Maryland independent. [volume] (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1874-current, 1885-10-30

~ D4v"t anu tOeu we q
street ~ '"'
was getting the best of him, when
"sielI upon ard wrecked tent and ,
"sgan to draw a crowd. In five min
u'es there were fifty men around us.
"uu pretty soon an officer comes up,
ana separates us and asks:
What is this row about?e
caught that chap stealing" sings
oul my opponent.
"He lies :"
Who are you?" asks the officer.
Private George Smith, of the Sixth
Maine"
where's your regiment?"
Font know, sir | was captured
Dy lhe rebs, got away and am looking
foi my regiment"
When did you come in?'
Last night"
How did you pass all the outposts
ard sentinels?"
he had me there. l had as good as
betrayed myself by that one answer.
III see to your case y he growled,
a4l he called the guard and had me
marched of. The guard house was
log stable, and as soon as he reached
1t was stripped and searched. The
next move was to hunt up the Sixth
Maine and discover that did not be-
loag to that regiment. | was then
taken to corps headquarters and ques-
tioned.
changed my line of defense, claim
ing to be a deserter from the One
Hundred and Twenty-fourth New
York, who was voluntarily coming back
to Ills regiment, but the next day the
Colonel of that regiment came to look
at me- and pronounced me a liar and
an impostor.
Next day, when a court martial
was convened, l had no defense to
Offer They tried me as spy. and
whisnothing could be proved, was
com&mned and sentenced to be shot.
was given to understand that, but l
reckmed that some of the officers
were aot quite satisfied. Instead of
carrying out the sentence right away,
the fnlings were sent to higher
court hr approval.
yA4J am telling you in minute
- - about two weeks. l was
| =. sfia tertaliy nsSed in the barn,
bbs sOzealously guarded that there was
no possible show for escape. The pa
pefs lad been sent off, and | was daily
expecting to hear their approval,
wien one night just before dusk, the
chaplain of Pennsylvania regiment
canein to console me- He was about
my SIZE and age with the same colored
hairand the mint saw him grasped
at hplan. When we had talked little
| asked him:
fHow did you get in?"
YWhy, l showed my pass to the
guard" he answered
That was all desired to know. lie
talked for about an hour, and | made
him promise to come and see me the
next evening at the same hour. He adj
visedm me to give up all hope and make
my peace with God, and gave him to
understand that | might be more con
trite on his next visit.
tell you, that next day seemed
week long. | had plan, and it prom
lsed success. When the day did begin
TO fade away | was so nervous and ex-
clVed that l could not keep still. The
chapalp came in just at dark, and, as
ne graSped my hand, he said:
The papers have come back, and
you must prepare to die p
PRAY for me !" says l.
he knelt right down, and he had
skeercely uttered a word when / had
MN by the throat. 1t was SO sudden,
anal had sich a grip on him, that he
sEeeFcely kicked. l didn't want TO
XII him, but choked him until he
was like rag. Then off with mis-
e9f' vest and pants, and was into 'em
pslore he showed signs of coming to.
~ was too soon to go out, and l choked
him some more.
rOor man l felt sorry to do him
sicu injury, but my life was at stake.
~ ABOUT twenty minutes | felt it was
sow 70 60 out. ! dragged him into a
corner sat him up on end, and then
AnOcNed on the door. 1t was opened
= Oace' and as l squeezed out the
guard shut it without even glancing
How is he, chaplain?" asks the
guard as he locks the door.
Aeslgned, poor man." | answers
and off goes.
AS l afterwards learned Ihod
sVou ~ nour's start l didn't head for
e.. sos ! tlyer' as might bo expected, but
III IL 'He north, and it was over a month
v.o,e wa'9' | saw Lees lines again. A
washington paper had a long story
- my escape, and it said l would
oh.', O oln shot next day, and that the
M1,.' p,all ! would be laid up for a month.
Detroit Free Press.