The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1862-09-16 00:00:00

TAPPING THE TELEGRAPH.

One of the strangest stories that ever reached
us from America is told by Mr. G. A. Ellsworth,
general superintendent of the telegraphic
department, and attached to the staff of the
Confederate Colonel Morgan, one of those
Guerilla leaders who have been giving the North
so much trouble in the Border State,. A short
time aim* Colonel Morgan set out with a trusty
band to annoy the Fedorala in Kentucky, and
with the help of his telegraph superintendent,
he accomplished his mission moat successfully,
and at the same time vindicated his right, as an
American, to have a joke even in the most
serious times. We first meet with Mr.
Ellsworth, in a report of his own, in the dusk
of the evening in the open country, under heavy
rain, sitting up to his knees in mud by the side
of the Louisville and Nashville roads. He has
taken down the telegraphic wire, connected his
pocket instrument with it, and, well instructed
by General Morgan, plays a quiet game of give-
and-take with the roesaages and orders of brave
brigadiers, and of all Louisville anxious to
Nashville, against trusting property to the rail-
roadibeosuse Morgan is in the country. Having
asked and had from his kind correspondents the
last tidings from Washington and New York,
General Morgan also considering, at 11p.m., that
he had "drained Louisville of news," Mr.
Ellsworth's roadside entertainment ended, in a
, last frightful message, by the delivery of an
' eleotrio ahock to Louisville, and putting the
Fedetals entirely off the scent. The Confederate
band then 'weed forward to Libanori. With
, the foremost of the adianeed Vara went Mr.
I Ellsworth, and as lie entered Lebanon at half-
past three in the morning he found the telegraph
station nioet conveniently empty. Ita books
shot the previous day's 'despatched, and
setting forth the alike signal), having been
examined, the Operator, on looking out for
Messages watched by the telegraphic line as a
spider watches for flies. Presently he was
addressed by Z, who was immediately fastened
upon and sucked dry. Important information
as to the Federal movements was obligingly
forwarded throughout the day to Cieoetral
Morgan at Lelranbn, and in the evening, he being
ready to proceed upon his tour and take
another town, the Lebanon station was deserted,
but not until care had been taken to avert any
suspicion that might arise from the cessation of
messages. Thus Mr. Ellsworth telegraphed
to Z—" Have been up all night, an am very
sleepy. If you harp no objettion I *ill take
a nap until tit° or three o'clock" and received
for answer—" All right ; don't oversleep your-
self." Exhorted thus to keep himself as much
awake as possible—advice he was by no means
slow to take—Mr. Ellsworth was at ten o'clock
next morning in advance of Mr. Gun at a sta-
tion called Midway, on the Louisville and
Lexington line; Here, besides the panel statidn
wired, there Were through wire from Lexington to
Frankfort, which did not touch intermediate
stations, and was used for military messages.
Mr. Ellsworth ordered it to be cut, thus forcing
all the Lexington news to flow along the line
that did run through the office. Here it was not
as the busy B, but in the name of Mr. Woolum's
that bad news was exchanged for good with
the confiding Federal & "Will *here be any
danger in (knifing to Midway Is everything
right ?" was asked, and the reply was in
effect, come to our arms—" All right;
come on. No sign of the rebels here"—
" Woolums." Among the messages of this day
was one from Brigadier General Ward, of Lex-
ington, to General Finnan., at Prinkflitt; shclW-
ing a real knowledge ot Morgan's next design,
and giving orders for its frustration. Half an
hour Was applied, therefore, by General Morgan,
and his "operator" in upsetting Ward's plant,
and a niediage wiui dent to hit, tbruiting him
batik into the darkness out of eihieh he had
emerged. " Woolums" informed the Federal
Brigadier General that Morgan, with upwards of
1,000 men came within a mile of Lexington and
took the Old Frankfort-road, bound, as was
supposed, for Frankfort, siding "This is reli-
able." This had the desired effect, and Ward,
instead of setting out to elreek Morgan at
Georgetown, its he had ilitelided, stayed at home,
and Morgan was enabled to proceed on his foray
unmolested. On one occasion, however, the
"Superintendent" had not sufficient information
to enable him to send e message in the proper
form; but his ingenuity didnot !fail him, and he
telegraphed, with evident agitation, "Tell
General Ward our Oaken; are driven in great
excitement. Pickett say the force of the enemy
must be 0,000." Having thlis acton,nted for kik
inability tl) tend rtifilliir niesiagod, the "Super.
intendent" left with Colonel Morgan to resume
operations when the next half was made. Such
mystifications were kept up to the last. The
Federals knew that Morgan had with him one
Ellsworth, a "telegraphic operator," and that
he tapped the wires; but if in their cautiousness
they ever refused information to their own men,
to their enemy's men their heart. were always
open. 'Ott Werned htin against himself some-
Thtia, when he was playing with the
telegragh at Somerset, he got this message:
"To Somerset—For fear they may take you by
surprise, I would suggest we have a private
signal. What say you, Stanford?" "To Stan-
ford—good. Before signing we will make the
figure 7, Somerset." So that if a Federal opera-
tor had rammed work he would have been sits.
pected aji a traitor. That General liftirgan'S
raid in Ktintticky Was one long, easy Raced we
cannot wonder. As he re-crossed the border,
after capturing seventeen towns and destroying
millions of dollar's worth of Uncle Sam's pro-
perty, he made the last use of the Kentucky
telegraph lines, and forwarded a few mocking
despatches in a thoroughly American style to
his baffled opponents. This, for example, to
General Doyle, at Louievidle I "Good mording
JerrY. This telegraph is a great institiition.
You should destroy it, as it keeps you too well
posted Mr. Friend Ellsworth has all your
despatehes since the 10th July on file. Do you
wish copies John H. Morgan, Commanding
Brigade." This telegram must have thoroughly
astonished the Federal commander, and to ask
him if he "wanted copies" was adding insult to
injtiry, The lion. George of Washing.
ton, Must also have been surprised on receiving
a message direct from Morgan, informing him
that 300 rebel prisoners had been paroled. As
for Mr. Ellsworth himself, he seems as fond of
a joke as Col. Morgan, and supplemented the
General's "chaffing" messages with one of his
own, purporting to be a "General order" from
the "Head-quarters of the telegraph department,
Kentucky, Confederate States of America," re-
primanding the operators at the stations where
Colonel Morgan had called, for their carelessness,
and ordering the telegraphic Instruments to be
destroyed, when it was positively known that
the enemy was marching on the station. The
Confederate editors suppose that the bewildered
Yankees attributed the phenomena to spiritua-
lism, it being so utterly inconsistent with what
they could have expected from such a quarter.

Doncags it 2 R. —PITCHXD CORN Manx"
Saturday, Sept. 13.—There was a large number of
sacks pitched, and of good quality. Farmers refined
to submit to a destine in price, consequently trade
was very slow. Wheat fetched ifl3 to £l4 Bs.
Barley held at late. rates. Oats in bloke demand sad
a shade dearer. Taree, of ptime quality, 7s. 6.4. th
Bs. 6&1. per bushel. Winter bits kerne and dear.
We regret to learn that thk smallpox has broken
out anong the sheep in Lincolnaidirs to the no small
dismay of,the farmers in that district.
11021331 ND AN EMPLOYER.—A) the Police Court
bl on Ooday, before the Mayor, Gslpin, Esq.,)
Devi*, sod J. F. Hodges, Heriti—piis 'Visaed, 18

years of age, an errand boy in the employ of Mr.
Pouncy, photographer, High West-street, was
brought up on remand charged with stealing la.,
the property of his employer. From the evidence
of Mr. Pommy it appeared that he had frequently
missed money from his shop till, fnd on Saturday
night week wheif he made up his books .C 1 was
missing, and on the ensuing Monday is. was
abstracted from the till. Prosecutor charged the
defendant with taking the money, which be denied,
but subsequently avowed that -he had, and also
stated that he had taken various sums at different
times. Prosecutor then gave him in custody. Mr.
Pouncy said he (lid nob wish to press the case, as
he had always believed the defendant to be honest,
but he thought it was owing to the bad company
which the defendant kept that be had fallen into
such disgrace. —The defendant pleaded guilty, and
said that he took the money and spent it among his
companions.—The Mayor, in addressing the young
delinquent, said that in consequence of the previous
good character given by Mr. "Pouncy, as also from
Mr. Tamen, where hehad been previously employed,
and believing that he was led into temptation by
his companions, the Bench were disposed to overlook
the case,and the defendant was discharged after some
salutary advice from the Mayor.—Mr. Pouncy said
he was willing to take the lad into hie employ again if
he would promise to abandon his wicked com-
panions, to which request Tizard readily agreed.
THE SMALLPDX IN 81.1116 P.—The following cir-
cular letter, addressed to the justices acting at--
(to be sent in the- meantime to all Petty Sessions in
the counties of NVilts, Hants, Dorset. Somerset,
and Berke), has been leaned from the Treasury

"Whitehall, Sept. 11.

"Gentleman, —With reference to the disease now
prevailing among sheep in certain districts in Eng-
land, I am directed by Secretary Sir George Grey
to call your immediate attention to the provisions
of the Act 11th and 12th Victoria, cap. 107, sec. 1
and to the fact that the statue in question is still in
full operation, having been continued by subsequent
Acts, and ultimafely by the 21st and 22nd Victoria,
cap. 22, until the 3rd of August, 1863, and the end
of the thennext Session, and 1 am to add that, in the
opinion of Sir Georg!) Grey, it would be highly expedi-
ent fur two of the justices of the county to appoint,
without delay, a person well acquainted with the
subject to attend at the markets and fairs about to
be held for the kale of sheep or lambs within your
county, for the purpose of executing the powers con-
ferred upon a person so appointed by the let section
of the Act above-mentioned.