The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1879-09-04
A REMARKABLE CAREER.
Romantic Adventures Of Col. S. P.
Grasty, Participant in the Re-
cent Alabama Tragedy.

cent Alabama Tragedy.
The New Orleans Democrat
prints the following interesting
sketch of Col. Grasty:
Col. S. P. Grasty, who was en-
gagged in the recent tragedy at
Opelika, of which telegraphic ac-
count was published in yesterdays
paper, is well known in this city as
a person of remarkable life and some
rare endowments of mind, character
and person. We trust that further
accounts may modify the damaging
character of the circumstances un-
der which he became involved in so
desperate an affray as that describ
ed, wherein he displayed that mar
velous proves which characterized
his wonderfully eventful career as a
soldier, infiicting mortal wounds on
two of his antagonists. Col. Gras
ty is a native of Danville, Virginia,
the son of a wealthy gentleman of
this town, who is an elder in the
Presbyterian Church. The son
was graduate of the Military In
stitute at Lexington, Va, and with
his splendid military figure and car
riage and his great accomplish
ments, especially in language, an
cient and modern, was regarded as
one of the most distinguished
and promising of the eleves of that
institution. At the breaking out of
the war he was an officer in the
Dsnville Artillery, and bore him
self through the campaigns in Vir-
ginia with brilliant courage. Sew
eral times wounded, he was, in one
of the battles, left on the field as
dead---two balls having passed
through his body. Falling into the
hands of the enemy, he slowly re
covered from his wounds and was
taken, as a prisoner, to Boston
Escaping from prison he managed
to disguise himself, and secured
employment as a travelling agent
for newly patented coffee pot,
which he exhibited in public, and
with his wonderful fiuency of
speech and impressive address sue
ceeded in attracting the attention
of crowds and securing large sales
of the new patent. In the course
of his travels in this interest, Gras-
ty reached Louisville, KY, where
he abandoned his mission, and,
passing through the Federal lines,
succeeded in reaching Morgan's
command in South Kentucky and
joined General Basil Dukes bri-
gade. In the stirring campaigns
of Morgan's men, there was no
more brilliant soldier and fighter
than Grasty. Captured in Ohio,
with Morgan's whole command,
Grasty succeeded in escaping from
the OHIO penltentiary by remarka-
BILE presence of mind and desperate
daring. Again captured he was
sent to camp Douglas, near Chica.
| go, where he did not remain long,
but by seizing the musket of the
guard and telling him to the earth,
managed to escape. His third cap
ture brought him to Fort McHenry,
from which he escaped by like ex-
nloltlon of prowess, slaying the
! sentinel, and when outside of the
lines outruning his pursuers.-
Reaching the Potomac at night, he
compelled some negroes to row him
across to the Virginia shore. The
boat bearing him encountered a
Federal ship, and, not halting when
hailed, was fred into and two OF
the men were killed. Grasty man
aged by padding what was left of
the skiff and by swimming to reach
| the Virginia shore. He rejoined
the Confederate army and fought
through to the end of the war. At
ter the war he left the country and
was next heard of as a commission
ed officer in the Spanish army,
where, by virtue of his familiar
use of the Spanish language and
thorough military knowledge, he
arose to the position of Military
Instructor. Disguised With the
slowness of the life of a Spanish
officer, Grasty resigned and joined
an expedition to Mexico to survey
the valley over which the famous
mountain of Popocatapelt towers.
1t was in this excursion he made
the decent into the career of that
famous volcano, and was the hero
Of the exploit discussed some time
ago in an interesting contribution
to Scribner's Monthly, who escaped
so narrowly from suffocation. Re-
turning to the United States Gras-
| ty settled down to business as a
railroad agent, fixed his residence
in Baltimore, where he purchased a
house and owns some property.
OF late he was in the employ OF
our largest grocery houses, and in
this business he was on a VISIT to
Opelika, when the unhappy tragedy
occurred, which was 3elegraphed to
this city on yesterday. 1t would
be cause of infinite modification
to his relatives and friends If the
rumor as to the causes of the affray
in which he manifested that remark
able prowess so often displayed in
honorable and justifiable encoun-
tiers and perrils, should be well
grounded. 1t is but just to sus-
pend, until both sides of the story
are authentically heard, the public
judgement on his conduct.
Classically Drunk.