Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1900-03-22

| p" How do you knew il was jetf Dayisi What
| We'll. he said all the gentlemen called
| him President Davis and he had his wife
with him, and she was called Mrs, Davis"
He said they had come the river on q
| ferry They had number of nice wagons with
| them and some fine saddle horses led behind
! the wagon in which President Davis and his
| wife rode
| He further said that they were going to dine
| with Judge Rose Zone of the gentlemen who
| had been 80 persistent III urging me Ia sp>nd
| the night at his house, but before they could
get the dinner ready, they heard something that
made the party leave IN a hurry, going south on
the river road. There was another large party.
| he said, that did not come over the river. |
questioned him closely, and his answers ap-
peared straight, but was fearful of q trick to
send me oil on some side track said 10 Bill,
Do you think he is telling me the truth. and
and that | ought, to believe him."
Sartin shoor, huruel You kin b'lieye him
he's telln' We Gods troof,
II viii be seen that if Bill had not been with
me, We would have known nothing of Davis
having crossed our track We should have gone
the next morning toward Savannah, and Davis
would IN all probability have escaped capture
and got away into Cuba in company with
Judah I. benjamin and others, or across the
Mississippi to Kirby Smith
To get q little more information. | called up
couple of men, and going down to the ferry in
terSiewed the ferrsman a. to who he had
brought over the river that day, but could get
nothing out of him. He was either too stupid,
ignorant, or obstinate 10 give as any inforna.
that We did not throw the old scamp into the
river, as my sergeant wanted me to do.
As soon a we got back to the bivouac, called
up the men to saddle for a march, Lieutenant
Hewitt, with thirty men, had been left back at
some crossroads and had not vet come up: 50.
detailing Lieutenant Lane with forty-iive men,
to remain al Dublin and scont from there up
and down the river /, with the rest tsevcuty
five mem started south in the direction the
Davis party was reported tn have taken
IL was very dark, aud the roads in the pine
woods only trails. We soon became con.
fused, and after wandering around for some
time found ourselves coming into Dublin again.
Picking our road once more. and daylight com
ing May -, we struck ont on the river road at
n rapid gait. Five miles out we came tu Turkey
creek, where We found the bridge torn up.
While this was being repaired, | strolled up to
log house near by, and questioned the woman
whom found there, in regard to the party who
had crossed the evening before. She said
who they were. Two OF the gentlemen had been
In her house and drunk some milk, and she
showed me little scrap of paper which she
said they had dropped. saw IL was piece Of
Richmond newspaper, of recent date.
bright little girl standing by, said she had
heard one gentleman call the other Colonel
Harrison, and the other was addressed as Mr.
President Upon my inquiiing as to how they
were dressed, she said they Almost as
handsomely dressed as | was, but their coats
were not alike Pointing To my shoulder
their coats She replied no but one OF them had
stars on his collar and gold on his sleeves, while
the other had PLAIN clothes. Tie child's de.
scription convinced me that one was AN officer
of high rank, and the other Jeifersoi Davis.
So convinced was that we We're at last really
on the track of Davis that | wrote dispatch
and started courier With 1t to Gen, Wilson;
but the man was captured by some eonfederates,
taken into the woods. robbed of his horse aud
equipments. and left to make his way to Macon
on foot which he did, but not until after my
return there.
The bridge being repaired, we again pushed
ON through the pine woods The wagon tracks
could now be plainly seen, but it soon com
menced To RAIN very hard, and the tracks We
: ad followed We're now obliterated We were
IN the great pine woods of the south, the soil
nothing but white sand scarcely AN inhabitant
to be found and soon we lost all track of the par
~ ahead but still we pushed hlindy on. ! sent
partie- circlinE around to find the road but
they were unsuccessful. However, they found
a horsemaD, and brought him TO me In reply
TO my.quostions he said he knew nothing of any
party, that he was only poor citizen hunting
some lost sheep ! noticed that be was riding
fine horse. | told him that | would take his
horse, and he could hunt his sheep on foot. At
this he began to plead earnestly. | told him to
quit lying, to tell me where the wagons we're
that had been somewhere near there the even
ing before, and ] would let him 40 with his
horse. He then confessed he did know where
the party had camped over night, but it was
eleven miles away and u another direction On.
trely from that in which We were headed
Guide us there, | said, and you shall have
your horse otherwise you go homo on foot"
He took MS in westerly direction, to whore
wore conc tccordance To- rron,isa i dis,nisaoa
tbn f,nidn and he jnft in a hurr, W. fnund
hero n Moor ,,l,ntatio ion and i;ttis for,ga y,hinb
,, MISREPRESENTATION fro,,, tbc owner in',i,ed
where the veEou party had gone; he did not
know though he thought they had crossed Gum
swamp, hut the rains had so raised the water
that It would be difficult for ms TO get through
Get your horse | said and guide us
through 20 the other side. aud wye will 20
otherwise we shall stay and eat YOU out Of
house aud home"
He then quickly mounted, aud led the way
through the swamp. where the water for miles
was up Ia the saddles. DiSmssiug this guide, We
pushed on through the dense woods over n
fairly plain track until darkness compelled us
tu halt for the night during which there came
up terrible storm of wind rain, thunder. and
lightning A. If to add to our discomfort sey.
pral great trees came down with crash in our
vicinity, but our WEAKNESS was such that we
were disturbed but for a moment.
May 9 a. soon rs it WAS light enough to see, |
we pushed on in a outheast direction, until wr /
struck the Ochmulgee the saue river We had
before crossed at Macon. Continuing down
this stream some distance we came To ferry |
In our haste 10 get over. the boat was damaged |
80 that only half load Of horacs could I've ia ken
over al time This delayed Us a couple Of
hours when We pushed on a few miles 10 a lit !
tie town called Abbeville
By aquiring we learned that party with !
wagons had passed through the town during
the NIGHT and that they had gone towards II. |
winsylle Hating to feed our horses we |