il the last moment, going to
the scaffold with a promise of pardon a few moments before his execution.

Davis died to save his own chief, Colonel Shaw, who was in prison with him
and was captured the same day.

The parties who were prisoners with Davis have informed me that it was
Shaw who had selected Davis as the messenger to General Bragg, and had
given to him part of his mail and papers.

I did not know this certainly until a long time after the war. I first
learned of it by rumor and what some of my own scouts have told me since
the war, and it has since been confirmed confidentially to me by one of
the prisoners who was captured about the same time that Davis was and who
was imprisoned with him up to the time he was convicted and sentenced, and
knew Colonel Shaw, as well as all the facts in the case.

The statement made to me is, that Colonel S. Shaw was the chief or an
important officer in General Bragg's Secret-Service Corps; that Shaw had
furnished the important documents to Davis; and that their captors did not
know Shaw and his importance.

Colonel Shaw I sent with the other prisoners North, as prisoners of war. I
also learned that Shaw was greatly alarmed when he was informed I was
trying to induce Davis to give me the information he had.

This is where Davis showed himself a true soldier. He had been entrusted
with an important commission by an important officer, who was imprisoned
with him, and died rather than betray him. He knew to a certainty, if he
informed me of the facts, that Shaw would be executed, for he was a far
more important person to us than was Davis.

During the war I had many spies captured; some executed who were captured
within the Confederate lines and who were equally brave in meeting their
fate.

By an extraordinary effort I saved the life of one who was captured by
Forrest. Through my efforts this man escaped, though General Forrest sized
him up correctly. He was one of the most important men we ever had within
the Confederate lines.

Forrest was determined to hang him, but Major-General Polk believed him
innocent and desired to save him.

Great interest was taken in Davis at the time, because it was known by all
of the command that I desired to save him.

Your publication bears many evidences of this fact. It is not, therefore,
necessary for me to state that I regretted to see sentence executed; but
it was one of the fates of war, which is cruelty itself, and there is no