The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-07-21
THE STORY OF A CLERK.
Washington Special to New York Tribune.

chief inspector of the Postoffice Department,
said: II know Miss Van Lew very we'll.
made her personal acquaintance the day
Richmond fell, but hal known of her long
before that. When General Grant had his
headquarters at City Point we used to re-
ceive the Richmond newspapers in time for
breakfast every morning through the kind
ness of Miss Van Lew. OF course the news
papers we're very interesting, and to con-
siderable extent valuable, but other intelli-
gence received from the same source was of
much greater Importance. Miss Van Lew
had friend-a trusty Union man-who was
acl9rk in the Acknowledgements department
at Richmond, where he had access to the re-
tuins showing the strength of the rebel regi-
ments, brigades, divisions and corps. their
movements, and where they were stationed.
From him invaluable information found ITS
way to General Grant regularly through Miss
Van Lewis instrumentality. She also had
a man in the engineer department, and he
made beautifully accurate plans of the rebel
defenses around Richmond and Petersburg,
which were promptly forwarded to General
Grant
Then Miss Van Lew got young Ross a
nephew of Franklin Stearns. the rich Union
ist of Richmond. appointed to an Office in
Libby Prison. Ross helped great many of
our officers to escape from that horrible
place. and so well did he play his part that
not only was he not suspected by the Con-
federates but the most of our boys in the
prison who did not escape considered him
one of the most brutal of their jailers, and
when the end came would have been very
glad TO put an end to him. Several years ago
| met Captain Lounsbery, who had been
confined in Libby, and he asked me about
Ross, who died several years ago. Lounsbery
said that one afternoon Ross came into the
prison as usual to call the roll, cursing the
d Yankees, and, as he passed him, said in a
low tone, Be in my Office at $50 tonight
make of this, but he determined
to find out what it meant To
his surprise he had no difficulty
in getting to the Office past several guards.
Once there he found Ross, who gruffly said;
See here, l have concluded to try you and
see if you can do cooking. Gro in there and
look around. See what you can find and |
will see to your case after WHILE Louns-
berry went into back room, where he found
a complete Confederate uniform hanging
over chair. He took in the situation in
stantly and dOnned the uniform as speedily
as possible and walked back into the office,
which he found vacant. and stepped outinto
the street. The guard did not stop him, and
he had walked only few steps from the door
when black man accosted him and asked if
he desired to find the way to Miss Van Lewis
house. He replied that he did, and was guild
ed to her residence on Church Hill, where he
was secreted until an opportunity was found
to get him out of Richmond. He got of
safely and came into our lines.
Miss Van Lew kept two or three bright,
sharp colored men on the watch near Libby
Prison, who were ALWAYS ready to conduct
an escaped prisoner to place of safety. Not
all of them were secreted at her house-for
safe nj of in
Richmond supported by her means. When
Colonel Streight of Indiana, and his COM
panions dug their way out of Libby, he and
several of his comrades were secreted for sew
eral days in the house of a man named
Quarles which was situated across a ravine
only few hundred yards from and in full
view of the mansion occupied by Jefferson
Davis. But Miss Van Lew was the guiding
spirit, and she it was who took upon herself
the dangerous duty of providing means of
maintenance and escape for such of our men
as were so fortunate as to escape from the
horrible walls of Libby"
How did she manage to open and keep up
correspondence with General Grant,"
We'll, she had farm in the country, on
the other side of the james river from us and
below Richmond Every day two of her
trustv negro servants drove into Richmond
with something to sell-milk, chickens, gar
den truck etc. These negroes wore great,
strong brogans with soles of immense thick
ness made by a Richmond shoemaker whose
name will not give, because he is still lv-
ing and doing business in that city Shoes
we're pretty scarce in the Confederacy in
those days but Miss Van Lewis servants had
two pairs each, and changed them every day
They never wore out of Richmond in the
afternoon the same shoes they wore into the
city in the morning. The soles of these shoes
were double and hollow, and in them were
carried through the lines letters maps, plans
a., a
Grant at City Point, the next morning. The
communication was kept up at our end by
means of steam launch which used to land
a scout-usually Kearney-on the opposite
side of the James early in the night. Before
daylight he would communicate with Miss
Van Lewis messenger and return to our side
OF the river.
When we got the news that the Confeder-
ates were eyacnating Richmond, General
Grant, who was at the 'front.' before Peters
burg sent back dispatch to Colonel Ely S.
Parker, of his staff, to go into the city at
once and see that order was preserved and
that all of Miss Van LEWIS wants were sup
piled. / accompanied him and went imme-
diately to Mics Van Lewis house to carry out
General Grants orders. The house was filled
with Union people. Among them was young
Ross, who said he wanted to keep out of
sight as some of our men who had been
prisoners in Libby had declared they would
kill him OH sight Miss Van Lew had also
another refugee. She was the possessor of a
Tbuckskin" horse, a sorry animal and
when the rebel authorities issued an
order during the last days of the
seize to seize all private horses and mules for
artillery service, she had secreted this animal
in her reomy mansion, having carefully pad
ded the walls of the room with bed-clothing,
SO that no noise should betray his presence
A day or two before the surrender mob
went to her place determined to destroy her
house. She appeared and soon recognized
some of the men in the crowd. She ad-
dressed them, admitting that she had been
in Communication with Mr.. Grant I can
tell you, too said She that Mr. Grant will
be In this city within twenty-four hours, and
if you harm me or burn single stick of my
property you will suffer. Your house, MI