The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-11-12
i&EA5EED

Copyright 1896, by S. S. Mcclure Coz
About April IS, 1895. 1 was sent under
a flag of truce to Charlotte, n. c., enter
ing the town with E. NJ. Clark, a men,
Der of my company as an escort, we
were conducted to headquarters, a large
upper room, evidently a school room,
where the guard pointed out General
Echols. a portly, fne-looking man, COM
mander Of the post. Removing my hat,
I advanced to where General Echols sat,
at one end of a long table, ana laid tny
dispatches on the table.
General EchOlS, L presume. These dis
patches are from General Gilman. Snail
! wait for an answer?
please De seated, was all the general
SAID.
CHANGING around the room l saw IS or
IS gentlemen, all with one or TWO eXceD-
lions in military uniform. Colonel Cal.
Morgan, VINO had been our prisoner few
months before, came TO where L was Sit
ting, and shaking hands, said, Il be-
Leve you and are not altogether strdn-
gers"
While we chatted a gentleman in a
civilian melton gray suit, turned to al
dress General Echols. The cold stare OF
a glass eye caught my attention, ana the
features were not unfamiliar
'Ohi Jen Davis, and you here, pressed
to the wall, was my nrsJ thought. L
saw. however. a mucn pleasanter faced
man than our northern papers had pie
lQGSQ. y soul Oh klilQlJ Impulses DSdlHtQ
from every feature.
a disDAtch was handed to General
EcholS. who read and reread IL, with an
anxious. earnest look upon his race. Half
rising ne passed the paper 10 MIR. DAVIS.
General Echols sat at one. end OF the
table, with two gentlemen between him
and Davis. MIR. Davis read IL Slowly and
handing it back, remarked, Well, we
have lost a generous enemy L paid
little attention TO what Mr. Davis Salu,
supposlng one of our northern generals
hac been killed or died. The dispatch
went the rounds OF all, finishing in Colo
nei Morgan's hands, who asked General
Echols, II consistent, to allow me to read
.'oh, yes, give it to him. he said
greensboro. N. c., April =.
Lincoln was assassinated the night Of
the 18th in Ford S theatre. Seward was
own house. Grant has marched his army
military dictator
lsigned) ]. E. JOHNSON"
l cannot recall the exact date Of the
dispatch But is necessarily travelled
slowly. as we had cut ali the telegraph
wires, burnt bridges, torn up railroads
and impeded travel all we could.
IN laying GOWN the dispatch IN front of
General EcholS l remarked casually,
Free,y good pill, general, but too thiclzly
coa; ted l presumed IL was q doctored
o.sDatch intended 10 encourage their men
....s 40. ionS until Mr.. Davis left
the room. and several others followed.
Genels.i E.chols asked, "Mr. Thomson,
where IS Burbrldge and his niryers?''
Just back of Lincolnton,'' l said / was
somewhat incensed and retaliated with
II see you have President Davis with
you. gene-ei'
Looking around the room the general
said No Mr.. Davis is not here
But said 1. The was here a few min
utes ago.
Mr.. Thomson. 1 am surprised at your
asking any such questions while here
under a flag of truce said the general.
''Oh. 1 beg pardon, general, you broke
down that bar by asking about Bur-
bridge and his niggers." General Echols,
smiling. said. Yes. President Davis is
with US.
Soon after we partook of L party re-
past furnished by Mrs. General Echols,
and took our departure from cur post. .
A. II. THOMSON.
Late Lieutenant Z company, Twelfth
Ohio cavalry.