Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1883-09-01

saved me great deal OF trouble and
worry. My name is Ashby, and i
am much pleased to know you your
name is
"Clendennin, sir"
OF the Clendennins down Fairfax
way p
Eyes, sir.n
Il am gratifed to have met you
| have met one or two of the family
occasionally. Will you join me in
something to our better acquain-
lance ?"
We drank, had dinner, and my
horse being fed | started down the
Harper's Ferry road; but before I
got to Halltown, turned to the left
and after riding some five or six
miles up to near the line of the Bal
timore 81 Ohio railroad, put up with
another friend not yet suspected by
the Confederates. Here | staid till
Wednesday when | was startled out
of my serenity. My friend had been
over to Halltown and there had seen
both Ashby and Bateman who were
cursing everything black and blue
about fellow named Clendennin,
who had been in Charlestown on
Sunday and told Ashby he knew
Captain Bateman. The whole
thing was an unmitigated lie.
and they were going to have that in
fernal Yankee spy-for that was
what they believed he was-if he
was above ground.
To have it thus forced in upon
your consciousness that two active
and determined men, with plenty
more at their command, are deter
mined to have you alive or dead and,
who would infinitely prefer the latter,
is not calculated to excite emotions
of the most pleasurable character.
at least I know it didn't have that
effect upon me. In addition to this
l learned that the whole Confeder-
ate force at Harper's Ferry was
going up to give General Patterson
battle if he attempted to cross the
Potomac at Williamsport, There
was no chance for me to run for the
liver. My only hope lay in keeping
back in the country and making for
the Potomac above North Mountain,
the way had come.
1t was about O'Clock when |
babe my friend good 'byeand started.
l kept to the main road, but watch
ed narrowly every cross-road and
bridle-path that | approached. AL
most opposite an old brick school
house some two miles out from
Charlestown on the Middleway road
the road | was on passed through
piece of thick woods and came out
on the main road by deep cut. AS
I left the cut I looked down the hill
toward Charlestown and my hair
flew up quicker than a negro min
strel's spring scare wig.
Ye powers there was Turner
Ashby plodding along toward me on
tall, -boned bay house. His
head was down aud he was apparent
ly in deep thought. | began to move
off lively up the hill. Ashby sud-
denly look up and yelled
Hello Clendennin Mr. Glen
denim, | want to seey you moment
and | could hear his horses feet
falling on the sun baked earth like
a shovelful Of peas into an empty
dry goods box and imagined it was
the rattle of the gravel on my coffin.
leaned forward, yelled in Veloc'
ipede'S ear ike Commacne ana In
five SECONDS had made up my mind
that Ashby had no pistol, orr would
be dead already, and that this thing
merely reduced itself to a question
of horsefesh. Up the hill we went
at q rate | never dreamed a horse
oo,ld ro INIT the paunt bay was
gaining with the certainty of fate.
When we reached the summit, his
horse was even with my horses tail
and he crawled up slowly until his
nose was even with my stirrup, and
then came a demoniac yell in my
ear:
oh, you id Yankee spy!"
Then my hat flew wildly out
ahead of me, and my whole side felt
- a.