The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1881-11-26
How a Go federate Scout Heard His
Death Warrant Read While Hiding.

Death Warrant Read While Hiding.
The scout was surrounded. He took
in every thing at a glance and de-
termned to cut his way through and
risk the chances. But the ladies re-
presented TO him that this was certain
death. They could conceal him, and
$ assented. The young lad es
acted promptly. One ran TO the win
dow and asked who was there, while
another closed the back door-that in
front being already fastened. s.
was then hurried up the staircase, one
of the ladies accompanying him to
show him his hiding place. All had
taken place in a few moments, and the
Federal troops gave sudden evidence OF
their estimate OF s.. They fired q
volley through tho front door and
the bullets whistled by the young
ladies. Then the door was burst in
and the troopers swarmed into the
house.
S. had been conducted to gar
ret bare of all furniture, but some
pIanks lay upon the sleepers OF the
ceiling, aud by living down on these
man might conceal himself S
mounted quietly and stretched himself
at fun length, and the young lady re-
tired and returned to the lower floor.
From his perch S then heard all
that was said in the hall beneath.
Where is the guerrilla" exclaimed
the Federal officer commanding the de-
tuChmGnt
What guerrilla?" asked one of the
ladies'
"The rascal $"
"He was here, but he has gone"
"That is untrue" the officer said,
"and am not to be trided with. | shall
search this house But first read the
orders TO the men, he added, turning
to a Sergeant.
The Sergeant obeyed and s. dis
tinCtlv overheard the reading of his
death warrant The paper chronicled
his exploits. denounced him as q guer-
rilla and bushwhacker, and directed
that me should not be taken alive: the
men were expressly ordered to kill him,
not to take him prisoner. This was not
reas5uring to the scout concealed under
the rafters above. 1t was probable that
he would be discovered, in which case
death would follow. There was but
one thing to do to sell his life dearly.
After rinsacking every room on the
first and second floors, the Federal
troops assembled to the garnet. The
ladies had attempted to divert their
attention from it, but one of them
asked:
"What room is that up there?"
"'The garnet. was the reply.
He may be there-show the way
You see the way returned the
young lady. Il do not wish to 90 up
in the dust; it would soil my dress"
"YOu 90 before, then" said the
trooper to a negro girl who had been
mad" to carry about a lighted candle,
for night had come now. The girl
laughed and said: There was nobody
up there" but at the order went up
stairs TO the garnet, followed by the
troopers. The decisive moment had
come. $ heard the trampy feet
and cooked both his pistols, The light
streamed into the garnet, and looking
over the edge of his plank he saw the
garnet filed with troopers. All seemed
over and his discovery certain; he was
about to spring down and fire, when the
men groWled: Curse it! there's moth
ING here" and went down the stairs
again. The servant girl he'd saved him
by ruse. She had taken her stand di-
rectly beneath the broad plank upon
which $ was extended, and the
deep shadow had concealed him. To
this ruse he doubtless owed his life. An
hour afterwards the Federal detachment
lett the house in extreme ill-humor, and
before morning $ was miles away
from the dangerous locality where he
had overheard his sentence of death.
$ is now one of the leading clergy
in Virginia. -- Philadelphia Times.