Mexico weekly ledger., 1889-12-12
JEFF. DAVIS CAPTURE.
High Private Andrew Bee De-
scribes it With Honor to
the Dead.

In the village OF Nartln ,AlieSnany
county, Mich: lives a man slightly
distinguished by circumstances as
the captor of JEFF. Davis. A Nor
wegian and a timer by trade,
Andrew Bee was d member of the
now famous Fourth Michigan regi-
ment that pursued the ex-President
of the eonfederacy through Georgia
and carried him back to Macon,
whence he was sent to Fortress
Monroe.
His regiment was laying atMacon
Ca, waiting for the end, when
Colonel Pritchard ordered his men
to get ready for a quick march,
Meeting Colonel Harnden, of the
First Wisconsin, it was decided, a.
both were on the same mission, It
pick men and proceed on different
routes on the way Jefferson Davis
and his party were known to have
fled.
"Col. Prjtchard took sc men,"
said Andrew Bee, "Col Harnden
took AZ men from that LIST Wiscon-
sin, and then we rode off some od-
der Ways.
1t was about l O'Clock in the
morning that we came in sight OF
their tents. We saw them from a
hill. They were on the right hand
side of the road, by a little creek,
and just in the edge of the woods"
"CoI. Pritchard gave orders to
surround the camp and not to dis
turb the sleepers. Then he posted
his men. The hoots of the horses
made no sound on the soft pine
needles, and it was all done so
quickly that no n woke up in the
tents. There were several tents,
some horses and an emigrant wagon
Just a common wagon, with a
cover-and the smoke rising from
the dying campfire.
81 saw the flap of a tent raised
hastily and dropped. A moment
later a colored man came out and
began to saddle a horse in a mighty
big hurry. They hadn't seen me
yet, though l was only about 40
feet from the tent,my heart going
SO loud | could hear nothing. IN
a minute the tent flap was thrown
back again and jeff Davis stepped
out. knew him from his pictures.
"He had on a military suit, caval-
ry boots and ali, and a gray flannel
blouse. AS he topped out he was
pulling on an ulster without sleeves
Mrs. Davis followed him and threw
his travelling shasl over his shout
ders. You know all men who went
about a good deal used to have
them. l know lets of the officers
did. So that's all there is to that
story.
"He started toward his horse
when l lifted my carbine and point
ed it at him, saying out loud:
"Shef Davis, shtay dere!
anybody who think Shelf Davis
a coward to run away NIT woman's
clothes should have seen him then
He turned right shquare round and
came toward me fast. He had nc
show, and he knew l would shoe,
if he try to get away on his own
horse, so he come up to me. He
say afterwards he been going to
knock me off my hors and get my
carbine. There'd been a fight
pretty quick, but his wife got be-
tween US and say
"'For Gods sake don't shoot
He won't try to get away
"Shef he laughed kind of bitter,
and walked back to the tent init
his arms around his wife. He
stood by the fire, his head down,
thinking. Pretty soon Mrs. Davis
give him a tin bucket to get some
water and he started off. but ]
covered him and again l say +:
Shelf Davis, you shtop dere,' and
l walk up to der tent. Then he
put his hand on his sword and got
mad.
"'Haven't you any better man.
ners. you--Yankee, than to come
into a lady's bed room2'
"That made me feel pretty bad
because | got some pretty good
manners ven / try, and don't 60