Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-04-10
LETTER FROM THR CONFEDER.
hTE ERpHTh

Two spies, tired, convicted and sentenced 10
death by q court martial, were TO have been
hanged here to dsy. The arrangements for the
execution mad been fully perfected. But last
night there came a respite from the President.
The convicted men knew more than they had,
up to this time, admitted, and seemed disposed
to give the government the benefit of their
knowledge. In the hope of eIicitiug such in
formation as would lead to a fall discovery Of the
parties who have supplied the authorities at
Washington with o6iei1i intelligence from Rich
mond, it was thought best to postpone the hang
ing tor a time. The testimony so far given By
the spies is not fully known to the public, but it
IS said to impHcate persons in high position
never before susf ected of dislOyslty. The only
arrest of which 1 have heard, as having been
made in consequence of these disclosures, is that
OF a man named Webster who has been engaged
for six or eight months past in conducting a
mail line between this city and the NoTlbem
States. Letters, sealed or Uusealed, were left at
the counting room of the Richmond Enquirer,
with seventy-fve cents in silver, postage OF
each, and we'- carried IF in some mysterious
way to Maryland. Persons desiring answers
were bid to request their correspondents to direct
to some street and number in Baltimore
where the agents Of Webster would call
Ths return mail, upon the arrival of the enter
prising conductor in Richmond. was drOpped in
the post office and distributed IN regular manner
As drop letters. Occasional numbers # the
Herald, Times, Tribune, and Baltimore american.
were brought in this way to our newspaper
Othces. II IS now supposed that WsbsteT's IN
derground mail line was gotten up by Seward.
and that ell the letters forwarded by il in either
direction were examined in Washington, for the
double purpose of obtaining information from
the Confederate capital and of eliminating
southern sympathizeTs at the North. The state
ment OF the spies Is that the whole body Of Yam
kee detectives and news collectors in Richmond
had their Instructions 70 communicate With
Webster, and that he carried of periodically
what they were able to pick up during his
absence. Thus the Herald procured its maps OF
our notifications thus the same journal was
enabled to give a full and toleTably accurate list
Of the officers in the Confederate army thus the
movement of Gen. Jackson in February upon
Bath and Hancock was known in Washington
before be had left Winchester, etc, etc in all
these cases, the milk in the cocoanutn IS fully
accounted Tor, always suppUsing that there afe
traitors IN the departments, as TUmOT to-day as
seTts the spies 10 declare w may look for
startling revelations in two Or three days, and
The scstiold erected at the Fair Ground for the
two already under condemnation may have 10 be
enlarged.
Inc cashing partisan fighter of kentucky,
Jack Morgan, Speaking Of hemp reminds M
OF the proprietor Of the Lexington rope factory)
arrived in town last Hight and is at the Spots
wood Hotel. The object of the visit is not
generally understood, but it is surmised that he
comes to consult the officers of the government
upon the p%ropriety Of eX ending the operations
Of his guerilla band. If 50. from my personal
acquaintance with the Secretary OF War (tor I
knew him well years before his elevation t.
pOWeT(, | can say with confidence that brave
Jack Morgan could not consult with any one
who more heartily sdmires his gallant-y. Give
jack FIVE thousand such followers as now ride
behind him, and he will sweep Tennessee clear
of the Yankees.
Another arrival which has given great gratif
cation TO hosts Of friends is thst Of Dr. Gwyn,
late Senator from California, who reachet town
yesterday from Baltimore. via the Chesapeake
and the Potomac. DR.. Gwyn reports that Az
immense force has been sent by Mcclellan from
Washington down the river, and the belief now
is that the advance upon Richmond will b.
attempted in heavy column from the lower
waters OF the Rappahauu0ck. The enemy has
already appeared IA the Piaukstsuk, which Is a
near nsighbOr Of the R~spgahaunock This
stream is a short and iuceuSidprab.e one. aud is
known to the old h-ld school geography Of tn
Virginia boy, in a ridiculous district, as
Observation-Disclosures
Where the b~uillrog jumps from bank to bank.
But in spite Of this lyrical assertion of It's
u~arrOwuess, there Is water enough IN is channel
for some miles from It's mouth to bear McClel
lan's transports TO a landing somewhere in the
county of Gloucester, through which his troops
wOu d probably march 70 unite with snO her
body from TapPsh.nuock, in the county Of
Essex The Commanding general, who sleeps
with his eyes open, has, OF course not neglected
to provide against such an attempt on the part
of Mcclellan, and 1t is quite possible that the
musical Piaukafauk may soon become as tamil
lar and as dIsagreeabie a name to the Yankee as
Bull Rum
A letter wsS received this morning from Tur-
neT Ashby, in which, writing to an intimate
friend in Congress, he says that be has been
the enemy sixteen successive days, and
thgt as soon as he finished writing he should lay
down the pen for the more accustomed sabeT
That very day he engaged the enemy in a hand
to hand encounter, running and firing, neal
Mount Jackson, in the county Of Shenandoah,
and there Is q rumOr in town to-day that he has
since come successfully out Of q more serious
and that be hes been reinforced since
by two thousand men from JacksOn's com
mand-but TOR the ruth of this assertion l can
no vouch.
The ladies' gunbost is to be offered By the fair
donors, upon its completion, TO Lieut.. Ap
Catesby Jones, the gallant officer VINO was
second in command IF the Merrimac in the tgh
the Congress and Cumberland, and AFTER
wards with the Monitor.
A bill is before Congress for bringing ell the
railroads in the Confederate States under militia
~ authority, and giving rank to their officers
who viii thus hold commissions from the War
Department. Each President of a road will
be Il captain, and each superintendent a lieu
tenant the conductors, l suppose, will be cor
Durals OF sergeants. Over all, there is to be q
controlling director, whose rank will be
Of colonel. The resident local directors
upon the various roads to be lieutenant colonies,
and these higher officials to be appointed by she
President of the Confederate States. All Of
enses against the military discipline of the
-O8ds, to be tried by q court martial composed
equally of members chosen by the present
boards of directors, under appointment Of the
stockholders and Of members named by the
President, by and with advice and consent Of the
cabinet A system more absurd than this.
nore likely to lead 70 all manner of mishsps.
DTeak-dOwns, collisions, smash-ups, explosions
md general Interruptions could hardly be de-
Used Far better let the railroad men manage
in their own way. We do not want
orporsis 10 collect tickets, nor lieutenants to
manage the switches The engine driver will
Onduct his machine more safely a. he il, with
ut being converted into an imaginary soldier,
bedient to real, stern military law, aud there
an be little doubt that if tha plan on foot is
aIied into effect, our soldiers will be in greater
on the railroad than in the field.
DIXIE.
THE BOGUS ELECTION on THE EASTERN
4HoRE.-A~ correspondent Of a Baltimore paper,
from tbs Eastern Shore of Virginia, in
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