Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-08-25
GEN. TAYLOR AND THE SPIES.
He Thought Santa Anna no Gentle
man.

He Thought Santa Anna no Gentle
man.
Gen. Taylor, when he won his victories
in Mexico, says Ben; Perley Poore, did
not look much like hero. He was some
what below medium height, was short
and stout. in fact, was what one would
call dumpy. He wore a straw hat, an
old linen buster that looked as if 1t
might not have been washed since he
fought the battle of Palo Alto. His pants
were large and loose, and he wore coarse
soldier shoes. Gen. Shields used to mar
rate an interesting incident that occurred
one day when he was a guest Of sold
Rough and Ready's" table at dinner,
with Col. Bliss and son of Henry Clay.
just as they were finishing dinner guard
filed in with two prisoners that had just
been arrested. The men had been for Two
days peddling oranges through the camp,
and by accident one of the soldiers had
discovered that under their coarse
garments they wore the finest
linen. So the two were arrested,
and carefully concealed about their per-
sons had been found papers containing
very valuable Information concerning the
American camp, the number of men in
arms and the best points for attack.
These papers were handed over to Gen.
Taylor, and after reading them he passed
them to the rest of us. They were un-
mistakable evidences that the two men
were spies. Call my interpreterr de-
manded Gen. Taylor. The General could
not speak Spanish. The only Spanish
word he knew was ''vamos," and he used
it on all occasions. Whenever he invited
, the MeXlcans into camp he said ''vamos,"
and whenever he ordered them out OF
camp he said "vamOs."
The interpreter having arrived. Gen.
Taylor said to him: ASK them who they
are!" The prisoners replied that they
were Mexican soldiers. "Humphl
| Thought so. Now ask them what their
rank Is" They looked at each other q
moment, as much as to say, 1--WE might
as we'll tell the TRUTH" and answered
that they were colonies, one of them
chief of the engineer corps at Monterey.
| "AbaW said Gen. Taylor, 80 much the
worse. And now ask them who sent
them here" They replied that they had
come in obedience to the orders OF Gen.
Apudia. "Gen. Apudia sent you, did he ?"
roared old "Rough and Ready" "Well,
say Gen. Apudia is no gentleman, or he
would not have sent you here upon this
| sneaking errand, to spy about our camp.
say he is no gentlemanw The prisoners
had just begun to understand that the
man whom they were before
was the American General, and
when ne uttered this hasty opinion
Of their chief they bowed very low. Gen.
| Taylor asked them II they knew the PEN
atty of their crime; ii they knew that, as
spies, they ought TO be shot. At once tue
prisoners drew themselves up proudly
and said they knew the penalty, but if
they were to die they trusted they would
meet their fate like brave men. Their
bravery pleased the bluff old soldier, and
after a moments thought he SAID: "Well,
Pll let YOU go TINS time, but IL | ever
catch you spying here again, I'll have you
shot, shot like Mexican dogs! Now,
vamos vamos! And tell Gen. Apudia
that when he wants to find out about our
army he may send delegation Of his otii-
GERS here and l will escort them about
myself and order n review OF the troops
for their especial benefit" The liberated
men scampered of briskly. Shortly after
mat Gen. Taylor, at the head of his vic
toriOus legions, marched In and took pos
session of Monterey.