The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1866-01-04
The Clothes Line Telegraph.

The Clothes Line Telegraph.
In the early part Of 1868, when tn
Union army was encamped at Fal
mouth and picketing the Rappahan
mock, the utmost tact and ingenuit!
were displayed by the scouts and vi
dettes in gaining a knowledge of con
templated movements OIL the other side
and here, as at various other times, tn,
shrewdness of the African camp attend
ants was very remarkable. One circum
stance In particular shows how quick
the race are in learning the art of com
municating by signals.
There came into the Union lines .
negro from farm on the other side q
the river, known by the namesof Dab
ney, who was found to possess remark
ably clear knowledge of the topography
of the whole region, andhe was employ.
ed as cook and body servant at head.
quarters. When he first saw our sys.
tenn Of army telegraphs the idea interest
ed him intensely, and he begged the
operators to explain the signs to him.
They did 50, and found that he could
understand and remember the meaning
of the various movements as we'll as any
of his brethren of paler hue.
Not long after, his wife, who had
come with him, expressed great ankle
ty to be allowed to go over to the other
side as servant to ''secesh woman
whom General Hooker was about send
ing over to her friends. The request
was granted. Dabney's wife went across
the Rappahannock, and in few days
was duly installed as laundress at the
headquarters of prominent rebel Gen
cral. Dabney, her husband, OH the
north bank, was soon found to be won-
derfully well informed as to all the rebel
plans. Within an hour of the time that
movement Of any kind was projected,
or even discussed among the rebel Gem
erals, Hooker knew all about it. He
knew which corps was moving, or about
to move, in what direction, how long
they had been on the march, and in
what force; and all this knowledge
came through Dabney, and his reports
all turned out to be true.
Yet Dabney was never absent, and
never talked with the scouts, and SEEM
ed to be always taken up with his duties
as cook and groom about headquarters,
How he obtained his information re-
mained for some time n puzzle to the
Union officers. At length, upon much
solicitation he unfolded his marvellous
secret to one of our officers.
Taking him to point where a clear
view could be obtained Of Fredericks-
burg, he pointed out little cabin in the
suburbs near the river bank, and asked
him If he saw that clothes line with
clothes hanging on it to dry. "Well,'
said he, that clothes line tells me in
half an hour just what goes on at Lees
headquarters. Yon see my wife over
there washes for the officers, and cooks
and waits round, and rs soon as she
hears about any movement or anything
going on, she comes down and moves
the clothes OH that line so l can under
stand it in minute. That there gray
shirt is Longstreet, and when she takes
it off it means he's gone down about
Richmond. That white shirt means
Hill, and when she moves it up to the
west end of the line Hills corps has
moved up the stream. That red one is
Stonewall he's down OIL the right now,
and if he moves she will move that red
shirt"
One morning Dabney came in and re-
ported a movement over there. "But,'
says he, "it don't amount to anything.
They're just making believe"
An officer went out to look at the
clothes line telegraph through his field
glass. There had been quite a shifting
over there among the army fannels
"But how do you know. but there is
something in it?"
"Do you see those two blankets pin
ned together at the bottom ?" asked
Dabney.
eyes, but what of it ?" said the Off
GER.
"Why that's her way of making IA
fish-trap; and when she pins the clothes
together that way it means that Lee is
only trying to draw us into his fish
trap"
As long as the two armies lay watch
ing each other on opposite banks of the
stream, Dabney, with his clothes line
telegraph, continued to be one of the
promptest and most reliable of General
Hooker's scouts.-Frank Moore's Ancc-
dotes.
How to Bring Up Children.
There are two things parents should