Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1883-04-12
JEFF DAVIS cNTUat.

the Famoue uah't Nrest-No FEMININE
Apparsi sssH-Aciresmstantial Account
eftAs Surprise and Quick Seizure. =
IPhlsaelphiA Tinesl
Kasper Knople, the FIRST man 20 lay
hands on Jefferson Davis when the latter
was fugitive after the downfall OF the
Confederate Government, now lives In
Philadelphia. At tho time Of the capture
Mr.. Knobel was private in the Fourth
Michigan Cavalry. His narrative, which
was contributed to 'the Weekly Times,
Is a. follows:
On the evening Of the 7th OF May, 1855,
the Fourth Michigan Cavalry Regiment,
70 which | belonged, was ordered to start
immediately, without knowing whittier
or why. We rode on the whole night,
only making short pause to take lunch.
We did likewise the following day, but
had in the evening to take refuge from a
thunderstorm in some woods, where We
sought to shield ourselves in the bast pos.
sible manner against the inclemency OF
the weather. The next morning, some
where between nine and ten o'clock, we
met a vehicle with only three wheels,
driven by a cOlored man. Colonel Pritch.
ard bade him halt and answer our ques.
tions. He told US he had fallen in with
A troop of yankees it became evident
he did not know the difference between
Union and Confederate soldiers-whoh had
taken a wheel from his wagon. probably
to prevent him from revealing their
flight too quickly, for, as he said, it was
a snre thing that they were trying to es-
cape.
Such was the story of the negro, and
now the reason for being engaged in this
exciting chase flashed upon us-that we
were hunting Tor no less noble a prev
than the beaten leader of the Confedera.
CIV. on whose head the Government had
set a large prize. Our commander, as a
matter of course, took note of this state,
ment and asceItained the exact place
where the meeting had taken place
Then we were ordered to hold ourselves
in readiness. A harder work than we
had vet done was impending. Those who
had confidence in themselves and their
horses for a further ride of forty or fifty
miles were told to announce themselves
One hundred and twenty-eight men did
30. I among the rest, and we started
Twelve O'Clock at night between the 9th
and 10th of May we arrived at Irwins
vile. Irwin County, Ca, where Davis,
according 10 all probability, was to be
found.
THE CAMP DISCOVERED.
T, uh;snored tones wa ware ordarad m
s:...;I,.;,, .,ro,,ns 81 th;rtoon in al a..
dls.!lou'e IN SroaPs m u .ha inotout ~ fr al u oli
aO'';o;o,s lso.ioo, "nn mnrsons IN ths nlace The
Sropo'NS sro,,n 10 wb;ch I belnnoed after havino
S;SSapn "n t'r yearly a 1,;le d;scoversd 8
uuou sun w ~ - sn,,}h' uastern d;roct;on
~h;aL ,,.., 800 avt;rct;nn>a yorv ons'
n;n;om. un,stoncoNthot mads on,
P,ouu' o..a hoot o,,;nsar viii, ;ovous ant;c;na.
t;om ' r. T hoinn howavar yet darL wo
oo,,,d m dn roth;no alsa for tbs nresant tho ~
:S.:aoti,, ~ w ,,,n?. Co. tha da,rn os dn.
Mhp aoa.o: shn h..d ooaroaiv roSdon9i
hatora ,ue oduaHcaJ 90 no;selsss as noss;.
e,o,o Isn , "I I,mnst s,"n,h % hIod rtwo ~ tan.a
mSoaa S Gnu ;n,n,ss "s on;dontlu waro sot si,,n,'
Hn.;Ss. ia th,,s oo,,id ha aos;l,, a,,r
Dr;aaS Iwos foron,ost in enter;no ono
r. tLo,o .onts and s,ro enough found
tha 1,n;t;ve ona his family Ivips tbars in
nrofo,,nS olaon
P1J Ga9farson T Isv;s rested in . orav cos.
+ru,a or tho left s;da ~ tho tsni A.
Sonn 90 ~ ba u,,s avoLa and hod con,nra'
%ondod tho s;tuat;on hs tried av;dapt,y
Co. tha nnrnnss NJ concooimont ~ Cove,
h;naaie ,i,h snna,h;nnNI c.n no+ ~
th;s t;mo talI ewactlv What h,,t ~ ra' ~
ras;stanco ha offared mona Mt alI than
hurr;ad ~ ,ba n,hor tant whore fonSd
q mart of the staff Of the Confederate
leader Here, also, nerfect onietude
reiUned eas;Iv eynlainable nv the eyer.
f;ons and exc;ten,ant ;ncida1+ to their
fi;oht Tbav were snrnrised tn tho ex.
tent Ih.t tors awav a saddle from nnder
the head of one of the sleepinp officers,
and thav al, surrendered nnconditionallv
without Offering the least resistance.
FIRED Upon Ry FRIENDS.
Not mil ths cantnra of Davis and his
associates had been TINS Accumulated
was the signal shot that had been agreed
nnon the nrevious dav fred. which soon
brought Colonel Pritchard and his COM
panions to the scene of action. This
shot. howeyer, was. to our great aston
ishment at once responded to bv a heavy
ere from the neighboring woods. which
Are we. of course. answered. By this
skirmish we had one younp man killed
his heart being p,erced by a bullet. and
one wounded Our astonjshment in
creased greatly when we took one of our
assailants a prisoner and discovered that
he belonged like ourselves, to the Union
army. They formed. in fact. a part of
the First Wisconsin Cavalry REGIMENT
and had. like ourselves, arrived the even.
inc before in the neipbborbood of Irwins.
vile without knowing or having the
slightest idea of the presence of Davis,
still less of our own. The victims of this
fatal encounter were buried with mill.
tarv honors. We had a breakfast. TO us
as a matter of course. a yery ioyous one.
in which Jefferson Davis and our other