Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-29
COL. M0SBY'S CAPTURE.
Captured Alone and FederaIs Did Not
Realize Their Prize.

From the Baltimore sun.
Dr. J. G. Wiltshire Of West Madison
street. who was a lieutenant in Colonel
John S AIosbys famous command during
the civil war, emphatically denies a story
of Mosby's capture by federal troops which
has recently been given prominence in New
York papers. DR.. Wiltshire was almost con-
tinually with Mosby during that chieftain' 5
exciting career, and knows as much of the
history of Mosby and his men any other
living man.
The story is to the effect that federal
trooper of the LIST Pennsylvania Cavalry,
George w. Fink, started out one day in
1861 as the head of a scouting party in the
Shenandoah valley The party surrounded
a house, 50 the story goes, where it was
suspected that several confederates We're
concealed. In one of the upper chambers
two officers. 4 lieutenant and captain,
were found lying under the bed and were
triumphantly dragged forth, covered with
dust and lint from the floor. In another
room third man, dressed IN CIVILIAN ;
clothes. but very evidently connected with
the army, was found and placed under ar
rest. in company with the others. Their
arms were taken from them, and, under
the guard of Fink and one companion. the
return to the camp was begun. On the
way a thick wood was passed through
The man in civilians clothes was riding al
the front of the little party. When the
wheeled his horse, plunged the rowels into
its side and dashed off to the right. Fink
promptly raised his carbine and fired at the
IA pidly retreatinS form. The horse TELL
dead. but the rider leaped free from the
animals body and ran like the traditional
white head further into the woods. The
cavalrymen could not leave the two prison.
erS who remained and who We're watching
with breathesS interest the flight of their
comrade; so the journey to the camp was
continued without chase having been made.
when the headquarters were reached
the two officers were turned over to the
comma nder. on their way TO the guard
house they turned to Fink, and one of them
said: You may be interested in knowing
that the man VINO got away was Colonel
Mosby.' Fink was afterward known in the
federal army as the man who captured
Mosby.'
There is not a word of truth in that
story" said DR.. Wiltshire yesterday SO
many n0nsensical and groundesS tales
have been circulated of captures Of MuS1y
that it is Impossible to deny them all. The
fact is, the federals only had their hands
on Mosby once during his entire career.
and then they hadn't sense enough to keep
him. The capture was made in this way:
''Musby and a few of his men were riding
along the road near Cpperville. Va, on tn :
evening of December u, 1854 & a time
when the country was full of federals.
Mosby stopped with one or two officers at
the house Of budwell Lake for supper.
sending most OF his men on. While they
We're at supper the house was suddenly
surrounded by federal caNalrymen. Two or
three entered the room and ordered the IN
mates To surrender. just then a shot was
fired through the window. and Mosby fell
to the floor badly wounded. The bullet
struck him in the stomach, bus was de-
fleCted blythe muscles and passed around TO
the back.
The federaIs asked Lake and his daugh-
ter. Mrs. Skinner. who the wounded man
was. but they replied that they did not
know. They asked Mosby, who said he
was Lieutenant Johnson of a Virginia egf-
ment Mosby was covering with his hands
the insignia of rank on his coat. While the
troopers were temporarily out of the room
he took off his coat and threw il under
bed The federals concluded that he would
die of his wound and rode away. leaving
him lying the floor. Mr. Lake and some
of Mosbys men quickly placed him in an
oXcart and took him away to safety.
when the federals reached their camp,
it was afterward learned, they examined
some papers they had taken from Mostly.
ard then discovered the identity of their