KIDNAPPING OF D. A. MAHONY-INCIDENTS CONNECTED WITH IT, AND ON THE WAY TO WASHINGTON-MEETING WITH MR. SHEWARD, A FELLOW-PRISONER-INTRODUCTION TO THE OLD

CAPITOL.

On the morning of the 14th of August, 1862, a loud rapping was heard by my wife at the front door of our residence on Bluff street, in Dubuque, Iowa. It was still early morning, between three and four o'clock. I was in a sound sleep, having been up most of the night before with a number of other Democrats who had been in attendance at a Democratic Convention at Delhi, some forty miles from Dubuque. My wife-hearing the rapping, rose from her bed and looked out one of the front windows, when she discerned the figure of a man at the door. She enquired of him what he wanted, and who he was. He informed her that his name was Gregory, and that he desired to see Mr. Mahony at his cffice on business. She told him that I was asleep; that I had been up the night before, and that I was tired and fatigued, and that she did not like to wake me, unless his business was of such emergency as to make it necessary. By this time the loud talking had awaked me, and I went to the window. I made the same or similar enquiries to those my wife had done, and receiving similar re

plies, I observed to Mr. Gregory that I could do nothing for him at that hour of the morning at my office; that I had not the keys of the place, and could not get in, and that even if I had, the business he professed to have with me should be transacted with the clerk, and that at all events there would be time enough for him to attend to it before the cars left for the West, he professing to be destined for Cedar Falls that morning, and at the time the cars did not leave Dubuque till about 11 o'clock. He persisted so in his manner that I should come to the office, that I began to suspect that some foul play was intended; and as I had received several anonymous letters threatening my life for the course I had taken towards the Administration, it occurred to me that Mr. Gregory, as he called himself, might be one of a number to put the threat in execution. So I told him that I would not go to the office with him at that time. He then gave a signal by whistling, which confirmed me in my suspicions, especially as I observed several other persons peeping around the corners above my residence. Presuming that my suspicions were well founded and confirmed, and that the object of Mr. Gregory and his confederates was to deal foully with me, I attempted to raise an alarm by crying out murder. This brought out Marshal Hoxie, of Iowa, his Deputy at Dubuque, P. H. Conger, and several soldiers who had remained out of sight with them. They threatened to shoot me if I did not cease making a noise, and as soon as I recognized the Marshal and his Deputy, with both of whom I was personally acquainted, I felt relieved of my apprehensions entertained of Mr. Gregory's object, and reproached the Marshal for having taken such a means to arrest me, as I saw it was his object to do. He replied to my reproaches that he feared a rescue of me would be attempted if he had waited till the

citizens should be awake. I enquired of him by whose direction or authority he came to make the arrest. He replied, the authority of the Secretary of War. By this time my wife had become almost frantic with fear and apprehension. The array of soldiers around the house, and their threatening menaces and violent language wrought so violently upon her feelings that she became almost insensible to any other thought or feeling than that I was to be taken away from her and murdered. She implored the soldiers not to injure me, when one or two of them brutishly told her to hush up, or they would blow her brains out. The Marshal and myself engaged in a brief conversation, the substance of which was that on his pledging to me his word of honor, I was credulous to think for the moment that Mr. Hoxie had some honor, that he would take me to see Governor Kirkwood before doing anything further towards carrying into effect his order, whatever it may have been, I would surrender myself to him as a prisoner, and give him no trouble whatever. On these conditions I prepared myself as hastily as possible to accompany the Marshal and his escort to the Key City House, where he proposed to have breakfast. Mr. Hoxie professed to be in such a hurry to reach the steamboat which was to convey us to Davenport, that he did not give me time to prepare a change of clothes, intimating that it was not necessary, as in all probability when I had seen the Governor, the matter of my arrest could be satisfactorily arranged, so that I could come back home.

My object I should state, in desiring to see the Governor was, that regarding him as a personal friend though a political adversary, and having known that he had declared on a former occasion that no one should be taken out of the State of Iowa without having a trial to ascertain whether or not the

accused may have been guilty of any crime, I thought I would have such a hearing before him as would impress him with the true position in which I stood towards the Administration, and that my discharge would follow as a matter of course.

Having delivered myself to the Marshal, I asked him his authority for arresting me. He refused to let me see it, and surrounding me with his Deputy and the soldiers under command of Captain Pierce, of the Regular Army, marched me off. After proceeding a short distance, I observed other soldiers in such positions as was evidently designed to resist any attempt at my rescue; and fearing that a collision might take place between the people, if they should hear of my arrest, and the military, I suggested to Marshal Hoxie, that he send the soldiers to their quarters, and that he and I go alone and unattended by any other force to the hotel. The Marshal stepped aside and consulted Captain Pierce on the matter, when it appearing that they approved of my suggestion, the soldiers took another course, and the Marshal and I went alone, followed by Duty Marshal Conger to the Key City House. After placing me there in the safe keeping of Mr. Conger, Mr. Hoxie went out to, as I learned afterwards, make his report of the exploit he had performed to his political friends, who chuckled and rejoiced over what had occurred with fanatical zest. After remaining for about half an hour in this state I suggested to both Mr. Hoxie as soon as he returned and to Mr. Conger the propriety of taking me on board the steamboat at once, as it was not unlikely that some trouble might be experienced. At all events, to prevent anything of the kind, I thought it would be best remove me at once from the city. The Marshal thought well of the suggestion, and we started as soon as possible for the steamboat, the Bill Henderson. Notwithstanding my evident and manifest

design and desire to avoid anything that might lead to a conflict between the people and the Marshal in the execution of his illegal and arbitrary warrant, if he had one, which is somewhat doubtful, I was informed afterwards that he circulated the report that I tried to resist the execution of his writ, when had I remained in the house till he could have entered it by force, in all probability both himself and his posse would have been massacred, as soon as it should become known that there was no legality in his proceedings. And I would take this opportunity to say, that never did the American people make a greater mistake or sacrifice their rights so cheaply as to have submitted to these arbitrary and illegal arrests. I blame myself as well as others for having submitted as I did to be taken from my home by Marshal Hoxie without making some effort, even though it should have been unsuccessful to preserve my personal rights as an American citizen. Had I shot him down, or any one of the party who accompanied him, I would have only performed my duty and exercised my inalienable and constitutional rights as an American.

ON THE STEAMBOAT.

Having arrived at the steamboat, a company of soldiers were drawn up on the levee; two guards with loaded muskets and fixed bayonets were placed by me, and my friends were not allowed to come on board to see me, except in twos, and even under this restraint, but very few, including half a dozen of my office boys, printer's devils, as they are called, were suffered to approach me. One would have thought, from Mr. Hoxie's precautions, that I was a desperado of herculean strength and terrific appearance, else that my friends were numerous, indignant, and determined to see me have fair play. As soon

as I could find an opportunity, I wrote the following brief note of my arrest, and desired its publication.