The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-03
THE DEATH OF MORGAN.

The Story of the Woman who Betrayed Him
to the Union Forces.
Washington Special
In quiet street of Washington and in a
very modest house lives Mrs. Sarah E. Thomp-
son, formerly of Greenville, Tenn. To your
correspondent this evening Mrs. Thompson
told the following story:
81 am the woman who sent to the Union
forces under General Gillian the intelligence
that Morgan and his command were in
Greenville. l was widow then, my hus-
band who was Union soldier, having been
murdered by Morgan's men some time be-
fore, while he was prisoner in their hands.
L was living then at the corner of Main and
Railroad streets, in Greenvile. One after
noon l was busy baking lightbread and
making tomato butter when John Morgan
and his men rode into town. He dismount-
ed at my door and came into the porch,
sat down and made himself at home. He
tilted back his chair and sat there an hour
or more smoking his pipe and talking to
me in his boastful way. He knew 1
was Union woman, and he tantaized me by
telling me what great things he was going to
do, and advising me to hunt up a husband
on the rebel side. Among other things he
said he was going in to take Knoxville and
hold it. l told him he would strike snag
before he ever got to Knoxville. After a
while he went over to Mrs. Williamss house,
which stood on a cross street, her yard, in
which were many grapevines, adjoining
mine. AS soon as he had gone, walked
over to little frame house. which was occu-
pied by some colored people, and which
overlooked the premises of Mrs Williams.
A colored woman lived there who had done
some work for me. | said to her: "Milly,
if you will watch Morgan until l come back
will give you this and handed her a $5
note. She promised, and l went back home
and got my bonnet and started out Main
street. I had not gone far before met a
man whom | had known from childhood,
and | asked him to pass me through the
pickets, so | could go and find my COW. He
went to the picket post with me and ordered
the guard to pass me out and back, and then
he pointed to some cattle on hill and asked
If mine was not among them. told him
that my COW was a red muley COW, and
walked on. When got to the top of the hill
/ threw stick at the COW and she started
down the other side and ! followed. As soon
as got out of sight of the guard, | went into
Daviss corn field and through it to his house.
/ told Mrs. Davis 1 wanted horse, and she
loaned me one. | road off through the fields
in the direction of Bulls Gap, where the
Union forces lay. After riding some miles,
L found boy named Wilcox and sent him
on with the news to General Gillian. l was
told afterward that he would not believe the
boy, but some of his officers declared that
they were going after Morgan anyhow, so
the General concluded to try it. 1 came
back to Greenville with our troops. The
advance dashed into town and searched
Mrs. Williams house without finding Nor
gan. When we came up they were mad and
declared they had been fooled again; but as
soon as Milly saw me she cried out that Nor
gan was in yard hiding among the vines. 1
told the men that if they would tear down
the fence and charge l would insure them
Morgan's body Just then he was discovered.
He had revolver and fired on our men and
they fired on him. Then he was killed and
his body was taken by a man on horseback
and carried off By that time Morgan's men
were throwing cannon balls at us from the
artillery they had on the college green. Our
men retreated out of the town, and | went
back to my house. The rebels came down
there and made me prisoner in my own
house, and set two men to guard me. They
told ME they wold hang me the
next day from the same limb that
Fry, one of our men, had been hanged on.
They did not have much time to threaten
me, however, for our men charged back into
the town and held it. One of my guards
was shot through the foot, and both were
captured. After awhile an ambulance came
along with Morgan's body. Gen. Gillian
stopped the ambulance, rode up to my door
and asked Inc if knew Morgan. l told him
that did, that my husband and | had
played cards with him at Glasgow, KY, five
years before and euchred him, and now, /