The Press., 1892-07-07
MossY,s HcLosE CALL"

How the Guerrilla Chicstain Was Once
 Captured, Shot and Left for Dead.
 aIt was one of the closest calls ever had, and was pronounced -aS gool as q dead man by the Federal surgeon who made nasty examination of me after the shooting
 The speaker was the noted southern raider, Colonel John s. Mosby, who now resides in San Francisco, but was spend- ing a few days in the city. He and sat together on settee in the corridor of Broadway hotel and talked about war times. The colonel-he was never 8 general pushed back his slouch hat and his gray eyes gazed at the ceiling as if it were map of the war. He forgot that he had ever been politician and spent seven years of his life as consul to Hong Kong. His memory went back twenty seven years, to q period when he was known to the north as guerrilla raider. [ had been taking to him about narrow escapes, and the conversation led to the following narrative by the colonel:
 .sIt was in December. 1864, in ,Vir- ginia, that I thought 1 had received fatal wound. was captured, but not recognized, and left for dead by the Fed erals. I have seen an account some where of this adventure of mine, but it had no resemblance to the truth. That verisimilitude of detail was lacking to rescue the story from pure fiction.
 "On that evening i'll December was eating supper at a farmhouse and not suspecting the approach of Federal cav airy. The farmer, his wife and daughter were friends of mine, and q son of the family was under my command. 1 was ravenously hungry, and by the aid of tallow ndle-gSs and oil were not used in Virginia then-I Was eating sausages and pone bread. Such lu2uries as sugar and coffee were not i'll the menu. Suddenly the door was opened and several Federal officers entered. The house was entirely surrounded oy a regiment of cavalry. l had oil d long gray overcoat, and on the collar was the insignia of my rank i.5 colonel. Jump ing up l raised both hands and care lessly grasped my collar, hiding the in- signia of my rank. They did not know who l was. except that l was Con- federate.
 .I looked down the barrels of several revolvers and surrendered. Of course 1 racked my brain to find out some avenue of escape. 1t came in q dangerous way. The soldiers on the outside fired through an open window at me and ball struck me in the left side. The firing created confusion, and the officers rushed out to avoid being shot by their own men. In the haste of their departure the table was overturned and the candle went out, leaving the room in darkness. This was my chance. I ran into an adjoining room, pulled off my coat and tucked it under bureau. By that time 1 was growing weak frcm loss of blood, and l fell.
 'sThe Federais Came in and the surgeon examined me hastily. I distinctly re. member that he said was shot in the heart, though how he managed to locate the wound there is 8 mystery to me. was stripped of what clothing had and left in almost nude condition. They asked me my name and Igave a fictitious one. The farmer was interrogated, but he did not tell them my name. As they | did not suspect that I was Mosby they soon departed.
 Although it rained in torrents and the lightning was incessant I was car ried away in an OK wagon. All the | mules and horses in the place had disap. peared weeks before and only yoke of oxen remained. Two negro boys, the farmer and his daughter drove the wagon and acted as my escort Before 1 they started I was rolled in several bankets and made as comfortable as | possible under the circumstances. They l conveyed me three miles to my men, l and when they unrolled me and ex- 1 amined my wound I said was shot in the identical spot that General Jeb Stuart was, and I thought I would die. The ball went straight through Jet Stuart, but fortunately in my case it de- fected and went upward. In six weeks was strong enough to be in the saddle again. have been wounded six times. 1 New York Herald