Omaha daily bee., 1885-09-17
JEFFERSON DAVIS.
The BI-PTGidelt Of The Southern Con.
fGdGraCy Describes Els Capture.
Issrigg q RomAncer and Falls fer
Respect Shown by the Union
Troops to a Fallen Foe.
New York Herald.

New York Herald.
BEAUvoIR, Miss Sept. 9, 1886 tt
the Editor of the Herald: On my return
after q protrsctsd absence from home
received a slip from your journal, which
l enclose for greater convenience in no
tlclng It's contents:
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, Aug. 16, 1885,
AT the recent reunion of the veterans oil
the Fourth Indiana cavalry In this city
Lieutenant Isgrigg, of the command,
who was provost marshal at Macon, Ca,
at the time OF the capture of Jefferson
Davis, related the circumstances of the
capture. He described bis participation
In this affair as follows: 81 went out to
the line of my jurisdiction to receive
Davis. Two miles and q hall
from Macon he became my prisoner and
| brought him to the city In ON old farm
wagon. 1t was q vehicle with q great
deal to condemn 1t In the way of un-
slghtliness. 1t had weaknesses all over
1t, but sufficient strength to hold Jeffer-
son Davis, myself and his secretary.
The rebel chief sat betr cen US, and over
his head, from q pole fixed to the seat,
hung the hoop skirt, calico wrapper and
III IA hbi6W hoOuy WhlCu lSIlllou uIo ulD-
guise wben captured"
$50 JEFF was disguise69'
"Yes. 1t ia no use to question the
fact. The articles of his costume hung
from that pole. Davis bore himself with
the fortitu5e Of o brave man In bis
trouble. He was courteous to me and to
the guard; talked freely on every quet-
tlon but that relating to the result Of the
war"
"When we stopped at the Interna.
tional hotel, ana were about to get out
of the wagon, Captain Thompson, of the
Fourth Indians cavalry, drew his revol-
yer to fire at Davis. L saw the move
ment, struck the weapon with my arm,
aud the bullet tore my coat and shirt.
AT the moment Davis, seeing Thomp.
sons purpose, cried out, 'For Gods sake,
Lieutenant, rave my life!' Igot the pris.
oner out of the wagon and into the hotel
with o good deal of alscrity.
CATER that l met Davis at the
Louisville hotel in 1872, when he rscog-
nized me, and approaching said: 4
must thank you again, Lieut.. Isgrigg,
for saving my life. We hsd quite q
chat about the wsr then. Before this l
had received a letter Of thanks from
him. He WAS my prisoner for eight
days, together with his wife, daughter,
and the commissary of his guard.
These three we took into Macon In an
old family carriage. JEFF was not sulky
as a prisoner, but one could see that the
breaking of the c%onfederacy bore griev.
lousy on his thoughts"
Thpuuh oonuaEop,aA ~ noo o1,pIaro1o
publications. In regard to myself 1 have
read this with no little aurpriae, because
OF the total absence of any foundation
or Lretext on which to build the fiction.
1 avail myself of your uuual courtesy in
asking you to publish this seriatim relu-
tation Of the several statements of the
story.
1t is not true as stated, that l was
turned over to the custody of one Lieu.
tenant Isgrigg two and a half miles Tor
any other ~diatauce) from Macon. The
troops by whom l was captured remained
my guard to Macon, and o detachment of
them accompanied mo to Fortress Mon.
roe In charge of their own officers.
Equally untrue IL 1t that ! rode with
said lrgrigg and my secretary Cor with
anyone else) In ''an old farm wagon"
My private secretary, Burton N. Har-
rirop, esq , now a member of the bar Of
New York, WAS captured with me, and
rode on horseback to Macon. l had for
several days occupied An ambulance with
my wife and children, and rode into
Macon In 1t.
There was no guoh cowardly attempt
to offer Insult to me as would have been
shown by hanging we my head the
articles Of clothing which Isgrlgg falsely
AYERS l had worn at the time OF my cap
ture. Nor did my captors obtain at the
time of my capture the hoopskirt, etc.,
which Isgrigg describes. unless they were
found among the apparel taken when the
trunks of my wife and hsr female servant
were plllaged.
On our arrival at the hotel In Macon o
small body of troops In front of the on
trance were at open ranks, facing In
ward. When | got out of the ambu.
lance to go into the hotel they presented
arms while l passed through and l re-
ceived the salute as an expression of the
feeling brave men show to the fallen foe.
The story of Captain Thompson, Of
the Fourth Indiana cavalry" attempting
to shoot me as L entered b Macon hotel
is wholly fictitious, and l leavs 1t to that
regiment itsolf TO repel the imputation
that one of Its c~ticers would have been
guilty of 80 dastardly an assault on q
prisoner.
Upon that falaehood the narrator hangs
another, that / met him at the Loulsyllle
hotel In 1872, recognized him and re.
newed thanks to him "for saving my
and that | had previously written a
of thanks to him. / have not been
in the Louisville hotel since the war; |
do not remember ever to have seen or
heard of this Lieutenant Isgfigg at sny
time or place, and 1t is not true that, rs
no alleges, l was eight days In his GUS
tody, or that l have ever written 20 him
letter of thanks. l remained In Macon
but o few hours, and was sent forward to