The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1865-07-28
The Chicago Conspiracy.
From the Atlantic Monthly for July.

| .....t - CONCLUDED. ,-
The Commandant listened with
nervous interest to the whole of this
recital but when the Southern officer
made the last remark, he almost
} groaued out. ,. .s l..rr,f. ,-.
"Why did you not come before?"
81 could not. ] gave Thompson my
opiniou of this, and have been watch
ed. / think they have tracked me
here. MY life on your streets to-
might wouldn't be worth bad half
dollar" a|." l' i.Hn'1irs
"Truc; but what must be donep"
"Arrest the 'Butternuts' rs they
come into Chicago" 2 i' hi#'dn'-
"That I can do; but the leaders are
here, with five thousand OF armed
/. Illini to back them. ] must t"he
them. DO you know themY' ..'
eyes; butt do not know where they
are quartered." .rr.. .frI
AT two o'clock the Commandant
showed the rebel officer to his bed,
but went back himself, and paced the
floor until sunrise. In the morning
his plan was formed. 1t was des-
perate plan; but desperate circum-
stances require desperate expedients.
In the prison was young Texan
who had served on Bragg staff, and
under Morgan in Kentucky, and was,
therefore, acquainted with Hines,
Grenfell, and the other rebel officers.
He fully believed in the theory OF
; State Rights, that is, that part is
! greater than the whole, but was an
.. honest man, who when his word was
given, could be trusted One glance
at his open, resolute face showed that
he feared nothing; that he had, too,
that rare courage which delights in
danger and courts heroic enterprise
from pure love of peril. ...tn...
Early in the war he had cncoun-
tered Col. DeLand, former Com.
/ mandant of the post, on the battle
field and taken him prisoner. A
friendship then sprang up between
the two, Which, when the tables were
turned, and the captor became the
captive, was not forgotten. Colonel
DcLand made him chief clerk in the
medical department, and gave him
every possible freedom. At that
time it was the custom TO allow citi
zens free access TO the camp; and
among the many good men and wo
men who came TO visit and aid the
prisoners was young woman, The
daughter of well knownresidcnt oI
Chicago, She met the Texan, and a
, result as natural rs the union Of ny.
Idrogcn and oxygen followed. Blu
J.. since Adam courted Eve, who eve
heard of wooing going on iii 4 pris
Q on? ut is not exactly the thing,
Y said Col. DeLand; chad you not bet
!. tor pay your addresses at the lady
y Ihousc, like a gentlcmenY A guar,
accompanied the prisoner; but it wa
{ lshrewdly guessed that he stayed ont
J. side, or paid court to the sirls in tn
Kitchen. ..
o This was the state Of things whei
i the present Commandant took charg
Of the camp. He learned the facts
studied the prisoners face, and re
mcmbered that he, too, once went
counting. AS he walked his room
that Friday night, he bethought hin
n of the Texan. Did he love his Stat
better than he loved his ailiancie,
u wife2 The Commandant would tes
him. ...I ...I ....r ...
"But | shall betray my frionds,-
: Can do that in honor?' asked th
ID Texan. nH r
"Did You ask that question whe
- you betrayed your country?' an
- swcred the Commandant. .
"Let me go from camp an hour
Then ] will give you my decision"
every we'll" t.'f
: And unattended, the Texan left til
:, prison.
y What passed between the youn
c man and the young woman durin
that hour i do not know, and cocl
not tell, if / did know, Tor ! am nc
writing romance, but history. How
ever without lifting the vail on thing
sacred, | can say that her last word
were, "Do your duty. Blot out yo
/. record of treason" God bless he
n for saying them. and let ''Amenn h
!; said by every American woman!
:, y On his return to camp, the Tcxa
n merely said, II will do it" and th
y details OF the plan were talked ovel
He was TO escape from the prison
ferret out and cntrap the rebel lead
ers. How TO manage the first part @
the dangerous programme was th
query of the TeXanr The Commar
T. .dants brain is fertile. An adopte
II citizen in the scavengcr line, make
! periodical visits to the camp in th
way Of his business and him tie Con
mandant sends for.
"Arah, yer Honor" the Irishma
says, 81 ha'nt "A tr-raitor Bless va
Id beautiful sowl. / love the kintr,
and besides, it might damage IN
good name and me party profess
ion." 20 '''''
He is assured that his name will h
all the better for dieting few week
, in dungeon, and-did not the sam
|; ; thing make Harvey Birch Immortal
Half an hour before sunset III
scayenger comes into camp witt, hi
wagon, He fills it with dry bones
O. broken bottles, decayed food, and I'll
rubbish of the prison; and down b,