San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-04-30
A DEAF AND DUMB SPY.

Sherman did not leave Chattanooga for
Atlanta without knowing all about the route
and its distractions His spies and scouts
passed over almost every mile Of the distance,
and made full and accurate reports. was
one of the last sent out and the last to return,
and had a close shave of it. Information
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 disguise After canvass
ing the matter for a while, | adopted the
the suggestion Of regimen: II surgeon TO
play the role Of dummy" was to be
deaf and dumb, and carry p--:cii 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 had mastered
the situation The surgeon had been assistant
superintendent in 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 a certain point. l was to go
was not what l claimed to be my life would
pay the forrest. was provided with a bun
die Of stationery, some tobacco, lot Of re-
ligious tracts, articles of cheap goods and a
few specialtieS, and l left the Federal out
posts one dark and rainy evening in good
spirits. Obstructing Shssfrpan's advance was
the mountain barrier called Rocky Face
Ridge. The main gap, through which the
railroad and highway ran and stin run, is
called Buzzard's Rooss Gap Our scouts and
spies had reported this gap 50 strongly forti-
fled 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.
Twas well within the Co1fsdsrase lines be-
fore midnight, and at about that hour |
found shelter in barn, and slept until two
hours after daylight When turned out no
one was in sight, and had walked fully two
miles along the highway before l met any
one. Then l encountered a party of about
thirty cavalrymen going 10, the front was
iii citizens clothes, had pack on my back,
and, Of course, expected % be stopped. The
troop was commanded by lieutenant, and as
be came up he ordered a halt and gueried
Of me:
Who are you, and where are you goingn'
Here was the first test. The men had
gathered around me, and every one had his
eye upon me. 1t was Accomplishment to me
that one Of the men called out before had
made sign:
Dog gone him, he's dummy! He's got
face like a washboard!"
| wrote on my tablet: What do you
want" and the lieutenant wrote in reply:
Who are you, and where are you goingP'
| gave my name as George Smith, and
stated that | 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
| told him that it was taken from me three
days before by some Yankee raiders who had
captured me and turned me loose again.
Well 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 VI was in for it now, and must push
ahead. | could see an encampment down the
road, and any attempt to flank it would Gre
ate suspicion. 1t was well that Invent ahead,
for Onpof the cavalrymen followed me clear
back to the sentinel on the outskirts of the
camp He walked his horse directly behind me,
so close that the animals nose almost touched
my back, but he dih 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, / was es-
cortcd to the quarters OF the officer Of the
day, and hero came test, made so carelessly
that if had not had ell my wits about ne
should have been lost. As we reached The
quarters the escort said:
Here is a deaf and dumb man who has 70
pass. Capt. HarsLer ordered him hero from
the guard tent"
''All right, replied the officer, who was not
even looking at US; and then as the c,co"t
started of he half turned to me and said:
stand aside for a few minutes and ! vii:
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 l should have
given myself away. ASH did not move, he
presently turned to me- seemed surprised
tA&J I was there, and began TO inquire about
me. gavo him the details, and while we
were passing the tablet back and forth a cap
tain came up. The officer Of the day said
to HIM:
We have captured dummy. Mighty
queer that be. should tas9 to. Dsddlips amolc