The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1880-06-18
CONFEDERATE SPY.
How "a Negro Confederate Spy
was Arrested Aftcr the War
and Sold Into Slavery I'm
Cuba.
Washington Miss. } Gazette.

Washington Miss Gazette.
In 1868 General Pemberton com,
manded at this point. Col. Hem
ingway owned faithful slave
Peytoa by name, a noted negro
fiddler, known for miles around.
and highly respected by both blach
and white. When his young mas
ter, w. Lynn Hemingway, at pres
ent State treasurer of Mississippi,
joined the old Carroll rities,n he
took Peyton along as a trusted
servant. He went with him into
Virginia and returned home in
1868. Iu February or March OF
that year a faithful spy was needed
to visit the Federal gunboats then
coming down the river on Fort
Pemberton. Peyton mt once under
took the mission, and representing
himself as "a fugitive slave to the
commanders of the boats was we'll
received. Being bright tar beyond
ordinary, he managed to secrete
their official papers, maps, etc, and
escaped with these documents to
Fort Pemberton. After the fall of
Nicksburg, IN July following, Pey.
Ton went with his young master
again TO Virginia, where he re-
manned until the surrender of Gen.
Lee. The former being compelled
to remain u number of days there
after, in order to comply with the
iormalilIes of the Surrender, sent
ppyton ahead of him to his home,
near Carrollton, Miss. On his way,
however, he was betrayed to the
enemy by some Confederate us the
spy who had deceived them above
Fort Pemberton, was captured and
carried in irons to New York,
thence TO Cuba, and sold as q slave,
together with many others. The
vessel on which he was taken was
4 Federal gunboat. In Cuba he
worked as a slave in factories for
nearly fifteen years, being entirely
cut of from all communication with
home aud friends. lie made seven
attempts to escape from bondage,
all but the last. of course, being
unsuccessful. Finally he found an
American vessel commanded by a
Southerner, to whom he related the
history of his capture, enslavcment
and forced exile, and begged to be
returned to his home aud family.
The Captain seereted him in the
hold OF his vessel, carried him to
Costa lsica, thence to New York.
Peyton then worked his way TO
Virginia, where a number of ladies
raised the means to return him to
his home after an absence of seven
teen years. He reached Winona,
Miss, on the 10th of April, 1880.
Pcyton says that numbers of
mulatto women are being constant
~ sold in Cuba as slaves. North
ern men marry them, take them to
Cuba "on a bridal tourn and there
sell them us cooks aud fancy house
servants. lie saw one sold last
fall, by the man who married her,
fol $500 and further, that as he
came through Cincinnation his way
home he saw the man, and recog-
nized him, who sold her in Cuba.
The facts above given are from one
OF the most reliable and responsible
gentlemen is Mississippi, written
to u distinguished member of con.
gress from that State. Closing his
letter, he says of Peyton:
lie was delighted TO again meet
his wife, who had married in his
long absence, though her second
husband was drowned several
months ago. Hence, he found her
a widow. With both husband and
wife it was like q return to life from
death. Peyton is an exceedingly
intelligent negro, and says he can
hardly realize the changes that
have taken place. He left his chill
dren babes, and finds them married
aud with children OF their own"
Ii any one doubts the truth of
this story he or she can write to
Capt. Il. Il. Jones, Winona, Miss,
or to q. Y. +. Merriwether, Oak
land, Yalobusba county, same
State.