The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1873-02-28
THE SPY'S DEATH.
49, - - - ~--'
st. Grantien, Before Paris 1870,


"The soldiers were not especially
agreeable, and sergeant lounged up
and sullenly asked if we were "army
followers" Cocoon turned his head
upon him, and Kentucky explained
| We entered the gateway, ahd passed
through'a a long avenue of queerly shaped
trees into kind of inner yard, where
one unwashed veteran was playing the
ACCORDION, and another was grooming O
little melody in unison. There seemed
some commotion in the house; uni
| forms flashed to and fro; rOtund
voice was earnestly giving what seemed
! to me a vivid description of some re-
markable event, and a cultural Sacra-
ment or Donnerwetter calculated
from time to time, led me to conclude
! that the intelligence was not of pleas
ant character. Kentucky, who listened
| intently while he was talking with the
sergeant, who was now very attentive
| to us, gave us a wink from time to time
to signify that he caught the meaning
and when we were lett alone for mo-
ment, he said, hastily
"Well, it seems that the spy over
whom our friend, the major, was so ex~
cited this morning has been seen the
In lines to-day, and a party is now
securing the outposts, and even ven-
tnring between the lines, in hopes of
catching him. Those jabberers in the
house are members of party that mar
rowly escaped capture two hours ago,
venturing after him. The sergeant says
that it's lucky we didn't meet any of the
exploring parties; they might have treat
ed us roughly before we could have ex-
planned"
I was just sitting down on a broken
chair which stood near the porch, and
Cocoon was about to make some re-
sponse to Kentucky, when the sharp re-
port of needle gun broke on the air,
and was Immediately followed by
another In a moment the yard was
filled with the excited soldieTy, many of
whom rushed toward the gate bare
headed. and without their arms. The
cry of Spion! Spion! rang out loudly,
and the men in the yard danced up and
down with Joy. "He is caught this
time" they cfied and we listened
eagerly.
For the next few minutes no noise
was heard outside. The picket-fring
seemed to have suddenly ceased. The
silence became oppressive and we were
glad when the heavy tread of half a
dozen infantrymen was heard, and they
came mp the alley, bearing between
them the form of tall and athletic
man, clad in blush coat and dress
trousers. He had been shot through
the body, and evidently had but a few
hours to live There was sn implor-
ing look upon his features which was
dreadful beyond expression. The face
had been imperious, beautiful, passion
ate; but the pain of deadly wounds
had somewhat softened its naughty
traits, and made it tender as that of
woman. The hands, which were white
and patrician in outline, were clenched
tightly, and the limbs were distorted by
the agony which was fast overwhelming
the life that had evidently been strong
and active. A surgeon came forward
and knelt by the man, as he was laid
upon a mattrass hurriedly brought from
the house but he shook his head half
mournfully, and rose at once.
Whoever he may be, Ire is past pro-
bing," he said.
The man raised his hand feebly, and
let it fall again.
"You see, Herr Hauptman," said a
huge soldier with a shock head of hair
and a bandaged arm, to his captain
g You see that when | ventured outside
the lines, and got this cursed Chassepot
bullet through my wing, it made me
angry; and I determined to have. a
crack at something. So l hid in lit
tie pile of bush that the pioneers had
thrown up, the other day, Just in the
edge of the wood and lay in a kind
of shiver, wonderdering what would
turn up next, and whether my arm
would suffer from being bound so tight
ly, when all on sudden a singular
feeling comes over me, and j look
straight ahead into the edge of the
wood little way off draw my breath
hard, and / swear that ! see a mans
head come up out of the ground, close
to the base of huge tree, and then
pop back like lightning"
The soldiers all draw long breaths,
and looked hard at the dying man. who
had closed his eyes.
"And you see, Herr Hauptman, it
flashed through my mind that it must
be q spy-the sp}J-of course,-or a
ghost. While / am deciding which, up
comes the head again, slowly and eau
tiously, and [ Jump out, and run to-
ward it. But am brought up stand
ing within ten feet of the hole, for there
is an arm pointing a revolver at me, and
90 down on all fours. Then / come
up again Just in time to find that the
man is out of the hole, and running for
the thieket. I am afraid / shall lose
him in the mist so ] call out once, and
Sacrament / fire, he does not stop.
Just as fire, some one drops him from
the other side. And in the hole there
were all these papers, hid where one
would hardly suspect in the middle of
a huge stone which seemed perfectly
solid but which had been sawed in two.
Do you really think it is the right
man?
The captain was examining the papers
and his face glowed with Joy. This
Is perhaps a great victory" he said
cit probably saves many lives, but
there is nothing very definite. We
have this end of the underground rail
road to Versailles, and to the French
armies below Orleans :" and he hardly
noticed the dying man.
A convulsive shudder passed over
the pale face upturned on the bloody
mattress. Cocoon knelt down beside
the dying man, and gazed earnestly and
reverently. Suddenly the eyes unclosed
the hands were raise to the neck, and
one of them convulsively clenched n
Iocket. which had been hidden under
the clothing. The spasnodic strength
of the fast-failing man tore the locket