Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-06-29
WAR TELEGRAPHING.

north bank Of the Rappahannock, opposite
what was to be to the Union soldiers the dis
astrous field of Fredericksburg. On the bank
of the river, in the extreme front of the Union
line, stood the house Of Mrs. Gray, long,
rambling stone building, whose front of three
stories faced the river The roof sloped steep
ly toward the rear, while the stone side was but
one story high. Mrs. Gray herself, an elderly
widow, received the Union advance with
every demonstration Of welcome, and in the
course of time it became a favOrite rendez-
vOus for young officers. A prime cause for
this, aside from Mrs. Gray's cheerful hearth
and good fare, was the beauty of her daughter
Sallie, brunette of perhaps twenty years.
A young lieutenant was badly wounded by
those batteries, and spent all his spare time
at the feet of the fair Southerner, who profess
sed such sympathy with the Union cause.
Late one rainy night a sentinel pacing
back and forth before the stone front of the
Gray house heard faint but sharp noise
cutting the air. 1t sounded like the click of
a telegraph instrument and it seemed to come
from beneath his feet. Greatly perplexed he
called the sergeant of the guard. They lis
tened carefully and were presently Joined by
the gallant lover of Sallie Gray. Conviction
of treachery smote his heart and with the
sergeant he uncerenlonously entered the Gray
dwelling Saile and her mother, despite the
late hour, were busily sewing by table in the
siting-room. The ladies rose in apparent sur
prise and Indignation at the intrusion.
'Step aside if you please" said the SER
geant.
"What does this mean 2" asked Mrs Gray
sharply.
Frank, l appeal to you for protection"
cried the young lady to the lieutenant. That
officer could only shake his head and sternly
wave her aside. ''You are false. You have
deceived me-" he said hoarsely, as the girl
who had promised to be his bride sank sobbing
upon a sofa.
The soldiers could hear the ticking more
plainly now. They moved the table, lifted
the carpet, and discovered a trap-door leading
to cellar of whose existence they had no sus-
picion. A light below was instantly quench-
ed, but they fearlesSly descended and discovered
a tegeraph instrument with an insulated wire
running through the cellar wall, and evident
ly passing under the river to the enemy on the
opposite side. CrOuching in corner was the
| OPERATOR a young and handsome man, who
had never before been seen about the house,
having lived for days in the cellar. ''You
are my prisoner from the sergeant brought
the distressed wall from poor Sallie of My
husband oh, my husband" The heart Of the
| Union lieutenant went back once more to the
girl he left behind him.
But notwithstanding the detection of this
line of communication, the enemy seemed to
know every movement of the Union troops.
1t was a mystery to the officers how they
gained their knowledge. There were no more
telegraph wires, and there was no passing
across the river. at last the mystery was
solved. Within the Union lines, but in sight
of the enemy, there stood a low frame house
occupied by a negro who did washing for the
soldiers. He hung his clothes to dry in the
front yard but it was noticed that in the
porch there hung three flannel shirts, one red
and one white and one blue. The negro said
they were his Union cOlors. But the shirts
were not always in the same position, and Il
suspicious sergeant finally became convinced
that the negro used them to signal across the
Rappahannock. The arrest of the negro and
the effectual use of the shirt to deceive instead
of to inform the enemy followed.
At another time the army of the Potomac
were nearing Berlin, Virginia. To receive
orders in the rear the troops had laid ten
woods, now beneath the leaves and again
among the tree-tops 1t was impossible to
picket the entire line, and large part of it
was exposed; but it was thought to he effect
ually concealed. A scout lying i'll ambush one
day heard a sound like the ticking Of clock.
Creeping forward, he was astOnished to see
a 'Johnny'' in his gray uniform sitting on the
ground and chucklng to himself, and busiy
writing. The scout sprang to his feet and
leveling his revolver, said to the laughing
rebel: "What are you doing here 20 II sur
render" was the chagrined reply, the smiles
suddenly disappearing. The scout discovered
that the rebel had cut the wire and had con-
nected the ends with loop running into a
clock, the electricity securing the escapement
so that the messages licked themselves plainly
into the rebels ear. The ingenious machine
was captured with the rebel.-Philddelphi
Press.
SOUTHERN FLowERs.-Magnoia blossoms
are sight to be remembered, whole trees
full of the splendid things, pale, creamy, and
gistening. In full bloom some of the flowers
are nearly foot in diameter. The Towering
pomegranate rises into into gOOd-szed tree,
fifteen to twenty feet high. The finest variety
of flowers are of a brilliant, burning red color.
You remember the little corral plant, with its
dusky-red poke-bonnet shaped flowers. This
favorite little shrub likewise becomes tree
in the South. 1t is found in nearly all the
yards and grounds as common us lllacS around
pretty, old-fashion Northern homes. Here,
too, is that marvellous shower of perfumes,
the rare, sweet, fragrant olive, growing large
and luXuriant, like the pOmegranate and coral
| tree The cluna tree is as large us All elm,
and bears flowers like lilac blossom. An
other fine towering tree is the viburnum, and
still another beauty, the Mexican url. In
deed the towering trees and Shrubs OF the
South seem innumerable. There are the same
profusiOn and variety of ornamental climbers
Sweet-scented hOneysuckes wander at will
| in full bloom. At thousands Of pretty homes
the columns and fronts Of verandas are densely
covered with the jessamine vine, bearing thou
sands of flowers This beautiful jeSsamine
thriveS like a Northern morning-glory i'll june
1t covers fences and archwayS and everything
else the human fancy may cOntrlve for 1t TO
grow on. There are several varieties or 1t,
both climbers and shrubs-the rarely pertum-
ed cape jessamine we know in the North, then
the star, the spiral, the yellow, and doubtless
others still. The snowy scarlet abutilon grows
to size and in a profusion unknown with
us. So do this hibiscus and the amaryis. In
a word, nearly every rare plant we admire
most and treasure and pot in our greenhouses
| is found here outdoors and in size and aDun-
dance that look like luXuriance gone crazy.
So far as | could discover, only a few plants,
such as the heliOtrope, ever need protection
from the frost.
TIE BRIDGE OF SIGHs.-A correspondent
describing, his first walk in Venice says: "At
every few yards Il waterway runs into the
main artery, and You have to mount the steps
| to the arched bridge. On one of these bridges
| there is All excellent view Of the Bridge of
! Sigls rising above the same canal. Then by
a few steps, and you are standing by the BEAU