Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-01-24
lSOIDlEkS DEPARTMENT.
PAULINE CUSHMAN.
How the Actress and Confederate Spy
Saved a Union Officers Life.


Pauline Cushman, not unknown to
fame, figures in dramatic way?" asked
Captain Henry Bush, the well-known
artist, who was Typographical engi-
neer on the staff of General Rosecrans
in the Army of the Cumberland.
at was in the autumn of 1861" con-
tinued the old typographical engineer.
Sat Louisville where first saw the wo-
man who was afterward to come into
my life in the most unexpected way. l
was then an officer in the First Ohio
Cavalry. The Colonel of the regiment,
the Adjutant and myself one night at
tended the theater in which Pauline
Cushman- was playing an engagement.
During the performance, and near the
close, the actress came down to the
footlights and drank toast to jeff
Davis. The act was foolhardy one,
but eminently characteristic of Cush-
man. The result was just what might
have been expected, considering that
the house was more than half full of
Union soldiers. The insult was instantly
resented, and tremendous uproar and
row followed. More than score of
men made rush for the stage, and the
entire audience was up and yelling.
Our party were in box and took in
the situation at a glance. The soldiers
were furious, and the sex of the offender
would not have saved her from violence
had we not gone to her rescue. While
the Colonel and Adjutant were endeav-
oring to quiet the angry, surging mob
with speeches, l threw cloak over
Miss Cushman and hurried her to the
stage door, where / bundled her into a
waiting hack and had her safe in her
room in the Louisville Hotel before the
crowd knew she was out of the the
alter.
The next morning we were ordered
to the front, and | saw nothing more of
Pauline Cushman, although l heard
that she had turned rebel spy and that
she was serving with the Confederate
forces, with whom we were almost
daily battling. After the engagement
at Stone river, General Rosecrans, to
whose staff l had been assigned, made
headquarters at Winchester, Tenn, in
the Mary Sharp College building, dur
ing which time 1 contracted typhoid
fever. l became so i'll that it was
deemed advisable that l should be re-
moved to boarding-house, kept by a
man by the name of Day, Immediately
across the street from general head
quarters 1 had scarcely begun con-
valescing when the army was moved
forward, the objective point being
Chickamauga. | was still too sick to
go with the staff, but if remained in
Winchester l was in danger of being
gobbled by guerrillas, as the woods
surrounding the town were full of them,
only awaiting the onward movement of
the Union troops to sweep down upon
the village and devastate it; but there
was no help for it. The surgeon said it
would be death to remove me at that
time, even in a slow ambulance; so it
was arranged that l was to take the
risk of capture and stay with old man
Day and his wife until the last of the
week, when, it was understood, con-
veyance would be sent for me. l didn't
like this arrangement at all, but my ap-
parent weakness and the circumstances
forced me to submit. So all day long 1
lay upon my bed in room which look
ed out upon the street and watched the
army going forward. There is slim
illus to a soldier in the movement of
armed men, and despite my weakness
it began to affect me so strongly that
about five o'clock in the evening, Just
after the last detachment had marched
by my window. arose, dressed myself
in new suit, wrapped in tissue paper
what money / had in my possession
some 81, 900-and prepared to follow the
army if l could find a conveyance.
1.-The exertion of dressing, however,
was too much for me, and l was forced
to again lie down upon the bed. ! did
not remove my clothing, but lay there
resting for, perhaps, an hour, when.
about six o'clock, Mrs. Day came into
my room and told me that Dick Nc
Cann's guerrillas, who had murdered
General McCook. were approaching the
town, and they would doubtless search
every house to see if any sick or wound
ed Yankees had been left behind. This
was cheering intelligence, but realiz-
ed was in for it. My weakness adj
monished me that could not run away,
and l made up my mind to submit to
the inevitable capture; but l didn't rel
ish the idea of the rascals getting my
so gave my funds-all but
S100-to Mrs. Day and told her to hide
it for me. If | was captured and escaped
| would call or send for it, but if she
didn't hear from me within reasonable
time the money was to be hers. Mrs
Day refused to consent to such an ar
rangement, but agreed to take the cash
and hide it if possible until the guer-
rillas left the town, and with this un-
1 was prepared to surren-
der on the first call, when her husband,
who had been out accommodating, came
in and suggested hiding me for the
time being. was hurried into back
lot, where there was a great stack of
corn-fodder. Into this was pushed by
Did man Day and covered over with
corn leaves. Day had hardly got back
TO the house before Dick Mccain and
his gang came charging down the main
street. shooting and yelling like a
band of drunken cowboys in Western
cattle town. A sympathizer had in