Wichita eagle., 1889-06-06
A DEAF AND DUMB SPY.


was required which obliged me to enter the
Confederate camps and see with my own
eyes, and as two or three Of our spies had
been captured and hung, and the Confeder-
ates were on the qui vive to prevent others
from penetrating their lines, needed some
thing more than a disguise. After canvass
ing the matter for while, l adopted the
the suggestion of a regimental surgeon to
play the role of a dummy" l was to be
deaf and dumb, and carry pencil and paper,
and do my talking that way. He coached
me for two or three days before the start,
and when was ready to go l had mastered
the situation. The surgeon had been assistant
superintendent In a deaf and dumb asylum
for several years, and he was peculiarly fitted
to teach me my steps.
You may reply that any one can ''play deaf
and dumb" and deceive people. Yes, any
one can, up to q certain point. / was to go
beyond that point. If it was discovered that
was not what l claimed to be my life would
pay the forfeit. was provided with bun
die of stationery, some tobacco, lot of re-
ligious tracts, articles of cheap goods and a
few speciaities, and l left the Federal out
posts one dark and rainy evening in good
spirits. Obstructing Shernan's advance was
the mountain barrier called Rocky Face
Ridge. The main gap, through which the
railroad and highway ran and still run, is
called Buzzards Roost Gap. Our scouts and
spies had reported this gap so strongly forti-
fed that Sherman felt he could not force it.
Further south is Snake Creek Gap. One Of
my objects was to ascertain how this gap was
defended.
l was well within the Confederate lines be-
fore midnight, and at about that hour
found shelter in a barn, and slept until two
hours after daylight. When I turned out no
one was in sight, and had walked fully two
miles along the highway before met any
one. Then encountered party of about
thirty cavalrymen going to the front was
in citizens clothes, had pack on my back,
and, of course, expected to be stopped The
he came up he ordered a halt and queried
of nae:
''Who are you, and where are you goingY,
Here was the first test. The men had
gathered around me, and every one had his
eye upon me. 1t was q compliment to me
that one Of the men called out before had
made sign:
Dog gone him, he's dummy! He's got
a race Ike W2ShDOard!'
l wrote on my tablet: "What do you
want?" and the lieutenant wrote in reply:
''Who are you, and where are you goings"
l gave my name as George Smith, and
stated that l was Confederate peddler.
opened my bundle, presented him with some
tobacco, and several Of the men made pur-
chases. The officer asked for my pass. and
l told him that it was taken from me three
days before by some Yankee raiders who had
captured me and turned me loose again.
"Wel, they'll overhaul him back there,
anyhow" he said to his sergeant and, waving
his hand to me, he gave me the order to ride
on. | was in for it now, and must push
ahead. l could see an encampment down tho
road, and any attempt to flank it would Gre
ate suspicion. 1t was well that Invent ahead,
for one of the cavalrymen followed me clear
back to the sentinel on the outskirts OF the
camp He walked hishorse directly behind me,
so close that the animals nose almost touched
my back, but he did not catch me off my
guard When the sentinel stopped me l
handed him my name and occupation, and
in few minutes ] was in the presence Of the
officer Of the guard. While he asked for my
pass, he did not seem suspicious. l was es-
corted to the quarters Of the officer of the
day, and here came test, made so carelessly
that if l had not had all my wits about me
should have been lost. As we reached the
quarters the escort said:
Here is a deaf and dumb man who has no
pass. Capt Harsher ordered him here from
the guard tent"
IAN right" replied the officer, who was not
even looking at us; and then, as the escort
81, -@,,I, HI hole ND 70, ,,1l
''Stand aside for few minutes and l will
attend TO your case"
His tone was so careless and his order SO
natural that caught my muscles moving to
obey. Had picked up foot should have
given myself away. AS did not move. he
presently turned to me, seemed surprised
that was there, and began to inquire about
me- gave him the details, and while We
were passing the tablet back and forth cap
tain came up. The officer of tho day said
to him:
1--WE have captured dummy. Mighty
queer that he should take to peddling among
the soldiers, but they are q queer lot. He
says he had pass from Polk, but that the
Yanks gobbled it when they captured him
the other day. Do you see that blood spot
on his left cuffF'
l was looking the officer full in the face as
he spoke. I felt that he would try some
trick, but he did it so neatly that he almost
caught me- winked, but did not drop my
eyes.
You must have taken him for an impos-
tor" laughed the captain.
I'VE can't be too cautious" was the re-
PLY, and he took the tablet and wrote that I
might circulate about the camp until guard
mount and then report TO the new officer Of
the day.
got some breakfast, sold out about half
my goods, and when l reported and asked
that might pass on no objection was made
I found troops everywhere now. and being
right to be there. underwent but one more
test before reaching the gap, and that l was
prepared for. The soldiers accepted me for
what claimed 10 be. and while my condi-
ton excited the synpathies Of some, others
were inclined 70 ridicule and joke. While
knelt in group joker held pistol close TO
nv ear and fired II Off / heard the click of
the hammer and was therefore prepared for
the report found the gap covered by a
weak body, with no defenses 70 speak Of, and
got through them without trouble, though
my goods were now all gone, and ! had TO
claim that was on nv way &c Dalton after
q new stock. l was arrested after entering
the gap, and the arrest came about through q
corporal in battery of artillery, who at firs'
contended that he recognized me- as deeerter
named William Ridges 1t appeared that
closely resembiei Ridges In build and look