The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-06-12
CAPTURE OF JEFF DAVIS.
A Joint Statement OF Two Veterans Who
We're FIRST in the Confederate Ch.eitain's


n
We're FIRST in the Confederate Ch.eitain's
Tent.
Casper Knobel. of No 2073 East Cum
berland street, Philadelphia. labored I'M
| der the impression for many years that
Serg't Thomas Riley was the man most
closely associated with him in the capture
| of Jefferson Davis. Mr.. Knobcrs son
spent much time in an exhaustive search
as to the facts, and now MIR. knobcl.
through The Philadelphia Record. makes
his final statement which he wishes TO
go into history. He says:
The man most closely associated with
me in the capture of the President o: the
Confederacy was George Kinke. of No.
800 Chestnut street, Detroit, Mich. Not
| until Feb. Is. 1902, did | hear from Com
rade Rinke. Since then we have gone over
| the matter together, and join in this state
ment:
| THE PURSUIT.
On the 9TH of May. 1860 with de-
tachmcnt of the 18th Mich. Cav. we left
! Macon Ga. about s p. M, with 40 men
and 20 officers. We rode all night. By
s II. m. of May s we had covered 81;
miles. We halted and rested until about
/ p. H., when we started off and marched
| IL miles further, making total of II
miles in a hours. We cncamped for the
night some three or four miles below
Hawkinsviile. 1t must have been about A
| o'clock on the morning of the 9th when
| we broke camp and moved to Abbcyvillc.
where our officer in charge was informed
that Il train of 10 or - wagons and two
ambulances had crossed the Ocmulgec
River at Browns Ferry, about one and a
| half miles above, at 10 O'Clock on the
previous night. At Abbeyvillc We saw
Lent.-C Col Harnden. of the LIST Wis. Cav,
| who informed us that he, with force of
| 10 men, was following on the track or
jefferson Davis, and that his men were
from two to three hours in advance.
| About 1 IL H.. May 10. we passed n
Confederate, and, representing to him
that we were the rear guard. left to hold
back the Yankees, we inquired the direc-
ton of the train. He said that party
had encamped about dark the previous
evening nearly mile and half off the
Abbeyvi!lc road.
To avoid being led astray. however. our
officers decided to split up our party
George Rinke, the horscshocr; myself and
II more men were in the band detailed
to continue on the road we had been fol-
lowing while other parties, composed of
IA men each. were directed to go to the
left and right of the road. Our party had
traversed but n short distance when we
discovered Il dying campfire. This indi-
Gated that we must be close to the camp
of the Davis party. George Rinke and
were picked out of the men of our party
to make charge as quickly and quietly
as POSSIBLE We rode along quietly. and
soon made out in the darkness the tents
of the party. The first person we discov-
cred was IL sleeping colored man. who had
evidently been left to guard the small
camp. As soon as we made out the tents
we discharged our pieces in the air. as
Il signal to our waiting comrades. who
then made one of the finest dashes l have
ever witnessed.
IN MR.. DAyJS'S TEXT.
/ dismounted while George Rinke held
my mule. / tore open the flap of the first
tent. which proved to be the one occupied
by Mr.. Davis, his wife and family.
reached in and took from the tent pole
II sache and handed it to George. We
found in it later shirts collars, etc.
BY this time our party was all together,
and making a search of the camp. The
surprise was so complete that the enemy
were unable to make the slightest defense
or even to grasp their weapons, which
We're lying by their sides.
At this moment new scene opened,
destined in it's mournful results to cloud
the otherwise perfect success of our ex
petition. We had held possession of the
camp but Il few minutes. and not long
tUbHSu W tHt tAttHI VI ouI
ture, when sharp firing was begun be-
tween the dismounted force under Lieut..
Purinton and what was supposed at the
time to be the Confederate force guard
ing the train. The firing was about 100
to $50 rods in the rear of the camp and
across narrow swamp. Different Union
parties were firing at each other. The
trouble was caused by our men giving the
three-shOt signal. so as to let the others
I'm that had rantIrpI tho
The fighting was between men of the 4th
and list Wis. Cav. Two were killed; four
wounded.
THE woMAN's CLOTHES STORY.
When this fighting commenced George
Rinke was detailed to go out while l was
left on guard. with several others. 1t
was just at this time that Mrs. Davis
threw a shawl over her husbands shout
ders, and out of this incident grew the
story that the Confederate President tried
to escape in woman's clothing. Mrs.
Davis had no idea Of aiding her husbands
escape when she threw her shawl around
him. 1t was simply thoughtful effort
to protect him from the raw morning air.
This capture happened in very thick
woods.
Just then up rode CorpI Munger. who
dashed across the road to us. l being in
back of Mr.. Davis. 1 heard him yell
"Haltr He had his gun pointed at the
figure with the shawl. and said Are you
jeff Davis?' The answer came: lyon
have no right to ask me the question"
answer quick, or | will shOotv' said
Munger; and | knew him well enough to
know that the next instant he would have
fired had not Mrs. Davis thrown her arms
around her husbands neck. Mr.. Davis |
admitted his identity, and said: 81 sup |
pose that yen consider it bravery to charge
a train of defenseless women and children;
but it is theft: it is vandalism
Lieut.-Col. B. ID. Pritchard gave the
prisoners time to get breakfast. Here
Mrs. Davis addressed me and asked me
some questions about what we were GO
ing to do with her husband; but her Eng
fish was too select for me to quite under
stand, as | had been i'll this country only
four years l was born in Switzerland,
came here in 1861. and enlisted in the 4th
Mich. Cav. l told her ! was very hungry,
so she went to the cook and brought me
some corncakes. This in itself was a
good reward for a hungry soldier. l gave
After breakfast we started for Abbey
vile, where we arrived about shutdown on
the same day.
On the afternoon of the 18th. when we
were several miles below Hawkinsville
we met the balance of our brigade coming
out of Macon, and from them we received
the first intelligence of the Presidents
offering n reward of $780,
600 for the capture of Jefferson Davis.
How the reward Of 100000 was