The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-12-26
JEFF DAVIS AND INSPECTOR BYRNRs

Incidents Of the ConfsdSrate Leaders Ar
rival in New York 20 SEQ His Bond'nan'
New York STIR,
"The death Of JEFF Davis reminds me
Of the time I had him in custody for a
few hours" said Inspector ByrneS as he
struck areminiscsnt mood the other day,
~ remember 1t Just as well as u were
yesterday, while in reality It was in the
fall OF 1867. / was a patrolman then, at
taChed 10 the Third Precinct, and u was
special duty 10 patrol Washington
Market and the vicinity, Davis was Q
prisoner in Fortress Monroe until that
wh~ole.souled old humanitarian, Horace
Greeley, became his bondsman, and as
soon as the grateful ex.President OF the
Southern Oonfederacy was released he
started post haste for New York to see
his bondsman. The fact was heTalded
tar and near, and the news Of his coming
spread like wild FIRE. Long before the
vessel arrived at the Old Dominion Pier
there was an immense concouTse Of peo-
ole assembled on the dock TO catch q
glimpse OF him. Captain Greer, who
Was then in command OF the Third Pre-
ciuct, to which squad ! was attached,
directed Dick Holloway, my side part
ner, and myself, to go to the pier with
him and conduct Mr., Davis To Mr., Gree
Icy, who was In waiting at the New
York Hotel. II was on Saturday morn
ing, bleak and cold. The vessel was
three hours late and each minute added
to the excitement OF the halt.frozen
throng. Finally the big black hull OF
the vessel hove in sight, and In a very
short time Mr., Davis and his party
walked down the gang plank, Think
can SEQ him now as be strobe majesti'
cally out on the pier with his handsome
wife leaning on his arm, He was, as !
remember him, atall, dark complexioneC
man, with scowling Countenance and
piercing black eyes, and yet with some
Thing pleasant about his face Tor al that
He appeared none the worse for his Ions
imprisoiment. He looked suspIciouslS
at our blue uniforms, but soon recovered
his compOsure, and smiled as the Gap
tain aud | approached him. The Gap
tain explained that we had orders Z
conduct him to Mr., Greeley, and gently
limited that he was our prisoner unit
his body was delivered to Mr.. Greeley
"He assented with u sarcastic smile
and we conducted him and his party u
the carrisges that were in waiting at th'
bulkhcad, Mr., Davis, his wife, heI
maid, and myself took the first carriage
while General Joe Davis, Surgeon
bowen, Dick Holloway and the Captain
followed In the other coach. l dldn'
know the newspaper men then as vel
as I do now, or would not have hustleI
them away; but Mr.. Davis told me tina
he did not care TO be interviewed, and
had to respect his wishes, greatly 10 th,
disgust of number Of reporters.
"rhe ride from the pier was withou
incident; but when we arrived at tn
New York Hotel, the first thing that MI
Davis asked for was a drink OF whisky
The excise laws were very rigid, and
distinctly remember that the bartende
brought the bottle into the office, and b
stimulated himself with along draught
He is tho only President l have had Il
custody, but l have since had Actin
Mayor Kirk, Governor Moses and sev
eraI Aldermen, aud no end OF othe
celebrities"