Montgomery County sentinel., 1891-01-30
MisctllamenMs.
A LOVELY SPY.

Some of the most valuable as we'll as
courageous secret agents of tho South
during the war were ladies' Possess
ing. as many of them did, beauty.
linesse, the instructive knowledge of
human nature that enables the sex to
penetrate the weakest point of mans
armor, and patriotism that made them
proud to assume any risk that would
benefit their cause, many undertook
missions so desperate that only their
womanhood saved them from u short
shrift when discovered A case in point
occurs to me. We had fallen back from
Fairfax Court House and gone into
camp at Centerville. Winter was at
hand and smoke curled lnzily upward
from 10000 clay built chimneys Every
tree had been leveled by the soldiers
ak; the old turnpikes were lost in n
labyrinth Of foot-worn paths, and fields
where only little while before the
winds played hide and seek among the
growing corn were now as hard as the
bed of billiard table. The headquar-
tcrs of Beauregard were in farm house
unpaintcd and unpretcntious, that once
had been the home of famous Virginia
hospitality, but 1.-THE boys had gone to
the war;" the old folks had retired TO
more congenial scenes in the interior OF
the State, and all around we're signs Of
ruin
The plans of Mcclellan, whose army
was encamped in our front, his fight
ing strength and the disposition Of his
forces, together with the new phase of
public sentiment in the North that wns
then beginning to take shape, were at
this time subjects of grave concern to
our comm inder, and it was important
to obtain more definite information than
had been furnished by the regular spies
How to get it, however, and through
whom was the question. The problem
was solved while at breakfast one morn
ing by member of Beauregard's staff.
81 know of lady" he said, "in the
neighboring county of Loudoun, who
possesses every qualification of sue
cessful secret agent. Her name is
Mrs. Virginia Mason. She is young,
fascinating, highly educated, welcome
guest in many Washington families and
acquainted with large number Of
northern people who spent their winters
in the capital before the war. Withal,
she is u widow, her husband having
been killed at tho battle of Manassas,
and brave enough to undertake any
thing that will serve the land she
loves
Bea, -cgard instructed tho officer TO
ride over to Loudoun and invite the
lady to visit headquarters, and in day
or two she appeared. In the interview
that followed he told her what he re-
quired-a report from McClellan's army,
its condition, the disposition of his force
and the plans discussed by the military
authorities in Washington. For this
purpose she was to ingratiate herself
with prominent officers, visit New York,
Baltimore, the various departments or
any other point where information could
be procured. She was also to commu-
nicate with tho representatives Of the
Confederate Government in different
cities Of the north.
The lady eagerly accepted the propo-
sition, and supplied with an abundance
Of money, started at once IN the peril
GUS errand, which meant glory il she
was successful, and prison IL she failed.
She returned after an absence Of several
weeks, crossing the Potomac opposite
Dumfries, and arrived at the camp Of
Col, now Senator, Wade Hampton.
Thence, escorted by one Of his officers,
she was driven to headquarters at Cen
terville. | eau see her now as she
alighted from the ambulance on the
piazza Of the little brown farm house !;
a young but matronly looking lady,
handsome, too, with glowing dark eyes,
that looked as if they had fireworks in
them. She was dressed in black and
her only baggage was small hand
satchel. She was also accompanied by
a shaggy Skye terrier, a mere armful,
thu made soldier who hadn't seen a
pretty woman for month Of Sundays
envious.
What occurred within the doors that
closed upon her was ralated to me after
wards by Gen. Jordan, then and sub
sequently Beauregard's adjutant-gen-
al. Beauregard was, of course, de-
lighted to sec her, and with woman's
volubility she told him more 10 two
hours than he could remember in two
months. The verbal part Of the inter-
view being ended he inquired for her
papers, the record of her trip and the
dispatches he expected from Confed.
crates in the north
"Why, General, | didn't dare 10 bring
them on my person." she replied with .
peculiar smile. 1t was unsafe. you
know; might have been captured, and
therefore | have told you all know BY
word Of mouth
Beauregard could not conceal hi
vexation, and the more he showed it thu
more the little woman seemed to eDjol