Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1863-02-26
A Romance of the War.

The public knows little really of the ro-
nance Of the war. Probably no man in this
war has lived through as many excitining and
desperate adventures as Captain Carpenter
the leader of the Jessie Scouts" He was
originally one of John Browns men, and par
ticipated in the attack on Harpers Ferry !;
where he escaped by crawling through long
culvert which led hom the famous engine
house to the river.
Did you ever see Price ?" he was asked.
He replied "Se7eral times Olce he drove
a team in Prices army two days, at the end
of which time, unIuckiIy, the team and wagon,
and negro who happened to be in it, raa
away and never stopped till we got into our
own lines p Once he rode down to the rebel
pickets at Wilson's creek, dressed as woman
to deliver a letter to a suppositous brother in
Prices army. He bears witness to the polite
ness of the rebel officers VINO escorted the lady
half way back to our lines This trip was
made because the General wanted to know
precisely the position of part OF the rebel
lines.
After the surrender of Lexington, General
Fremont suspected that the telegraph opera
tors between Hannibal and st Joseph were dis
loyal and had given information to the enemy,
and was ordered to make an Investigation
The fact was, however, that the rebels had
" tapped" the wire. A woman in St. Louis
told him so, and there was rebel spy i
town. He was to take her to the theater
that evenin
The Captain says: told her | woulI
give her fifty dollars if she would say, when
he came, that she was sick and could not go.
She agreed, and | arranged that she should
introduce me to hin as q rebel spy from PIt
lows camp, which she did. | Immediately
gained his confidence. We drank wine to
gether, and the fool told me every thing
Soon he left the city and | took one of my
men with me and of we starte3 after him.
We found him on the Grand river near the
railroad, just where he had said He had a
hut in the brush, where the telegraphing oper
ations were carried on. There were two men,
my man and another. We crept up to them,
and on a survey, came to the conclusion that
we might not be able to capture them, and
the best way to shoot them. | shot my man,
but Hale only wounded his. We rushed up
He made fight | had to dispatch him with
my pistol. We got the telegraph instrument
with twenty-five hundred feet of silk wire, two
horses, blankets and sixty FIVE dollars in
money.
went into Prices camp when Mulligan
was at Lexington. l had double barreled
shot gun with both locks broken, and rode
into the camp with numbers of country peo-
pie who were fockng to join Price. rode
around freely, talking secession. and very soon
saw how things were going. | could plainly
see Mulligan was in tight place, and | start
ed off TO st. Louis as soon as possible and
gave the information that Mullgan must sur
reader, which he did.
Henry Hale, one of the best scouts 10 the
country left Leavenworth while Muligan was
before Lexington, with dispatches. AS ne
rode along men from every direction was go
ING to Join Price He saw one old secession.
ist with little shot gun, and thought it would
be a Ece thing to drive off the old fellow and
take his horse into Lexington. So engaged
the man 10 conversation, and getting an op
portunlty, put the revolver to the secessionist's
head, ordered him to tie his gun to the saddle,
to dismount, and finally to skedaddle. The
old man made tracks rapidly. Hale took the
horse by the bride, and rode on whistling
Yankee Doodle. He had ridden mile or
| two, when at turn in the road, he was sud-
denly ordered to halt. The old secessonst
had procured another gun, and got ahead of
him. Get off that hourse, cried the old man
Hale got down. Tie that revolver to the
saddle ! Hale obeyed. Pull off your pants !
Hale did it. Skedadde IAN order which
Hale at once carried into effect, merely sayI g
Well, Cap, | thought my shirt would come
off next good bye" The secessionist went
off with the two horses, whistling Dixie !;
while Hale marched seven miles to Lexington,
with only his coat aud shirt on. His coat
contained the dispatches.
l burned Randolph, Missouri The town
was rebel depot, where their supplies were
gathered. The country people came in every
] day with provisions and these provisions and