Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1885-09-23
CAPTURE CT JEFF DAVIS.
The Ex-President of the Southern Con-
federacy Describes If.

BEAUvoIR Miss, Septer aber 0. ISIS
On my return, after pr otracted absence
from home, / received Sin from yonr
journal, which / incIr ,se for greater con-
Yenience in noticing rs contents:
INDIANAPOLIS Qndl, August 10. lS85-At the
recent reunion % " ie veterans OF the Fourth
Indiana Cayair IA this city, Lieutenant Is
shall at Macon Ca, at the time of the capture
OF Jefferson p3'Tis, related the circumstances ct
the capture de describes his participation in
this affair ~ follows: 81 went out To the line
of my jurisdiction 10 receive Davis Two miles
ana has from Macon ne became my prisoner,
and bEts1ght him to the city in an old farm
wagon. II was vehicle with n great deal t.
condeTsn 1t III the way of vnSightliness. It
had weaknesses all over it. but sufficient
strength to hold Jefferson Davis, myself and
hissccretary- The rebel chief sat between US
ane over his head, from pole fixed to the seat,
hU1g the hoop-skiTt, calico wrapper and en- old
straw hood, which formed his disguise when
50 JEFF was disguised?"
-" Yes i is no use TO question the fsct. The
articles OF OILS costume hung from that pole.
Davis bore himself with the fortitude Of q brave
man in trouble He was courteous TO me and to
The guaPi; talked freely on every question but
thai relating to the result of the war.
4" When we stopped at the international Ho-
lei and were about to get out OF the wagon
captain Thompson, Of the Fourth Indiana Cav
airy, drew his revolver to fire on Davis. ! saw
his movement, struck the weapon with my arm
moment Davis, seeing ThOmpsOn's purpose,
cried out For cod sake, Lieutenant save my
life got the prisoner out of the wagon and
INTO the hotel with great deal of alacrity.
Amer thai met Davis al the Louisville Hotel
IN lSIZ, when he recognized me, and, approach
ing, said mast thank you again, lieutenant
tsgngg, for saving my life We had quite chat
about the Wat then. Before this had received
letter OF thanks from him. He was my pris-
oner eight days together with his wife, daughter
and commisssry of his guard. These three we
took into Macon in an old family carriage. JEFF
was not sulEy as prisoner, but one could see
that the breaking OF the Coniederacy bore
grievousy On his thoughts
Though accustomed to see slanderous
publications in regard to myself, | have
read this with no little surprise, because of
the total absence Of any foundation or pre-
text on which to build the fiction. | avail
myself Of your usual courtesy in asking
yOu - pHbisi this seriatim refutation of
the several statements Of the story.
tits not true, as stated, that | was turned
over 10 the custody of one Lieutenant Is
grigg two and a half miles Tor any other
distance) from Macon. The troops by
whom / was captured remained my guard
to Macon. and a detachment Of them ac-
companied me TO Fortress Monroe in charge
of their own officers.
Equally untrue is ii that ! rode with the
said lsgriEg and my Secretary Tor. with any
one else in an old farm wagon" Ny
Private Secretary Burton y. Harrison now
a member of the bar OF New York, was cap
tured with me and rode on horseback to
Macon. had for several days occupied an
ambulance with my wife and children, and
rode into Macon in it.
There was no such cowardly attempt to
otier insult to me rs would have been
shown by hanging over my head the ar
ticles of clothing which ISgrigg falsely
AYERS | had worn AT the time of my capture
Nor did my captOrs obtain at the time OF
my capture the hoopskirt, etc, which Is
grigg describes, unless they were found
among the apparel taken when the trunks
ofmy wife and her female servant were
pillaged.
On our arrival at the hotel in Macon a
small body Of troops in front Of the en-
trance were ut open ranks, facing inward.
When ! got out of the ambulance to enter
the hotel they presented arms while
passed through, and ! received the salute
as an expression of the feeling brave men
show to fallen foe.
The story of " Captain Thompson, of the
Fourth Indiana Cavalry attempting to
shoot me as | entered the Macon Hotel is
wholly fictitious, and leave it to that regi-
ment itself to rcpel the imputation that one
fits officers would have been guilty of so
dastardly an assault on prisoner.
Upon that faisehood Of the narrator hangs
another, that ! met him at the Louisville
Hotel in 1872, recognized him and renewed
thanks to him for saving my life" and
that | had previously written a letter 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 lsgrisg at any time or place.
and it is not true that, as he alleges, | was
eight days ia his custody, or that l have
ever written to him letter of thanks. !
remained in Macon but few hours. and
was sent forward TO Fortress Monroe the
evening of the day of my arrival there.
Yours respectfully, JEFFERSON DAVIS.
- Letter to New York Herald