The Sunday globe., 1901-07-28
STORY OF CROOKS SWORD
AS Related to The Globe by General
Floyd King, of Louisiana.

Did you ever hear the true story of
the capture OF Crooks sword, and how
IL was returned to him many years af.
ter the close of the WARP" said Cen
tloyd King, of Louisiana, to a Globe
man Il will give it to you as it han.
pened IN 1861. l was attached to the
command of Gen. Villa. Loring. i'm
west virginia. Loring made a cam.
palgn against the Federal Gen. Jacob
Cox, Of Ohio. We gave him battle al
New River, Princeton, Giles Court
house, tayette, Gauly and Canneltop.
Inc night following the day after the
hght at Cannelton, l was lying down
resting. saw a man coming towards
me dressed in citizens clothes. He said
ne wanted to find a Confederate SOL
dler TO whom he could surrender.
are you soldier in citizens
No., was the answer; L am a
member of the Ohio State Senate and
nave been sent by that body to present
a sword to General Crook which has
Deen voted to him by the Legislature
AT the battle of Cannelton to-day, con.
tlhued the Buckeye statesman, / got
lost from my people; am in a strange
country and want to surrender the
sword and return home. do not want
~ De taken as prisoner and sent to
LlDDy prison, at Richmond
IoIu MIN we did not want citi-
zens, but soldiers.
NOW, said he, if you will follow
ile l VIII give you the sword, and hope
'Ou NIii dlloW me TO depart for Ohio,'
IoIioWed MIN to the woods, where
ne uIeW IEom under some brush
Ious case lie took 1t to the campfire
ana opened IT, and took out one of the
nost beautiful swords my eyes ever
aesteu upon 1t cost the State Of Ohio
$1,000. l told him that wouId Ial-e
nIu 10 General Loring's Headquarters.
"uo was III command lie was very
nervous, and afraid the General wouId
neIu n MN as prisoner, and send him to
hlchmOnd to board a short time ar
Libby l pledged him my word as a
soldler on my way to the Generals
headquarters that / would do NV best
to get him released; ,ha. we did NOT
have food enough to feed soldier nris.
0ners much less citizens. He willing.
ly delivered the sword to the General
who told me TO turn him loose. /
mounted him on a captured horse
passed him through he Confederate
lines, and told him to follow the road
and he would soon catch up with Gen.
eral CoX's army, He thanked me most
protusely and rode away.
A few days afterwards | visited Ior.
lng's headquarters, at Charleston. w.
va where Groom made his last stand,
missed two of the Generals hand.
somest star officers, Col. Richard Poor
and Maj. Henry Robinson. l asked
10 see them, but was informed that
they mad been sent by General Loring
10 take the handsome sword four hun
dred miles to the rear TO his handsome
sweetheart, the rich belle of West yir.
glnla' Her father owned the largest
sugar interests lin Louisiana. Not a
great while after this Loring was or
dered to southwest Virginia. While l
was In Richmond | met two staff Of
hcers, who told me that the lady had
tallen IN love with another man in the
person of former distinguished Con.
gresham of the United States from
the South, and then a member of the
Confederate Congress, and that she
preferred a statesman to a soldier.
So she returned the Crook sword to
General Loring.
After the close of the Civil War
Loring entered the service of the Khe-
dive Of Egypt, was a full general in
that army, remaining in Egypt twelve
years, after which time he returned
to the United States. In the mean
time / was elected to Congress from
Louisiana, and while in Washington /
was introduced to a very brilliant lady
who was the wife of General Crook,
who was at that time fighting indians
in the far West. She learned that l
was well acquainted with General
Loring She asked me If knew what
became Of her husbands sword that
was turned over to General Loring by
the Ohio State Senator, the custodian
who was charged to deliver it to Cen
eral Crook. / told her that General
Loring had ii in Egypt She never
saw me afterwards that she did not
mention the sword. ] told her the
incidnet of the volutary surrender of
the sword, so that created a more
lively interest on her part. On her ac-
count | took a deep interest in the
matter and after Loring returned to
the United States went to New York
to see him. | told him all the circum-
stances connected with it, anu as he
knew Crook was a brave soldier, and
as the sword was a gift to him from
the great State of Ohio, l hoped ne
would consent to return it to Mrs.
Crook, who was so much interested in
it as a military honor and mememto
for bravery.
The old veteran of Indian, Mexican
and Civil War said:
81 will do it though the heavens
fall; it is but just to his State, his
wife, and himself as a brave SOL
der
"Loring lost an arm on the battle
field in the Mexican War. He was
brave, and always generous towards
those who deserved it. ! had the
pleasure of being the medium Of re-
turning the sword to Mrs. Crook so
many years after | had been the per-
son to present it to General Loring.
| have given true story Of the cap
ture and return of General Crooks
valuable sword, which have no
doubt hangs upon the walls Of Mrs.
Crooks home, on which she looks with
pride, and dwells with sweet memoir
les on the past record Of her brave
dead soldier husband"
Carolina Brights are not made by Trust