The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1872-12-03
Trapping a Spy.
ny NJ. QUAD.

that my man had disappeared IN q quarter
of the city where resided several families
strongly suspected of aiding the Confeder-
ates by collecting and sending them infor-
nation. This was something of clue to
aid me in finding him again, as he would
naturally be in colluson with the suspected
families. III did not again encounter him
at the hotels or cafes, | must haunt the
suspected neighborhood until catching him
going or coming. Not believing that he
would connect ''the captain with the note
of warning, did not change my disguise
again for two or three days.
! called at the hotels, went to the the
atres, dropped in at saloons, visited several
gambling dens, and at the end the third
day had failed TO find him. This convinc-
ed me that he was excepting dark" and
had adopted some other method of securing
knowledge. Thinking he might avoid the
military, / resumed my citizens dress, and
as a last change had " clean shave, y re-
moved the court-plaster, and came out as a
young man with plenty of money and little
to do. In this capacity, visited the de-
partment offices, the capitol, all the places
of amusement, and strolled up, and down,
and around, and used up three days more
without again catching sight of my man.
had almost come to the conclusion that
he had left the city, when found him.
was within block of where / had fallen
over the negro's cart, and it was the mid
die Of the afternoon, when / concluded to
take lunch, and hurried into the first
place could see which had sign out. 1t
proved to be very popular resort of idlers,
as well as hungry people. The room was
well filed with army men and citizens;
walters were passing around with stews
and wine, and the proprietors were evident
ly doing good business. l sat down at
the only vacant table, took up paper and
waited for some one to serve me. When
the waiter came, said "oysters," without
raising my eyes from the paper, and could
not have told whether he was black or
white.
When the man came back with the dish,
he tripped over one of my feet, and
although he placed the dish on the table
without having spilled its contents, the
spoon was shaken out and dropped under
the table. He stopped down to pick it up,
and my eyes left the paper to see mole
below the right ear! He was gone after
another spoon before / had drawn two
breaths, but was then just as sure that /
had found my spy as l was the night saw
him searched in the Old Capital Prison.
There was hardly chance that he would
recognize me in my new role and so when
he came back had good look at him.
There could be no mistake. He had an
apron n,his jewelry was gone, his auburn
mustache had been to the barber's for a
change to black, but his face was the face
of spy, and the mole was there as q
clincher The warning had only served
to render him little more prudent. He
had deserted the hotels, and taken place
in the service Of a citizen who was no doubt
in the ring" thinking in this way to
battle further efforts to hunt him down.
Looking around the room and listening a
moment to the conversation, was con-
vinced that my man had lost nothing by
the change. There were dozen captains
and coonels in the place, all talking in loud
tones, and all any one need do to secure in.
formation was to listen. Some Of them
were wagering that the army would move
in month, some were talking of peace,
others limited that great cavalry raid was
about to come off, and each one seemed ak
ious to tell all he knew, and a great dea
more.
Looking from spy to spy, l saw that
each one was close listener. / sat so thai
/ could see behind his bar, and during
moment when he had no customer, / saw
him making pencil marks on card in
sly manner. One of the officers had jus
blurted out that thirty thousand volunteer
troops were expected to arrive in Washing
ton during the first week in March, and
believe that the bartender joted down th
statement. If I had gone over to the off
Ger and reproached him with being impru
dent or ..criminally reckless, the chance
were that would have been knocked dow
for what he and his brother officers woul'
have termed my "d-d impudence." s.
/ watched.
During the half hour required for me t
eat my stew and drink glass Of beer,
saw enough to convince me that ha
afup, hlad nm tha head nuartaTa of fin
Washington secessionists. Having foun
them, how was / to go to work I
break up the rascals? ] might have theI