The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-08-29
A Soldiers : Elections of a Night
Chase A : diana Copperheads.
The Fam y tile of Pogues Run Recalled
and Jne tory ola Midnight Ride
Told by a Participant.
Senator Hoar Responds to Schurz's
Charges Against James G. Blaine.
Results Of the Democratic Attempts to White
wash the Buffalo Scandal-No Need
to Worry About Butler,
AN INCIDENT OF ,es.
A Soldiers Recollections of q Chase After
Copperheads.

Copperheads.
Correspondence of the Indianapolis Journal.
CoNNERsvILLE, Aug. 2S-While conversing
with young physician of this city, yesterday /
learned from him that during his service as
private soldier in the late war for the Union, he
had some experience with Indiana copperheads,
while in camp at Indianapolis, awaiting orders
to the field. He entered the service in 1863, as a
sort of ''stowaway" volunteer, being only seven
teen at the time of his enlistment His regi-
ment was the Third Indiana Cavalry, and shortly
after organization it was quartered in Camp Car
rington. While the new recruits were
awaiting orders at the capital, the
safety of the city was suddenly, but not unex-
pectedly, menaced by that notorious Democratic
uprising politely termed the mass meeting of
| 1868. Having casually mentioned that | was
present at the capture of the Shelbyville train,
at Pogues run, the veteran remarked that he
was on duty that day in the capital CITY, and
that the soldiers hourly expected collision with
the motley mob Of bowling disaffectonists that
filed the town. It is his expressed opinion that
| two circumstances prevented bloody and ter
rible riot on that day--the heroic vigilance of
Governor Morton and the want of resolute
leader on the part of the copperheads. During
our conversation the veteran gave me the fol-
lowing reminescence, substantially:
'Being mere boy" he began, II was SO
wholly occupied with the thoughts of being
Union soldier, that did not fully take in all
that was happening around me. looked upon
the presence of numerous rebel sympathizers in
my native State as an Inevitable evil, and had
the preposterous impudence at that time to think
they all ought to be shot or hung. OF course
did not dream, then, that one of their leaders
would in after years conduct the leading Demo
cratic paper Of the State; that another who lent
them his guilty aid and sympathy, would, in a
short time, eat his own reasonable words like
hungry dog, and get into the United States SEN
ate; and that still another would within decade,
succeed the lamented and heroic Morton,
as Governor of our State, and subsequently
aspire twice to reach the next highest Office in
the gift of the American people!"
81 have often wondered, said the Doctor re-
fectively, lin case the Democrats should come
/ into full power in the United States, and it
! should finally devolve upon a Democratic his
torian to write the annals of the great American
rebellion, whether the battle of Pogue's run
would figure very conspiciously in that history;
the notorious conspiracy whose plans were to be
carried out that day; and whether our children
would be permitted to know what a deadly peril
hung over the capital city all day long, and into
| the night
II spoke of my comparative ignorance, as a
soldier lad and private, Of the operations of
our alert war Governor in this State during that
eyentful year-ls63 / will relate an incident
| that occurs to my recollection like weird and
half-forgotten dream:
Zone night about midnight a squad of u.s.
consisting of about twelve privates, commanded
think, by Lieutenant Langsdale, who is now, /
hear running Republican paper somewhere in
the State were quietly aroused from our slum-
| bers and ordered TO mount. We rode silently
out of the city, taking if | remember Alright, a
| south road, under guide of two United States
detectives, who were masked. We were under
strict orders not to speak word, and the only
sound that broke the stiffness of the night was
the dull clatter of our horses hoofs and the
metallic rattle of our sabers as we rode slowly
along the deserted highway. After reaching q
distance of perhaps three miles beyond the sub
urbs of the city. our guides suddenly called our
| attention to light burning brightly mile or
so ahead, apparently in the center of the road.
| We approached it with caution, and as we drew
! quite near we were startled with the queer spec
tacle of large log heap. forming sturdy bon
fire. and built sure enough right in the middle of
| the highway. Obeying whispered command,
the soldiers parted files, each man hanging in
| ward Comanche fashion, with his leg over the
saddle In this shape we passed the
| burning log heaps in safety and
4 then resumed our upright positions
| in the'saddles. Half mile further on we were
halted and quietly ordered to take to the fence
corners. This done, one of the detectives walked
| ahead q short distance and approached the door
/ of hut that we could see dimly outlined over
/ in the field to the left. We heard him knock
-. sol~1
noise as the low hum of voices indicated that he
! was comforting with the inmates In a few min
utes the detectives returned, and an order i'm
mediately followed directing us to mount quick
! " form in double lines, and ride forward like
the devil" The command was obeyed with
alacrity and away we galloped like
the wind With this order caution
was partly abandoned, and as we swept
past the hut, our leader with an angry in.preca-
tion, called our attention to awhite object flying
diagonally across the field, evidently making for
| point to the left ahead.
Hurry, or the scoundrel will beat MS to the
| den!p shouted the officer; and in an instant it
flashed upon us that the detective had played
the spy with the denizen of thehut, who, on dis
covering the trick, had rushed out in his night
dress to warn the Knights of the Golden Circle,
hard by, that the Union soldiers were upon
| them
ION we sped with reckless disregard Of cav
airy order till all at once galloped plump into
| a brush, at the turn of the road which we could
not see in the darkness. Happily,
we extricated ourselves without serious acci-
dent and pushed rapidly on at right angle
from our former direction A quarter Of mile
further and VIC halted opposite log house at
the road side The detectives and our lieuten-
ant slipped from their horses ordered us to sur
round the house, and rushed to the doors, which
they found Standing wide open. All was dark
and silent within the building and q lighted
match soon revealed the fact that it was de-
serted and empty A hurried rustling among
the dry leaYea In the thick woods onnosita told