnvllle, Irwin county,
Ga, where Davis, according II al
probability, was to be found.
THE CAMP DISCOVERED.
In whispered tones we were ordered
to distribute ourselves In groups Of
thirteen In oil directions, and b. Oh
the lookout for all Suspicious persons
in the place. The group to which
belonged, after having ridden on fol
nearly q mile, discovered a camp. fire
In a southwestern direction, which wal
near extiuction--a very suspicious cir
cumstanoe-that made our hearts bes'
quicker with joyous anticipation. L
being, however, yet dark, we could d.
nothing else for the present than i'm
patiently wait for the dawn Of day
The eastern sky had scarcely reddene'
before We advanced a. noiselessly Q
possible, and almost atumbled owe
two tents, whose inmates evidentl
were yet slumbering, and who thu
could be easily surprised. l was fore
most In entering one of these tents
and, sure enough, found the fugitiv'
and his family lying there In profoun'
/. sleep.
JEFF rson Davis rested in q gray
costume on the left side 1f the tent
As soon al he war awake and had com
, pretended the situation he tried, evi
IDENTIFY for the purpose of ~conoealment
to cover himself with something, / ca
= not at this time tell exactly what, bu
of resistance he offered none at all.
then hurried to the other tent, wher
] l found a part Of the staff of the Con
federate leader. Here, also, perfec
auistude reigned, easily explainabl
by the exertions and excitement inc
dent to their fight. They were su'
prisod to the extent that I tore ava
. saddle from under the head of on
of the sleeping officers aud they q
. surrendered Internationally, witho,
offering the leant resistance.
FIRE. UPON by FRIENDS.
. Not until the capture of Davis an
T. his associate had bsen thus acool
plished was the signal shot that h,
been agreed upon the previous d
fred, which soon brought Col. Pritc
ard and his companions to the scer
however, was, to great astonishmei
at onoe responded to by a heavy 6
from the neighboring woods, viii
n fire we, Of course, answered. BY Il
sklrmish we had one yourg mar kill,
his heart being pierced Dy q bull
aud one wounded. Our ASTONISHING
Increased greatly whom we took one
a our assailsnts q prisoner and discl
Y cred that he belonged, like ourselv
~ to the Union army. They formed,
M, fact, a part of the First Wiscon
Nm cavalry regiment, and had, like o
selves, arrived the evening before
c& the neighborhood Of Irwinsville wi
y out knowing or having the slight
(, idea Of the presence Of Davis, 9
y less Of our own. The victims Of I
fatal encounter were buried "
" military honors. We had o breakfl
, to us, as q matter Of course, q v
Joyous one, in which Jefferson d.
and our other prisoners pArticipst
n and then we rode back to headqr
ters.
&H THE COMMON STORY.
IN Such Is tine true history Of tho
ture Of Jefferson. Davis, and, as ev
one can rec, It suffers materially fl
the commonly accepted story,
alone in respect TO the feminine
parel and the bowie knife, but alsc
regard TO the short encounter bstw
Union soldiers, which furnished,
E to speak, the last victims on the q
of the ambition of the Confede
leader. l have q very interes
relic Of this affair In my possess