The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1906-03-08
WHEELER'S BOLD PLAN
How Southern Veteran Designed
to Rescue Jefferson Davis.
STORY OF THE GENERALS FRIEND


Recently Made Public, Said Confed-
crate President, However. Would
Not Countennnce Mutiny Scheme ON
Union Vessel-Escape to BermNdas
Was Carefully Planned.
The death OF General Joseph Wheel
er Of Alabama. the hero Of two great
wars and personal friend of President
Jefferson Davis of the Confederacy
has brought to light plan to rescue
the imprisoned head of the ConfedeTa-
cy, which was not put into execution
because of the objection OF Davis. says
special dispatch from Memphis,
Tenn, to the st. Louis Republic
Wheeler was the author of this plan.
The story which was recently given
to the American public for the first
time was related by General Wheeler
to his friend and confdant, Carl
| Guthurz. the noted artist of Washing
| ton, who has been in Memphis engag
ed in painting some portraits for the
historic Semmes family Mr. Guthurz
was formerly a resident OF Memphis
and is we'll known to the older citizens
there
81 painted General Wheeler's por
trait several years ago" he said while
entertaining some friends in his stu
dio recently, land it was during his
sitting one day that he told me this
story | knew him intimately for
years. We occupied adjoining houses
In Washington, and he never visited
the capital without coming to see me-
II shall net attempt to give you his
words, but will merely outline the stc-
~ as he told it to me, sitting facing
me as worked over his portrait and
talking with that wonderful animation
which always possessed him when in
terested
you know he was with President
Davis on board the transport by which
that official, after his capture by Gen
eral Wilson, was carried to his incar-
ceration in Fortress Monroe. l do not
now remember the names of all the
ConfederateS who accompanied their
president on that voyage. but among
adjutant, General Rails; Major Moran,
Captain Moody and President Davis
private secretary, Burton n Harrison.
There were, if my memory serves
me right, somewhere between fifteen
and twenty captured Confederates who
were permitted, or required, to accom-
pany their chief as sort of body
guard, and Of this bodyguard General
Wheeler was, as I understand it, the
recognized leader.
1.-THE vessel in which they were be
ing taken to Fortress Monroe, as the
event proved, although they imagined
at the time that they were destined for
Washington, was, as President Davis
himself has declared, AN old transport
ship, hardly seawortlfy. She had on
board in addition to the mariners re-
quired for her management compile
ment Of Union soldiers, who went along
as guards for the captured Confeder-
ates
"You know what a daring man Gen
eral Wheeler was. | believe no situa-
ton ever became so desperate that he
was not ready to face it, and we who
know the story of his life can testify
that he won out in his undertakings,
too however desperate they might
have appeared to others at times.
.tThe fertile brain of the gallant lit
tie fighter conceived the project OF over
towering the Union guard, capturing
the vessel by force and making off
with her to the Bermudas Once land
ed there they would be on British soil
and out Of reach of the federal govern
ment
81 remember wildly how his eyes
sparkled and glowed and how nervous
b ly enthusiastic he became as he de-
scribed to me in detail how he had
planned q all out; how certain mem
bers of the body guard were to throt-
tie the guard at the head OF the COM
panionway and disarm him and how
certain others were to attack other
guards stationed in different parts Of
the transport ship at the same moment.
GAS he conceived the plan it could
not have failed Of success. All it re-
quired was that President Davis should
assent to it. But Davis absolutely re-
fused to countenance the plan when it
was laid before him. 1t was in vain
that they pleaded and argued and rea-
soned
The war is over he told them firm
ly. My escape now can be Of no bene
fit to my people For my personal safe
ty have no concern. l am a prisoner
of war What becomes Of me is of lit
tie moment We can serve no good
purpose by effecting this escape. Let
us make no further resistance
And SO no attempt was made to car
~ the plan into execution, and, as far
as | am aware, the world has never
heard Of it until now. But feel sure
that General Wheeler, in spite Of his
love and reverence for President Da-.
Wis, never became quite reconciled to
the idea that he had done the wisest
thing in refusing to permit this mutiny
on his own behalf upon that Union