Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-05-13
A LUCKY MISTAKE.

! Within month after Fort Sumter was
| fired on two young men from Pennsylvania
| enlisted in the Union army. These young
men were twins, Tom and I. We were
| very much alike in size, feature, voice and
| manner everything, indeed, and the eply
| persons who could always tell which was
| Tom and which was were the twins them
| selves. We did not join the same branch
| of the army, Tom enlisting in the cavalry,
| while joined the secret service.
| After the investment of Vicksburg, and
when the Union forces were each day dig
| ging nearer the city, was sent to make an
| inspection of the Confederate Notifications.
I succeeded in passing the Confederate
| lines and entered the city at Vicksburg,
where, dressed in civilians clothes, was
reasonably free from suspicion. But it
| took me full day before secured the
desired knowledge and started back to-
ward the Union lines under cover of dark
ness.
passed the guards safely and was, per-
| haps, third of the way to camp when /
heard a sharp "Halt! who goes there?"
accompanied by the click of cooking wea-
| pons
| Escape was out of the question, and
moment later was a prisoner.
(Which campdo you belong to?" queried
the leader of the men who had captured
| me.
''Neither," answered, 'sbut I am stay
| ing at Vicksburg."
elbow came you so far from the lines to-
| night?"
81 was just wandering around and
| thought l would go until I reached the
outer guard" I answered.
'This is very strange-if true" said my
| questioner, turning to his comrades, 'but
probably it is all a Ie." Then tom "We
will just take you into camp and sift that
yarn of yours"
| The yarn sifted so poorly that was con-
victed as a spy and sentenced to death.
| One day after my conviction some young
| ladies of the city visited the prison where
the Yankees were confined, some to see the
strange animals Of the north, who they
| believed had "horns and hoofs like an ele-
| phant," as one of the young women ex
pressed it; others to leave flowers or fruit
| for the unhappy prisoners. The number
| of the latter class was small.
| AS condemned spy was an object of
especial hatred or commisseration, accord
| ing to the feelings of the fair visitors.
SIS he really spy?" asked one young
girl of gushing class and age.
EYES," answered the guard; che is q
genuine Yankee spy"
ooh. isn't it awful" said the girl. GLOW
can you tell? He doesn't look like spy,
and if you hadn't told me should say he
was real nice"
"You can't tell anything by looks" re-
piled the guard. "Some of the brightest
and handsomest men in the service are
! H.: 3,,,. ooJro l..
is sneaking spy just the same"
| elbow strange! And what do these
dreadful spies do? What did this one do?"
HE came to look over our Notifications,
so he could tell the Yanks where 1t would
be easiest to break through them and
capture the CITY,"
aOh, dear! you don't think the Yankees
will capture Vicksburg, do you? If they
should, they would kill us all, wouldn't
they? Oh, how dreadfully awful it would
be-"
IT don't think they will ever take the
city; it is toowell fortified and too strongly
defended"
| Ny attention was soon attracted to three
young ladies who were distributing hand
some little bouquets to some of the prison
ers whom they appeared to know, and /
was surprised to see the Mortified stare
which followed the younger girls first
glance at me. She looked second time,
searchingly, her face pale and startled,
then turned away with her companions.
| The next day she came back again,
bringing flowers, and / had chance to
watch her for some moments. She brought
me small bouquet, and when handing it
| to me accompanied it by glance appar
emily full of meaning and yet utterly be-
wildering and untranslatable,
| 'Surely," I thought, 81 have never seen
her before. Not look or question or
movement is familiar, and yet she appears
to recognize me-" The more thought on
| the subject the deeper and binder was my
mystifcation, the more surprising the ac-
| ton of my beautiful friend.
| watched my charming mystery builder
until she left the prison, then turned to the
bouquet she had given me. gave it a
close examination. Hidden among the
leaves of one of the flowers was a very
small note, the paper being almost as deli
cate as the tissues of the flower leaves.
| The note said:
| DEAR Toni was so startled and horror
struck to see you yesterday that I almost be-
| trayed the fact that recognized you. Fortu-
| nately did not, and now will try and help
|
It may have something useful. Agnes is al
| ready i'll, and have not dared to tell her.
MABEL.
Evidently the young lady thought was
somebody else.
A guard came to my cell after she left
and said:
81 saw you were one of the favored ones
today"
"Yes," replied; "who is the LADY,"
"Miss Murfree-Mabel Murfree."
'sHer home is in Vicksburg, presume"
eNo; Judge Murfree, her father, lived
| outside, and his plantation was for several
weeks in possession of the Yankees. FL
naIly he came here to be in safe place
| and brought his daughters along.
The next day Miss Murfree came again,
and when she reached my cell she handed
me another bouquet
waited until was free from ohserva-
tion, then examined my bouquet. In the
hollow stalks of the flowers was Q very
small file, slender but strong steel bar
with sharp point and little platinum
bottle of hydrofuoric acid. The flowers had
been carefully sealed up at the bottom to
prevent their contents from falling out.
Besides the tools for escape was this note:
| DEAR ToM-Tomorrow will try ana find out
the password from a young officer VINO visits
| us. t"1AonH'
awaited the result of her effort with
painful interest, and when she came the
following day and gave me the usual hou-
I = n I'll