, 1880-12-04

One of the most rurr afsabh private sod
d;ers on either side OF the late war wss 4
young man named Tom KELLEY, private
in the Second Michigan infantry. The
remarkable began with ms build. He had
no more backbone than a snake, and could
almost tie himself IN a knot He could
tell the date On silverquarter held twenty
feet away, and he could hear every word
of a CONVERSATION in n comrion tone Of
voice across an ordinary street He could
ruiz half nile Is fast as any officer S horse
could gallcp, sra .here was standing
offer of $40 to any man VINO could hold
him down. On bet Of bon OF sar-
dimes he once passed six sen.inels with
in an hour. On another occasion he en-
tered the Coloners tent and brought away
that officers boots.
When Toms reinGrksble qualifications
were discovered he was detailed ~ a scout
and spy, and was changed from one de-
partment to another. In the capacity OF
spy be entered Redmond three times
He entered Vicksburg and preached a ser
mon TO the soldiers week before the sur
render. He was in New Orleans Sve days
before tha. city was taken He Has man
who firmly believed that he could not be
killed by an enemy, and he governed his
movements accordingly
While under the orders Of Cen Hooker,
Kelley proved on several occasions that
he could see farther With tke naked eye
than any officer with the tield'ala Ii
he could get place of eoncealment within
i'ftF feet Of a picket he could catch the
co,iiiiefsi-n: He visited Lookout Noun
tain, intending b spike As many OF the
confederate guns 4. possible HIS DIS
.ruise was that Of farmer who had been
driven from home by the Union forces.
The enemy somehow got suspicious OF HIM
and he was placed in the suard-house Tor
Tie night There WIS sentinel at the
door, and Others near by Standing guard
over guns and stores, hut IT was all the
same To Kelley. With an old TN plate
for use rs shovel AMI scoop he hurrowed
cut n the back ,nu If the building and
walked up IL two pieces Of artillery ana
spiked both before any alarm sss raised
When the senlireis began firing al hum
he ran ont Of camp, but before he was
clear Of 1t he had been fired on fifty times
Kelley WAS once captured while asleep
br Missouri guerillas. When he opened
his ewes he was surrounded by FIVE or SIX
men on foot and others IN the saddle
II was under tree IN an open field, and
he had been tracked by & dog As he
rose up To their command he resorted To
his wonderful skill as gymnast. b,
dodging jumping and twisting he got out
Of the crowd, pulled man off the Saddle,
aud would have escaped had not the dog
fastened to his le. He was then put un-
der guard in a log house with only one
room Two sentinrls sat at the door With
reyolvers in their hands aud kept watch
Of his every movement. After an hour or
two Kelley approached az if to offer them
tobacco, and jumped clear over their heads
like deer He had half mile at open
field to cross, and he crossed 1t under the
fire of a score of muskets and revoivers
without being hit.
During the three years and halt
in the service Kelley capture4 -hfty-two
confederates and turrcd Them 0yeras Dris-
oners He himself was captured and es-
capped FIVE times. As spy he entered
more than thirty confederate camps and
forts. He was fired on at least 1000
times, and Yet was never wounded. he
had said that he would never die by the
hand of an enemy, and his prophecy came
trne. In the last year of the war. while
bringing captured confederate scout into
camp, both were killed within forty rods
Of the Union lines by a bolt Of lightning.
Detroit Free Press.