Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-10-23

WSgZ4kW They comprise
Ss5SE1N the services of
KHM young man in the
IVAN perilous character
~ of a spy and are
cold without revealing the identity of
the individual.
In the early part of 1864 ga slender
and prepossessing young fellow, be-
tween % and 26 apparently" applied
at the War Department for employ
ment as a spy within the Confederate
lines. He was a clerk in one of the de-
partments. All he wanted was an
order passing him through the Fed
eral lines and horse. Inquiry dis
closed nothing against the young
man but uniform testimony to his
strong Union predictions. The de-
partment gave him the desired pass
and horse and some money and he
departed. Two or three weeks passed
with no tidings Of the spy, when one
day he came into the department
with a letter from Jefferson Davis to
Clement G. Clay, an agent Of the Con-
federacy in Canada. He had passed
through the lines, offered his services
to Davis, gained his confidence, and
was on his first mission. The letter,
he said, was simply an introduction
to Clay and Jacob Thompson and as
surance that the bearer could be
trusted.
He carried the letter to Canada
and brought back dispatch to Davis,
which the Washington authorities
permitted to go unopened, the bearer
youching that it contained nothing of
Importance. Then back and forth
the young man went, reporting at the
War Department on every trip. The
messages, after the first, were opened
and copied, and the originals carried
forward. The resources of the Gov
q eminent enabled it to supply new
envelopes of the kind used in Rich
mond and Canada, and in case of
need-as sometimes happened-en-
grave a special seal to reproduce the
impression destroyed on opening pack
ages.
! One of the messages gave the de-
tails of a fire plot by which in New
York, Chicago, Boston, and other
cities, fires were to be started in many
places by means Of clock-Work ma
chimes. BY taking measures to head
off this scheme its authenticity was
established.
Finally the spy brought in a dis
patch giving details of an expedition
preparing in Canada for descent on
Burlington vt. This was very care
fully prepared and seWed into the
lining OF the mans trousers. The
Importance of the original document,
in making case against Great Brit
ain for sheltering the organizers of
military expeditions, required it's de-
tention. President Lincoln was con-
suited. 'We must have this paper
for Seward" said the President. 'sAs
for the young man, get him out of the
scrape if you cam" Secretary STAN
ton sent the young man on his way
toward Richmond with the dispatch,
with instructions to stop to feed and
water his horse at a certain tavern in
Alexandria at 8 o'clock in the even
ing. Meanwhile he sent orders to
Gen. Wells, Military Governor OF
Alexandria, to be on the lookout for
a suspect, alleged to be the bearer Of
important dispatches to the enemy,
to arrest him and convey him under
guard to the War Department, and
to witness the searching of his per-
son. Everything worked as prepared.
The spy was arrested and taken to
the department under guard of three
soldiers and Gen. Wells. Mr.. Dana's
account of the proceedings reads:
''Of course no one but two or three
who had been in the secret were
aware that this gentleman had quiet
" walked out OF the War Department
only few hours previously, and that
the paper which was the cause of the
entire ceremony had been sewcd up
in his clothes just before his depart
ure. Gov. Wells reported that, while
the prisoner had offered no resistance,
he was very violent and outrageous
in his language. and boosted fiercely
of his devotion to the Confederacy
and his dctestation OF the Union.
"During the examination which
followed he said nothing except to
answer a few questions, but his bear
ing, patient, scornful, undaunted,
was that of an incompatible actor.
If Mr.. Clay and Mr.. Benjamin had
been present they would have been
more than certain that he was one Of
their noblest young men," L
Every formality was observed-the
writing out OF the search and discov-
cries and signing OF the witnesses.
The spy was then consigned to the
old Capitol Prison, with secret in
structions to the warden to afford
him opportunity for escape. A few
days later he walked into Mr.. Dana's
Office. ''Ah," said that gentleman,
"you have run away" Eyes, sir"
he answered. '.Did they shoot at
you:" ''They did, and didn't hit
me; but l didn't think that would
answer the purpose, so l shot myself
through the arm"
Mr.. Dana examined the wound. 1t