The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1883-10-11
GEN. JOHN MORGAN.
The Controversy Over His Capture
and Death.
The story of Mrs. Thompson. Who
Carrie the News to Gillem and
Caused the Destruction Of
the Great Raider.

Washington Letter in New York Tribune.
The controversy over the question how the
rebel cavalry leader, John Morgan, died,
continues TO a in the Kentucky news
papers. In a recent contribution to The
Louisville Courier-Journal Capt. John j..
McAfee, formerly of Morgan's command,
tells how Morgan, painfully wounded as no
was, breathing and suffering with the Grim
son stream trickling from his wounds" was
thrown across a horse and borne through the
streets Of Greenville, with his blanched
face turned to the light, running his
fingers through his hair, while his
eyes were lifted in their speechless agony to
heaven Capt. McAfee does not. assert that
he witnessed this scene, for he made his first
appearance the next forenoon, bearing a flag
of truce to obtain Morgan's remains, which
were delivered to him. All other accounts
agree that Morgan was shot dead in his
tracks.
Capt. McAfee falls into another error, how
ever, in which he has the company of all who
ave written on the Confederate side. He
tells the old story that it was young Mrs.
Williams who betrayed Morgan. In a
quiet street Of Washington and in a very
modest house lives Mrs. Sarah E. Thompson,
formerly Of Greenville, Tenn. To a Tribune
correspondent this evening Mrs. Thompson
told the following story:
81 am the woman who sent to the Union
forces Gen. Gillem the intelligence that
Morgan and his command were in Greenville.
/ was u widow then, my husband, who was
a Union soldier, having been murdered by
Morgan's men sometime before, while he was
a prisoner in their hands. / was living then
at Main and Railroad streets, in Greenville.
One afternoon | was busy baking light bread
and making tomato butter, when John Nor
gan and his men rode into town. He dis
mounted at my door, came to the porch, sat
dow 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.
MAKIN sPoRT OF A WOMAN
"He knew 1 was q Union woman and he
tantalized me by telling me what great things
he was going to do and advising me to hunt
up n husband on the rebel side. Among
other things he said he was going to TAX
Knoxville and hold 1t. l told him he would
strike a snng before he ever got to Knoxville.
After a while he went over TO Mrs. Williams
house, which stood ON a cross street, her yard,
in which were many grape vines, adjoining
mine. As soon as he had gone l walked over
TO a little frame house, which was occupied
by some colored people and which overlooked
the premises of Mrs. Williams. A colored
woman lived there who had lone some work
lOI Dlts 4 Etl W u hlll1r IL YOU Will
watch Morgan until l come back l will give
you this, and 1 handed her a hve-dollar note.
She promised, and l went back home and
| got my bonnet and started out Main street.
l had not gone far before l met a man whom
l 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 a hill and asked il mine was not
among them. l told him my COW was a red
mully COW and walked on. When l got near
the top of the hill l threw a stick at the cow,
and she started down the other side
and l followed. AS soon as 1 got out
of sight of the guard, 1 went into Davis
cornfield and through it to his house. l told
Mrs. Davis / wanted a horse, and she let me
have one. rode Off through the fields in the
direction of Bulls gap, where the Union
forces lay. After riding some miles l found
a boy, Wilcox by name, and sent him on
with the news to Gen. Gillem. 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. l came back to
Greenville with our troops. The advance
dashed into town and searched Mrs. Williams
house without finding Morgan. When we
came up they were mad, and declared that
they had been fooled again; but as soon as
Milly saw me she cried out that Morgan was
in the yard, hiding among the vines. 1 told
the mon that il they would tear down the
fence and charge 1 would insure them Nor
gan's body,
KLLED WHILE FIRM HIS PISTOL.
Just then be was discovered. He had a
revolver and fred on our men, and they fired
on him. Then he was killed and his body
L IL. H. . w... ~, l--.l-r. - -. -.g-l ar
By that time Morgan's men were throwing
cannon balls down at us from the artillery
they had on the college green Our men 10
treated out of the town, and l went back to
my own house. The rebels came down thert
and made me a prisoner in my own house and
set two men to guard me. They told me
they would hang me the next day from the
same limb from which Fry, one of our men
had been hanged. They did not have mucl
time to threaten me, however, for our mer
charged back into the town and held it. On,
Of my guards was shot through the feet nnC
both were captured.
IDENTIFYING MoRaAN's BODY
"After awhile an ambulance came along
with Morgan's body. Gen. Gillem stopped
the ambulance, rode up to my door and asked
me IL / knew Morgan. l told him that / did
that my husband and l had played card.
with him ut Glasgow, KY, five years befor,
and euchred him. AM now l added, q
have helped to euchre him again identi
fled the body, and it was then taken to Mrs
Williams house and prepared for burial.
went with our troops to Bulls gap when they
returned that afternoon
Mrs Thompson is now employed in tn,
treasury department and has in her posses
sion letters from Andrew johnson and 9th
ers, testifying to the services which sh,
rendered to the Union cause during the war
No Cause for Congratulntion.
Louisville Cou~rier-Journal.
While northern critics are not justified IN
representing that Kentuckians are the swor,