Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1885-02-26

lowed me to draw one bill, / hoped
to draw a fifty dollar bill, which |
failed to do. as it turned out to be
twenty, which | handed to an elder
ly lady (Mrs, Brawner), my house
keeper. This, however, availed moth
ing, for after taking me on board Of
the steamer Major Belger' or Jennie
Baker Il do not now remember whichl
they returned to my dwelling, drove
the housekeeper and my children out,
and started the first 'Freedman's Bus
reau In the United States by robbing
her of the twenty dollars I had just
given her. In addition to this rob.
berry they also plundered the house
and obtained about one hundred dor
lars more, principally in gold Y
About 9 o'clock, p. m., on the day
of my arrest they got the steamer UNI
der way and proceeded to Washing
ton. Arriving at the wharf they took
me in hack to Bakers office, where
Baker and others had quite long
consultation, some within and some of
which was out of my hearing. Baker
seemed at one time, ga | thought, a,
little uneasy because OF my preseuce;.
he, however, asked them if they had
searched me and what they had got.
Some one answered : Not much--a
little money And continuing, he
said AS soon as we get through
with this part of the business | will
report and send it over | had but
little to say, simply answering ques-
tionsin the briefest manner. thought,
however, then it was my time to speak,
and | did so, saying
Is this Colonel Baker, and are these
men responsible to you for their con-
duct ?
He answered yes.
| | think | told him that they had
taken from me the evening before at
my house about four hundred dollars
and that they allowed me to retain
but twenty dollars of the money.
Sommers at once stoutly denied it,
saving that there was not over TWEEN
ty-fve or thirty dollars at the most.
| charged him at once with being
both liar and thief For this ex-
preston they threatened to put me in
irons. To the credit Of one of them,
! (whose name | afterward learned to
be Thomas Brant), he spoke up and
confirmed my statement, and added
that that was not all; meaning, as |
afterwards learned, the additional
amount taken fIom my hsussk eeper,
and the one hundfed dollars in gold
: above referred to, which at that Zine
/ knew nothing abont.
From Bakers Office they marched
me to the Old Capitol, where | first
made the acquaintance Of the super
intendent, Colonel William ?. Wood.
This you may regard as the first chip
from yours truly,
GEORGE w. CARPENTER.
sYMPATHIzING WITH THE REBELS.
The Marylanders residing in the
counties bordering on the tide water
Potomac were, as a general rule, in
sympathy with the Confederacy + es-
pecially the slave owners, who be-
lieved their slave property would be
worthless in case OF suppression of the
Rebellion. For this reason many of
the most daring men from these coun-
ties were active in their aid to the
Confederacy. They were continually
running the blockade, carrying CON
traband goods to their Confederate
friends, and through them correspon-
dence from the Confederate authori-
ties was kept up with their friends on
the Union side, as we'll as their agents
in Canada. The greatest vigilance
was exercised by the Government to
battle these daring blockade runners,
but in spite of all that could be done
they frequently succeeded in their I'M
dertakings.
CONFEDERATE SUPPORT.
Every slave-owner whose residence
was on the lower Potomac was regard
ed as Rebel sympathizer, and it was
believed by Union-loving citizens that
continual aid for the Confederaey was
furnished by these people. So extern
sive was the business that there were
generally from FIVE to ten of them con-
finsd in the Old Capitol Prison. I'm
pr ,nment and conditions of release
wodld deter some from continuing the
practice; others were incorrigible.
One of the most determined of this
class was a man who gave the name
Of Dumphy, generally called Dunn
| py.' He would not hesitate to take
the oath of allegiance, and pretended
to cheerfully conform to any require
ments imposed on him. Invariably
after being released, however, he
would continue az persistent as ever
in the business of the blockade run
ming. He was arrested several times
and gave me considerable annoyance.
He was hunchback, split up like a
blacksmith's tongs, nearly to his neck;
his legs were of enormous length, his
body was short, and when in rage
be would defy me as we'll as all 9th
ers in authority. At such times he
would boast that he could outrun any
regiment of Yankee cavalry might
put after him, if would give him fif-
ty yards start.
A TRIAL OF SPEED.
During the progress of the Rebel
lion many Of the large stones that
went into the construction Of the Cap