The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1882-01-05
Saved By a Shadow.

How One Of Mosby's Scouts nee He FL
His Own Death War;. mt Re d.
J. Esten Cooke, in the Philadelphia Weekly
| Press.
The scout was surrounded. He took
in everything at a glance and deter
mined to cut his way through and risk
the chances. But the ladies represent
ed to him that this was certain death.
They could conceal him. and s. as
sented. The young ladies acted prompt
! ly. One ran 10 the window and asked
! who WAS there. while another closed
the back door, that in front being al
ready fastened. s. was then hur-
ried up the staircase, one of the ladies
accompanying him to show him his hid
| ing place. All had taken place in q
few moments. and the Federal troops
gave sudden evidence of their estimate
| of s.. They fired volley through
the front door. and the bullets whistled
BY the young ladies. Then the door
was burst in and the troopers swarme,l
into the house.
s. had been conducted to garret,
bare of all furniture, but some planks
lay upon the sleepers of the ceiling. and
by laying down on these man might
conceal himself s. mounted quietly
and stretched himself Mt full length,
and the young lady retired ami returned
to the lower floor. From his perch
s. then heard all that was said in the
hall beneath.
'Where is that guarrilla?" exclaimed
the Federal officer commanding the
detachment. 7:',iq
'.What guerrila?" asked one of the
ladies'.
1.-The rascal So
He was here, but he has gone'
''This is untrue,'' the officer said,
''and am not to be trifled with. I
shall search this house. But first read
the orders to the men," he added. turn
ing to a Sergeant.
The Sergeant obeyed, and s. dis
tinctly overheard the reading of his
death warrant. The paper chronicled
his exploits. denounced him as a guer-
rilla and bushwhacker, and directed
that he should not be taken alive: the
mon We're expressly ordered to kill him,
not to take him prisoner. This was not
reassuring to the scout concealed under
the rafters above. 1t was probable that
he would be discovered. in which case
death would follow. There was one
thing to do-to sell his life dearly. Az
ter rausacking every room on the first
floors, the Federal troops assembled to
the garret. The ladies had attempted
to divert their attention from it, but one
of them asked:
'tWhat room is that up there?''
1.-The garrett" was the reply.
''He may be there-show the wayr'
lyon see the way" returned the
young lady. 81 do not wish to 90 up
in the dust; it would soil my dress.''
.''You 60 before. them" said the troop
er to the negro girl, who had been
made to carry about lighted candle.
for night had come on now.
The girl laughed and said:
There is nobody up there" but at
the order went up stairs to the garrett,
followed by the troopers.
The decisive moment had come.
s. heard the trampy feet, and cooked
both his pistols. The light streamed
into the garret, and looking. over the
edge of his plank he saw the garret fill
with troopers. All seemed over, and
his discovery certain. He was about to
spring down aud fire, when the man
growicd:
"Hell! there's nothing here" and
went down again.
The servant girl had saved him by
ruse. She had taken her stand directly
beneath the broad plank upon which
s. was extended, and the deep
shadow had concealed him. To this
ruse he doubtless owed his life. An
hour afterward the Federal detachment
left the house in extreme i'll humor. and
before the morning s. was miles
away from the dangerous locality where
he had overheard his sentence of death.
s. is now one of the most prominent
clcrgy1nen in Virginia.