Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1889-03-08

.Straixhfn upr wls n nsxt command
1 vas bumped Over, and The words went
through me HE buIlse I did not move,
however.
take your foot Oh that sash!7 shouted the
surgeon, but looked from him to the general
and showed my wonder.
.'Coue, now, but you're beaten,' laughed
one Of the officers, and as the others had some
remark to make the surgeon was nettled He
looked ct me axedly for . long half minute,
and then said to his comrades;
II won't give in yet, general Please hold
on to him until We are certain of him one
way or the other"
sOh, certainly; but think you have made
a mistake this time. A deaf and dumb per
son always has an expression not to be
counterfeited He has told pretty straight
story"
THAT is true; but want to study him
little more. He claims TO have lost his pass
want to ask him for more details. What
was the datef
He turned and put this question to me, and
bad not been looking ahead for it or some
thing Of the kind, my mouth would have got
away with me. His failure provoked another
laugh, and wrote on the tablet:
What does the officer say. Does he believe
am deserterf'
II have ii hard enough now, without being
looked upon with ridicule or suspicion" l
wrote, and the general nodded his head TO me
and said to the surgeon:
Il won't keep him longer than noon tomor-
row. The poor cuss has a hard row to hoe,
and don't want to discourage him"
The guard was called. and l was removed
to the guard house, which was log structure
and quite comfortable. 1t held q prisoner.
and bad no doubt that he had been placed
there for purpose. As soon as the door
was shut behind me, he came forward and
took my hand and said:
"Ahl and they have got you, too! Bothof
us must die togetherr'
signed to him that was a deaf mute, but
he replied
Come, no nonsense with me. know you,
and you will soon know me. l have seen
you at Sherman's headquarters dozen
times am jack Ross, a Union spy. l was
arrested here q week ago, tried by court mar
tial, found guilty, and tomorrow l am to be
hung"
He trapped himself right on the start As
had never been at Shermans headquarters
but once, knew the name of every spy EN-
ployed by that army and there was no such
person as Jack Ross. He worked every way
he could think of to trap me, out after q
couple of hours he gave it up as a bad job.
did not go to sleep that night, suspecting
the surgeon would play me some trick. About
midnight he came softly in with a couple of
soldiers, and at signal the men screamed IN
my ears. did not move. Then musket
was discharged over my body, and the sur
geon called out:
you careless devil! you have wounded
him!"
did not think SO, and I did not awake
until they pulled at me Next morning the
pretended spy was taken out, and l was
threatened and bulldozed for an hour. After
breakfast, as | sat with my back to the door,
it was softly opened, and l heard the clickl
click Of the hammer of revolver. 1t made
my flesh creep, but did not turn. AT noon
was returned to the generals tent He was
all alone, and he wrote on the tablet that l
was free to go and that he would give me a
pass As he said this he handed me a paper,
but ten seconds later quietly remarked:
'See if l signed my name to it"
That was not the last test. He conducted
me to the door of the tent, waved me past the
sentinel and observed:
Turn to the left to avoid the ditch"
turned to the right, bought some pro-
visions of a soldier and after making din
ner, set out to the south. l do not think l
was followed or further suspected. l thor
oughly investigated the defenses of the gap,
located the nearest large bodies of Confed-
crates and returned to the Union lines with
no other damage than a flesh wound received
in the very last mile of travel from bush
whacker-New York Sun.