Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-09-04
JOHN MORGANS DEATH
The Controversy Over the Confsd-
crate Leaders, Shooting.
AN INTERESTING SCRAP OF HISTORY.
Story Of the Woman Who Claims to Have
Managed His Killing, and is now
in Government Employ.

airy leader, John Morgan, died, continues
to rage in the Kentucky newspapers. In
recent contribution to the Louisville
Courier Journal, Captain John J. McAtee,
formerly of Morgan's command, tells how
Morgan, painfully wounded as he was
breathing and suffering with the crimson
stream trickling from his wounds was
thrown across a horse aud borne through
the streets of Greenville, with his
blanched face turned to the light, running
bis fingers through his hair, while his eyes
were lifted in their speechless agony to
heaven In quiet street Of Washington,
and in avery modest house lives Mrs.
Sarah +. Thompson, formerly OF Green
Vile, Tenn. To a correspondent Mrs.
Thompson told the following story:
II Am the Woman
who sent TO the Union forces under Gen.
Gillem the intelligence that Morgan and
bis command were in Greenville. / was
widow then, my husband, who was a
Union soldier, having been murdered by
Morgan's men some time before, while he
was a prisoner in their hands. l was
living then at Main and Railroad streets,
in Greenville. One afternoon l was busy
baking light bread and making tomato
rode into town. He dismounted at nay
door, cane to 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 10 me in his
bUaStlui way.
He knew ! was a Un'ou woman and he
tantalized me by telling me what great
things he was going 10 do and advised me
to hunt up husband on the rebel side.
Among other things he said he was going
tv take Knoxville and hold it. told him
He Would Strike n Snag
bs fore he ever got to Knoxville. After q
while he went over to Mrs. Williams
house, which stood on cross street. her
ward, in which we're many grape vines, ai-
Joining mine. AS soon as he had gone |
walked over to little frame house, which
vas occupied 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 come back will give you this, and
handed her s. note. She promised, and
| went back home and got my bonnet aud
started out Main street. had not gone far
before l met a man whom | had known
from childhood, and asked him to ,.-
Pass NE 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
be pointed TO some cattle on a hill and
asked if mine was not among them. ltold
him my cow vas a red mully COW and
walked on. When | got near the top OF
the hill threw a stick at the COW aud she
started down the other side and followed.
AS soon as gOi out of sight OF the guard |
into 10 thrnnUh
to his house. | 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 found boy, Wilcox by
lame, and sent him on with the news to
General Gillem. was told afterwards that
be 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.
came back to Greenvlle with our troops.
The advance dashed into town and search
ed Mrs. Williams house without finding
Morgan. When they came up they were
mad and declared that they had been
fooled again but rs soon as MIlly saw me
she cried out that Morgan was in the yard,
hiding among the vines. | told the men
that il they would tear down the fences
and charge, would insure them Morgan s
body.
Just then he was discovered. He had a
revolver and fired on our men, and they
fired on him. Then he was killed and his
body was
Taken by Man on Horseback
and carried off BY that time Morgan s
men were throwing cannon balls down at
us from the artillery they bad on the col.
lege green. Our men retreated out Of
town and went back to my own house.
The rebels came down there and made me
a prisoner in my own house and sent 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
much time TO threaten me, however, for
our men charged back into the town and
held 1t One OF my guards was shot through
the feet and both were captured.
AFTER awhile an ambulance came along
With MOIgan's body. Gen. Gillem stopped
rhe ambulance. rode up to my door and
=, ked me if knew Morgan. I tod him
did: that my husband had played cards
with him NJ Glasgow. Ky, five years be.
lore CT d euchred him. And now, 1 added,
/ have
Helped 20 Euchre Him Again
I iderlifid the body, and il was then
taken to Mr2. Williams house and pre-
pared fnr burial. | went with our troops
TO Bulls Gap when they returned that
afternoon"
Mrs Thompson is now employed in the
Treasury Department and has in her pos
session letters from Andrew Johnson and
others tcstifyiHg TO the services which she
rendered to the Union cause during the
war.