Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-03
CAPTURED BY a WOMAN.
How a Brave Confederate spy Out
Wittcd One of the Center sex.


viii after the battle of Franklin, Hood 70.
lowed him up and invested the city. he
wasn't strong enough to capture the
place, aud Schoheld wasn't strong enough
10 come out, and SO matters stood until
Grant could send up Thomas with rem
forcements and take The aggressive.
It was during this period Of inactivity
that | was sent into Nashville 10 observe
what the Union forces were dong ana picA
up such points as might be ot value 10
Gen. Hood. While scouting is dangerous
Snuti. the scout wuO turus spy uouu4e7 AIs
Iisk aud danger, al once.
1t was left To me 10 decide what char
acter shOuld tase,and tNenty-iour hours
after my talk with the General | was IN
Nashville. ] had turned farmer aud |
went in with horse and buggy. | had
corn to sell the quartermaster,a and the rea-
son wasu't IN the Confederate army was
because OF my being stun IN tue ieit lex
and so ngh-siKhted that my eyes were
good for nutnin' at all after dark, had
TO do little practicing to keep my knee
sun aud git a natural limp TO my gait,
and the nigh-sighteh D.z4uess had to DC
worked up aud kept IN mjnd.
II was well for me that l had plausl-
BILE story ready cooked, for | was at once
taken before the Provost Marshal and
questioned in the sharp2st manner. |
lived eighteen miles away; | had 400
bushels Of corn to sell; ! hadn't tit on
either side: | voted agin secession. his
was my story, and arter broW-bcatlng
me fur a spell | was turned loose To find
lhe quartermaster aud make bargain
Win aim.
The city was bilin' full Of refugees, ana
there as heap OF confusion and excite
nent. II seemed ss If one MINT move
about under such circumstances and not
be suspected; but / didn't want to take
any chances. / was huntin' up stop
pm place when ! Int upon quiet street
an1 had the luck TO MT a house kept by a
widow. There were only i've or SIX
boarders, and none Of these belonged 10
the army. There we're two women, two
Yankee cotton buyers, a store clerk or
two and myself says the widow to
me as | paid ner three days board in ad-
Vance;
"Ifany one should ask your business
in town, should / say you were a specu-
latorf"
mo, marin; jst remark TO the effect
that | am Joun Stelson, farmer, and
that I'm tryln' 10 sell forage to the IAN
KEGS"
"You seem lame"
"Sartin, marin. This ere stin knee has
wintered and summeTed with me Tor goln'
on twelve years"
And are your eyes weak"
"Powerful marin. ! manage TO poke
around fairly we'll by daylight, but arter
SHUTDOWN I'm no good. Kin see to get
around, but that's all. Weakness OF the
eye 10 great affection, marm."
1t was in the forenoon | engaged board
with the widow, and | was promptly on
hand at dinner and supper The other
bOarders scarcely gave me second look,
and each one was apparently satisfied
with the first, but | must saw that dinner
was not vet over when il struck me that
the widow was a mighty iuqusitive
woman for such times as those. She
wanted 10 know all about my farm and
family and nay burs, and somehow ii
hldu't seem as if my answers exactly
suited her. Howsumeyer, dismissed her
from my mind with dinner, and durin' the
afternoon was too busy TO remember how
She had questioned me.
/ spent the day wandering about and
taking notes and posting myself as far AS
possible on the strength of the army and
the sort OF defenses being thrown uD.
did not go GU. after supper, which meal
was served by lamplight, and at an early
hour went of to bed. The room given
me had been a sort of upstairs s iore room
for the house. a bit of Garnet had been
LAID on the floor and bed put up, and
while things were toleTaby clean there
was bare and lonesome look 10 things.
HOwsumeyer 1t was war times. aud thou
sands would have reckoned themselves
well off TO secure such quarters.
| had gone to my room early, not be-
cause | was sleepy, but | waEted to look
over my notes bit and rewrite them on
thin paper and secrete them where they
could not be found in case OF nv arrest.
Naturally supposlng myself safe from all
eyes, let up on the limp which bad
carefully stuck to all day, and by the light
OF a very poor lamp set about my writing.
w hen this was finished | rolled the paper
Into a small wad and placed 1t in one of
the buttons OF my coat, which was hol-
lowed out for the purpose. This operation
had just been concluded when the door of
any rOom--it had no lock-was opened
and the widow walked in. She had re-
VolVer in her hand. and advancing to with
IN nNe feet OF me sue covered my head
with the weapon and sneeriugly eX-
claimed:
"You got rid Of that stiff knee very
quickly, didn't you? SO farmers who want
10 sell corn write letters and hide them in
buttonsl"
She had been watching me.
Il suspected you from the first" she
went on, and have plenty of proofs now
that you are rebel spy. | am going to
escort you downstairs and give YOU up
While she was talking | was thinking
and planning. She had me at the muZZle
of cooked revolver, but her first words
showed that she was worked up to high
pitch OF excitement. and was on the point
OF Mysteries. My cue was to excite her
Btill further.
when did you enlist in the business of
Epy-catchingV i asked as turned 10 the
button again.
II know you are a spy-I know tive
watched you" she gasped, while the revol-
yer began to wObble about.
And suppose | amp
81 arrest YOUTH give you up-In
nave You shot! Come, sir"
"Oh, pshaw!"
If you don't III shoot! Go out-go
hown stairs :"
"Humph."
''I'li call for help-Pll-I'll-"
And down she fell in a dead faint, the
revolver gathering on the floor, but not
being discharged. she had set out to be
"A heroine aud turned out to be a woman
You may guess did not stop long. |
picked up the weapon as "A souvenir,
walked downstairs and outdoors, and
Within an hour had found a safe shelter
y nd adopted "A new disguise. was in he
city for three full days after that, but
heard nothing further from the widO W
w bile she might have been satisfied as 10
my identity she made no report To the au-
thoritles. She probably felt that she
would receive more ridicule than credit.