The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1882-06-15
sEwARD's ASSASSIN.
A Strange Reveletion-who "Paynev Real
ly Was.

Lewis Payne, formerly United States
Attorney FOR Wyoming Territory, was
put to considerable trouble in bis youth
because Booths fellow. .conspirator, who
attempted to kill Mr.. Seward, assumed
his name Mr.. Payne's interest in the
assassination has caused him to search
closely into the history of that remark.
able person. Mr. Payne says:
Poweli was also one of the men who
made the celebrated calico raid in the
Valley in the fall of 1864, when train
load OF calico was captured and the
calico strewn all over tie country for
miles around. In retaliation for shoot.
ing Gen. Hunters men, soldier named
Anderson and several others were cap.
tured and shot by the Federals at Front
Royal. The speed of Powell's mare was
all that saved his neck from being
stretched on that occasion. He escaped
with seventeen bullet holes through his
clothing. On one OCCASION the house in
which Powell was stopping was surround.
Cd by the kederals, when Powell blacked
his face with lampblack and walked out
OF the house. One of the soldiers re.
marked: "That is o d-n tall Niger"
and let him pass on without molestation.
might give q great many incidents of
this kind in the career and adventures of
Powell, but it is unnecessary. Such
things occur in the lives of many soldiers.
Powell had the reputation Of having
killed great many men, and when any
desperate matter was to be undertaken he
was selected.
On one occasion Powell captured q
sutler near Orleans, with wagon load
OF tin cups and ginger cakes. After the
war the sutler, whose name was Tomasen,
settled in Fauquier. In describing his
experiences with Powell, the old man
used TO say that he made him drive
through the woods and up into the Cob.
bier Mountains, where goat could hard
ly climb. There they stayed until the
Union army moved away, when Powell
distributed his goods and wares to the
people in the neighborhood. For some
time afterwards everybody was munching
ginger cakes and every negro had G new
tin cup, n luxury they had not enjoyed
"afore God, massa, since de wah !" The
old fellow never failed to wind up his
narrative with "Mein Got, mein Got | he
was SO clever NIT my goods, he gives 'em
every tam bit away" Powell's favorito
mare was blood bag. This animal had
q habit of foaming at the mouth and ex-
posing the whites of her eyes. Mounted
on this mare this strange man "rode fast
and far to share wars fiercest perils."
The people here in Virginia who remem-
Der Powell, as he appeared twenty years
ago, with his pale face, slouched hat and
mysterious wavs, mounted on that bay
mare, dashing and splashing through the
woods, across fields, over bitches and
fences, by day, at night, and through all
kinds of weather, almost believe that he
must have been stray knight from the
Black Forest
There is one incident in the strange
and hayward life of Lewis Powell which
had almost forgotten to relate. An old
man named Elias Corder became violent
ly insane in Upper Fauquier. He lis now
in the asylum at Staunton, AID will prob
ably never lnow how he got there.
Powell had been on q raid, and returning
late one stormy night stopped at an old
vacant church near Corder's house, spread
down his blanket on the floor and was
soon fast asleep. All of sudden he was
awakened by crash of thunder and savs
by the Pickering lightning an object
standing near him. He got up and tried
to find the door, but was either too ex-
cited or too little acquainted with the
place TO find it in the dark. The noise
he made started old Corder into singing
and shrieking. Powell did not know
what to do. Another flash and he saw
the figure coming towards him. He had
lost his pistol in the darkness. There
was no time to look for it. The maniac
was advancing. Another flash Of light
ming and he found himself in q hand tc
hand encounter at midnight in deserted
church with maniac. The noise made
by Powell aud old Corder, who had wan
dered off in his night clothes and was
having his "devotions" all to himself
aroused some Of the neighbors, who, or
going to the church, found that Powell
had old Corder down and was sitting or
him, aud would occasionally give the ole
mans head bump against the floor t
subdue him. Powell was badly scratched
and bitten, but with the assistance of tn,
neighbors, Powell succeeded in tyint
the old man, and the next day he wa
delivered TO the county authorities ant
placed in Jail at Warrenton.
PowELL's ROMANCE.
During the cannonading of Jackson
a shell entered the gable end Of hous,
on the Valley Pike, exploded. struck .
bureau at which young lady was dress
off large wedge-shaped piece of th,
the right shoulder blade. The same da,
| young Confederate soldier was brough
to the house by some of his companions
shot through the lungs. The name O
the girl was Lily Bowie, the name of tn
soldier was Lewis Powell. Miss Bowl
was the daughter of gentleman from
| Alabama, who had married a Virgins
lady. Under these singular circum
stances these two young Southern peopl
met in Virginia, wounded almost unit
death, and formed an attachment TO
each other which only ended when tn
one breathed out the last of life upon tn
scaffold in Washington, and the othe
returned broken. hearted woman to he
far.away home in the South.
THE MEETING WITH BOOTH.
When Powell had recovered from hi
wound he went to Richmond as q guar
10 some prisoners. While in Richmon
he attended the theatre for the first tim
in his life. John Wilkes Booth, who wa
in Richmond at that time, appeared i
the cast. Powell was so delighted W..
Booths acting that he sought his &C
quaintance and gained it. At that tim
Booth was engaged in his plan to abduc
the President of the United States an
his Cabinet. He saw in Powell materil
to be used in his plot. AS Burr woun
himself into the open heart of the Ut
fortunate Blennerhassett by the eleganc
of his manners, tho beauty of his cor
versation and the power of his eloquenct
30 Booth infused the venom OF MS ow
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