Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-11-03
CAPTURE OF JEFFERSON DAVIS.
Capt. ]. H. Thompson Sits Down
Upon the Mendacious 1sgrigg.

Capt. John III. Thompson, late
Captain of Company d, Fourth In
diana Cavalry, writessto the Cincin-
natl Commercial Gazette, of the story
of one Isgrigg, as follows:
unavoidable circumstances have
prevented me from contradicting, at
an earlier date, the statements credit
cd to Lieut.. Harry Isgrigg, formerly
of the Fourth Indiana Cavalry, which
appeared in tho Commercial Gazette
in September last, concerning the
capture of Jefferson Davis, and /
respectfully request that You will
allow me space to correct some of
those statements, as they should not
be permitted TO go un;ontradicted.
'In the first place, Isgrigg was not
Provost Marshal at Macon at the
time Davis was captured, nor at any
other time or place during the war.
No superior officer, who knew Is
grigg, would have placed him in any
such position Of responsibility, as he
was not only unreliable and untrust-
worthy, but on one occasion was
reduced to the ranks and disgraced
before his regiment for gross cowar-
dice.
"'rbe statement that Davis was
brought into Macon by Isgrigg in a
fam wagon is falsehood made out
OF whole cloth, purely and simply. |
have never seen it equaled for I'M
hlusliug falsity. As is well known
20 The country, Jefferson Davis was
captured by the Fourth Michigan
Cavalry-or rather a detachment of
that regiment-under the command
of Lieut.. Pritchard. and Isgrigg had
no more to do with his capture than
the man in the NOON and Isgrigg
knows it. My recollection is. that
when Davis was brought into Macon,
and was taken to headquarters, at the
International Hotel, Isgrigg was not
even present, but was in camp, out
side the city limits. ~
"The most unblushing falsehood OF
all is the statement that "when We
stopped at the International Hotel
and were about to get out Of the
wagon, Captain Thompson (meauing
the writer of this article), of the
Fourth Indiana Cavalry, drew hi:
revolver to fire at Davis" A more
unjpstifable falsehood was never
uttered in the same number of words
1t is true l was present as Mr.. Davi
assembled the steps, standing perhaps
within five or six feet of him, but thu
idea of trying or attempting to shoe
him'never entered my head, nor do
believe 1t was thought of by any sol
dier present. AS Davis, his wife
and private secretary assembled tn,
steps through the open ranks of tn,
soldiers present, the soldiers facet
inward and presented arms, to whicl
Mr.. Davis lifted his hat in recogni
ton oftho compliment. AS he en-
tered the hotel, he turned PARTIAL,
around, and again elevated his hal
and then assed out of sight, and
saw him no more. rf-sIo
e"Tbis is quite enough to refute tn
willful falsehood that "Davis, seeing
Thompson's purpose, cried out, so
Gods sake, Lieutenant, save my life
Nnta word was uttered to, nor by
Mr.. Davi, as he eut,red the hotel
nor was there any mark of disrespeC
exhibited by any one toward him
but the demeanor of the soldier
present was that of men who fel
they were conquerors and Mr.. Davi
a conquered adversary. / repel witt
indignation the imputatlon that an,
soldier of the Fourth Indiana Caviar
excepting, possibly, Lieutenant Ii
grigg) would have been guilty Q
such base cowardice as that sough
10 be fastened on me by the false ut
tcrances of Harry Isgrigg.