The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1889-12-19
HI DREW on HIS IMAGINATION.
Sergeant Horn, oc Philadelphia, Tells O

! 'CtIFcl, ltliS uoN l!le eulIcI w ilS ->e"- :
berry, :. G., Herald and jefferson Davis
came into the Union prisoners camp at
! that place and gave them the news OF
the 'nurderof Abraham Lincoln.
Sergeant Horn states that owing to
his youth and tine objections of bis par
ents to his enlisting during the war, he
! assumed the name Of Peter Braunrelter,
| the first being one OF his middle names,
! the other the maiden name OF his
/ mother. He enlisted i'll company G Of
! the cavalry regiment, and while scout
! ing along with half i dozen comrades
) between GoidsbOro and Raleigh, y. g.,
! they Were all taken prisoners.
! They went to Tarboro, where they
! bury, y. T.. While at the latter plact
they learned that Jefferson Davis, his
! family and some high Contederacy
! officials were in the city, having fled
| from Richmond on the fall Of the Con-
| tederate capital. There a report came
| that General StOneman, with 4 body OF
cavalry was advancing towards them.
| The prisoners, some 600 or 700, We're
| placed OH train in box cars, while Mr..
Davis and his party occupied a passen-
ger coach. The train took them to
Charlotte where they remained two CT
three days and then moved about
| twenty-five miles further South Wheli
! they all abandoned the cars and
marched across the country, the Con-
federate Chieftain and friends being
provided with an ambulance, army
! teams and riding horses. The Union
prisoners were, of course, under a guard.
They halted at Newberry, S. g., the
prisoners being eEcamped in a woods
near the town. They bad been there
| two days, when, one afternoon, Jetfer-
son Davis, accompanied by tall old
man with long, grey beard, came into
camp. The prisoners We're assembled
around their visitors, and the tall man
addressed them, saying:
Men, / have some very sad news to
impart to you. | am the editor and
proprietor of The Newberry Herald.
You see yoHder a Confederate flag dis
played at halt-mast over The Herald
building. That is because Abraham
| Lincoln is dead. He has been muir
dered by a dastardly assassin. [ have
received the news by telegraph and
have it printed in The Herald, of which
| will give you each copy
He then narrated in graphic Ian
guage the story of the murder so far as
i it had been received. Then resuming
he said: i am very sorry that such a
| terrible event has occurred. Its dread
| ful to think that such a fire-eater as
| Andrew Johnson should now become
President of the United States, for it is
idle to deny that the South must capt.
uIate; that he should occupy the chair
of Washington
Jefferson Davis then said: Il am sorry
Lincoln was not spared to serve his
second term. 1t would have been bet
! ter for the South, as he was a lenlent
man, and the accession of Mr.. johnson
| is q great disaster to both North and
South
After some other remarks the editor
| repeated, 1T would have been far bet
ter for the South if Lincoln had lived
Mr.. Horn gives the language as he
remembers it of each Of the men who
impaired the news Of the assassination,
aud it made a deep impression upon
him. The prisoners wept when they
heard the mournful intelligence.
They remained with Mr.. Davis par
ty and travelled with him until within
five miles of the place where the en-
President was captured. They were
taken by long and circuitous route to
Sisters Ferry, Ga, where they were
surrendered to the Union commanding
officer"
Sergeant Horn has certainly drawn
largely on his imagination in this in
stance. Mr.. Davis never passed through
Newberry. He was expected to pass
here, aud we have often been tod by
the then mayor OF Newberry Of his sad
disappointment that Mr.. Davis did not
come, as he had prepared everything
70 give him a grand reception. His
| pathway was to be streWn with roses
and the whole town was to do him
honor. The mayor had prepared the
dress Of welcome but the occasion never
presented itself, and all these things
came to nought. Mr.. Davis passed
through Laurens en- route to Abbevllle,
and the Herald Of May >, 1865, said
in paragraph, president Davis and
suite passed through Laurens District
| on Sunday"
Then the picture Sergeant Horn
draws of the then editors of the Herald
| is not true 10 nature. Neither was tall
| nor did they wear long gray boards
| The Herald of April ., ls65, contains
the announcementot OF the assassination
Of Mr.. Lincoln.
At that time there was no telegraph
| of
Mrs. Davis, however, did pass through
| Newberry and spent few hours at the
depot, going from here TO Abbeville.
We give the following item in regard
to her passage through here from the
| pen of Col. +. y. Walker, who was at
That time enrolling officer in charge at
| NewberTY:
"a number Of prominent generals
were passing through Newbe!ry about
this time without commands, and were
going, they knew not where. Vice
President Stephens passed through ell
route to his home III Georgia. Being
asked ut the depot what he thought OF
the prospect he replied: "Well, we
will hold OH till the breechings break" "
The first struggling soldier who brought
The news of Lees surrender was dis
credited and questioned sharply by y.
J. Pope. He replied: "Well, gentle
men, it wont be long before YOU will
see lots of them that will tell you the
sanle.n They came.
But the most grateful recollection in
the j ne f my duties at Newberry was
that IN which | had the honor Of trans
ferriNg and forwarding Mrs. President
Davis and party and the Confederate
gold. Lieutenant Harker reported at
my Office on Sunday morning at lC
O'Clock, and said be was in charge OF
Mrs. Davis and the government specie,
with guard Of sixty mariners then
entering the town. He requested trans
portation, and a suitable special cal
was at once ordered from the Helena
Ill, I E, 1,n hot ~