The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1892-02-12
Mosby's Narrow Escape.
THE GUERILLA CRIEFTiiN WAS ONCE
CiPTrRED, SHCT AND LEFT
FOR DEAD,

CiPTrNED, SnGT AND LEFT
FOR DEAD.
"lt was one of !he closest calls |
ever had, and | was pronounced as
good as a dead man by The federal
surgeon who made a hasIy exami-
nation of me alter lhe shooling.'
The speaker was The noted
Southern raider, Colonel John S.
Mosby, who LoH RESI- in San
Francisco, but has been spending
a lew days in The city. He and |
sat together on sctlee in the cor
rider of a Broadway hotel and
talked about war times, says a
writer in the New York Herald.
The colonel-he was never gen.
era!--pushed back his slouch hat,
and his gray eyes gazed al the cell
ing as if II were map OF the war.
He forgot that he had ever been a
politician and spent seven years OF
his lie us consul 10 Hong Kong.
His memory went back twenty.
seven years to a Period when he
was known 10 the North as a guer-
lila raider. l had been talking to
him Of narrow escapes, and the
conversation led to the following
narrative by The colonel:
''It was IN December, 1864, in
Virginia thai | houghl | had re,
ceived fa'al wound. Was cap,
tured, Lui not recognized, aud left
for dead Ly tie federalS. | have
seen an account somewhere of this
ad\ enture OF mine, but it had no
resemblance TO The truth. The
verisimilitude Of detail was lack
ing 10 rescue The story from pure
fiction.
'On that evening in December,
| was ealing supper at Il farm
house, and moi suspecliug the ap.
proach OF federal cavarv. Tie
farmer, his wife and daugh' er were
friends OF mine, and son of the
family WAS under my command. |
was ravenously hungry, and by
the aid of a taIlow candle, | was
eating sausages and pone bread.
Such luyules as sugar and coffee
were not in he menu. Suddenly
the door was opened and several
federal officers entered. The house
was entirely surrounded by reg.
iment Of cavlary. | had on a long
gray overcoat, and on the collar
was he Insignia of my rank as
colonel. Jumping up, raised
both hands and careIesSly grasped
my collar, hiding the insignia OF
my rank. They did not know who
| was, except that | was a Confed.
crate.
IL looked down the barrels of
several revolvers and surrendered
Of course | racked my brain TO
find out some avenue Of escape.
II came IN dangerous way. The
soldiers on the outside fired
through an open window at me
and Il ball struck me in the left
side The firing created confusion,
ant the officers rushed ont 10 avoid
being shot by their own men. In
the haste Of their departure the
table was overturned and the can.
die Well. out. leaving lhe room.in
darkness. This was my chance. |
ran into an adjoining room, pulled
off my coat and tucked it under
bureau. By that time ! was
growing weak from loss of blood
and fell.
"rhe Fedcrals came in and the
surgeon examined me hastily. |
distinctly remember that he said |
was shot in ihe heart, though how
he managed 10 locate The wound
there is mystery to me. | was
stripped of what clothing had and
left in almost a nude condition.
They asked me my name and |
gave a fictitious one. The farmer
was inlerrogated but he did not
tell them my name. AS they did
not suspect that was Mosby they
soon departed.
"Allhongh il rained in torrents
and The lightning was incessant, |
was carried away in anoX wagon.
All the mules and horses in The
place had disappeared weeks be-.
fore and only Il yoke of oxen re-
NAMED. Two negro boys, the
father and his daughter drove the
wagon and acted as my escort.
Before they started | was rolled in
several blankets aud made as con.
Portable as possible under the cir.
cums;ances. They conveyed me
three miles 10 my men, and when
they unrolled me and examined
my wound | said | was shot in The
Identical spot that General Jeb
Stuart was, and thouehl | would
die. The ball went straight
through Jeb Stuart, but fortunate.
ly in my case 1t detected and
went upward. In six weeks l was
strong enough TO be III
the saddle again. l have been
wounded SIX times"