The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1890-04-24

l had my teeth hard shut or my jaws
would have opened at the command.
''Straighten upr was the next COM
mand. was bumped over, and the
words went through me like a bullet
did not move, however.
'Take your foot off that SASH" shouted
the surgeon, but l looked from him to
the general and showed my wonder
Come, now, but you're beatenH
laughed one of the officers, and as the
others had some remarks to make the
surgeon was nettled. He looked at me
fixedly for long half minute, and then
said to his comrades:
Il won't give in yet, general. Please
hold on to him until we are certain of
him one way or the other"
"Oh, certainly; but think you have
made mistake this time. A deaf and
dumb person always has an expression
not to be counterfeited. He has told a
pretty straight story"
"That is true; but want to study him
little more. He claims to have lost his
pass. l want to ask him for more de-
tails. What was the date?n
He turned and put this question to me,
and had l not been looking ahead for it
or something of the kind, my mouth
would have got away with me. His fail
ure provoked another laugh, and wrote
on the tablet:
"What does the office say? Does he
believe l am a deserter?"
''He says you are deceiving u.s."
81 have it hard enough now, without
being looked upon with ridicule or sus--
picion, l wrote, and the general nodded
his head to me and said to the surgeon:
81 won't keep him longer than noon
tomorrow. The poor cuss has hard
row to hoe, and don't want to discour-
age him."
The guard was called and was re-
moved to the guard house, which was a
long structure and quite comfortable.
1t held prisoner, and l had no doubt 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:
"Ah! and they have got you, too! Both
of us must die together!"
/ signed to him that was deaf mnte,
but he replied:
Come, no nonsense with me. know
YOU, and you will soon know me. l have
seen you at Shermans headquarters a
dozen times. / am Jack Ross, a Union
spy. / was arrested here over week
ago, tried by court martial, found guilty
and tomorrow am to be hung"
He trapped himself right on the start
Although l had been at Sherman's head.
quarters but once, knew the name OF
every spy employed by the army, and
there was no such person as Jack Ross
He worked every way he could to traI
me, but after couple of hours he gave
it up rs a bad job
l did not go to sleep that night, sus
pecting the surgeon would play me somt
trick. About midnight he came in witt
couple of soldiers, and at signal the
men screamed in my ears. ! did moi
move. Then a musket was discharged
over my body, and the surgeon called
out:
"You careless devil, you have wounded
him!"
| did not think so, and / did no
"awake" until they pulled at me. Mex
morning the pretended spy was takeI
out and was threatened and bulldOzeC
for an hour. After breakfast, as l sa
with my back to the door, it was softl.
opened, and | heard the click! click! o.
the hammer of revolver. 1t made m,
flesh creep, but did not turn. At nooi
! was returned to the generals tent. HI
was all alone, and he wrote on the table
that was free to 60, and that he woulC
give me pass. As he said this, HI
handed me paper, but ten seconds late
quietly remarked:
See if signed my name to it,
That was not the last test. He con
Quoted 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
) dinner set out to the south. l do no
think was followed or further suspected
thoroughly investigated the defence
, of the gap, located the nearest larg
bodies of the Confederates, and returne'
: to the Union lines with no other damag
: than a flesh wound received in the yer
! last mile of travel from a bushwhackei