Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-10-23
hIOSBY CALLS ON TED
HIS FIRST MEETING WITH THE
PRESENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE.
UNwRlTTEN STORY OF WAR.
nov, .,,c Famou. Ranger Sent Lock
of iii. Hair to Linco1"-h's Present
work in the wcst-The Prevention
of Land Grabbing.
FRS rrnsr MEETING WITH THE
PRESENT CHIEF EXECUTIVE.
UnWRlTTEN STORY OF WAR.
,,ox, The Ramon. Ranger Sent Lock

WASHINGTON. D. c., october e
Especial. >-colonel John S. MosbS. Of Con-
ieacrate fame. now a special employee OF
the Interior Department, was one of Pres.
j6ent Rooscve!t's callers to-day. He had
never met The President, and in addition
10 paving his respects. desired to tax
with the Chief Executive about the lie
gal occupation OF government lands in the
West by the great cattle kings. For
eighteen months Colonel Mosby has been
in Colorado and elsewhere. investigating
The most arrogant and piratical use OF
government property by the cattle kings.
In many instances these men have 1eticeo
az with wire government lands aGgre-
eating in area the SIZE OF large counties
In Virginia Colonel Nosby says. and are
grazing cattle upon the lands. More thafl
1!ls. they have armed men standing
guard over the land thus used pN them.
and intirnidatc all settlers who make the
slightest preleNt 10 filing clam on q plSce
Of land in use. Not only is there intinli-
Sstion. but the armed guards shoot to
Kill. and do Kill intended homcsteaders
who come along. see good piece Of
ground. and attempt 10 file a claim III
This way millions of acres OF the nnest
lands il the West are being kept from
settlement. The matter is now before
the interior Department, and some acton
is expected after n complete invcsti-
cation has been made.
was asking Colonel Moshy about a
recent story Of his entering Alexandria in
disguise during the Civil War. and doing
some daredevil trick. oh. that story is
Iii nonsense, said Colonel Mosby. i
never went 10 place in disguise IN my
life These stories arose because Of the
rapid movements Of my command. Why,
there is an official telegram on file IN
the War Department. stating that j was
in Washington in conference With Wilkes
Booth the night of the killing Of President
Lincoln il is needless to say that the
statement is false and was known TO be
false to most OF the Federal generals.
Yes. / frequently got close Washing
ton during the war. Many time would
ride UP TO the hill over yondcr across the
Potomac and Iuok down upon the city.
might have one or TWO men with me. ard
We would soon disappear. Just over on
the Virginia side one morning. ! met Mrs.
Barlow on her way into Washington with
a wagon fun of vegetables Her husband
was a Federal soldier, and she was a
Northern woman. She had pass in and
out Of Washington. and drove into the
city often from her home with farm truck.
] used to 80 TO her house often and gel
u cup Of good coffee. Of course, she gave
it to us. knowing that we rather had
charge Of things all along on that side of
the river. Well. on this particular morn |
ing, Mrs. Barlow had = pair Of SCISSORS
hanging by Irvine from her apron. After |
] had talked with her awhile. / said: /
LOCK OF HAIR FOR LINCOLN.
Mrs. Armstrong, lend me your scis- |
sors.'
She handed them TO me, and l reached |
up to my head, got hold Of bunch of !
hair. cut it off. and said; Mrs. Arm
strong. please take this lock Of my hair
right in 10 President Lincoln. and say TO
him that / coming in 10 see him soon,
and will expect a lock of his hair in re- !
turn. She looked much puzzled but said |
she would do it,
i found cut afterward that she rode
straight TO the White House and gave |
the hair TO the President, personally, re-
fusinS to give il TO any one else. The
President was amused, and laughed heart
lily. No, | was not afraid to do this be-
cause knew that by the time the Prcs-
dent could attempt to catch me / would |
be thirty miles away. President Lincoln |
never made an attempt to catch me- be- |
cause he knew / would :,e somewhere else !
when his men arrived Many people took
information Of me into Washington. for
the purpose OF trying to bring about my |
capture
STRENGTH OF MosBY's COMMAND.
I covered the entire south side of the |
Potomac for many miles each day, and the |
largest number Of men l had in 1864. |
when Sheridan was in the Shenandoah |
Valley, was five troops of cavalry, a total |
of $50 men. With that command we cap
tured all the arms We needed. all the am
muniuon food and clothing. and had /
wagon train running TO Lees army fire.
quently with supplies we had captured
No. was never a general. ! was a pr- |
vate III the First Virginia Calvary for the !
first two years after the beginning OF the |
war and began raising my command after
that time beginning with one troop OF |
cavalry. lIacS man was armed with two |
pistols and sabres. We had no carbines''
Colonel Mosby's story Of sending a lock +.
oc his hair to President Lincoln is an I'M
written one