The record-union., 1892-01-15
TALE OF A DESERTER.
How Rosy Lips and Flashing Eyes
Caused Treason.

How Rosy Lips and Flashing Eyes
Caused Treason.
I'VE hear SO much Of the unfinching
! loyalty and intense patriotism of our
boys IN blue that it seems to ne q tale of
pure cussedness and rank treason would
be refreshing" said 3. @. VandyEe. we'll
known as an express agent and during
the civil war an ensign aboard the United
states steamship Naiad Of the Mississippi
Rive squadron.
'Desertions from our ranks were rare
thank heaven" he continued, "but there
was one occasionally. In the river serv-
Ice, however, never knew of but one
Stlll, his was such a tlagrant case that it
! served for the whole force. ! remember
1t distinctly, because | had the pleasant
duty of arresting the scoundrel and
bringing him back to the boat. | have
the original order yet" and turning over
some musty files he produced yellow
document that read as follows:
U. 5. s. NAIAD, November IA. '64.
OFF Baton ROUGE, La, Miss. SQUADRON
SIRE You are hereby ordered to take o
squad OF four men and proceed on shore at
Baton Rouge and arrest Acting Masters Mate
! w H. hosey, wheresoever he may be found
ana deliver him up to the commanding officer.
OF the Z; ;. ,. Avenger. Very respectfully,
your obedient servant, HE'S, HESRI I; kEESE,
Acting Ensign, b. @. VANDYKE, u. S. n.
With this as a sort of landmark the
| hale veteran recalled his acquaintance
with the dGserter. He was a fine look
ing fellow and Of brilliant mental attain
mentS and it was a pity he turned his tai
| ents to such use, but he was q regular
sharper, confidence man and thief. [
made his acquaintance before the war at
Cincinnati
Il went out at the beginning of the war,
and ii was in October, 1864. that l first
knew that he was in the navy. During a
rad on the bayOuS we landed at Tunica
Bend and sent a detachment of men
ashore to drll with howitzers. I stood
talking with Charlie Abbott aboard our
vessel watching them, when | was very
much surprised to see Hosey command
ing the company, and exclaimed
Why, how did that fellow get into the
service? lie is regular theft
Captain keene overheard this remark,
and told me afterward that it lead to nv
being chosen to capture him when he de-
| serted. Now, unromantic as it may seem,
this fellow actually fell in love with fair
rebel at Baton Rouge, and it was for her
sake that he played traitor. She was a
pretty girl, with big, soft, loving eyes,
whose long silken lashes lay gently on
cheeks that glowed with the hue of the
luxurious Southern blood. She was rich
! and talented, and her accents were as soft
as those imagine Venus spoke when all
in vain she wooed the cold Adonis.
Exceedingly attractive, but withal as
modest and retiring as nun, she de-
served nobler sutton, but, thanks to our
energetic action, she was saved from his
| vIllalny. Upon landing at that place he
! had represented himself as a nephew
of Admiral Porter, and naturally at
| tractive, he had rugged himself out in the
! full uniform Of lieutenant-commande
! Of the regular navy Che stole the clothes).
and was sight to please any girl. He
| won his way among the men by teaching
| broadsword practice, III which he was an
! expert. Well, he won her affection, and
| knowing of mis- love it was to her house
| that went Immediately upon receiving
! the order for his arrest
18th ten men L surrounded the house.
! but the girl Secreted him somewhere and
all we got was his cap. He was near. /
know, for when | ordered the men to
| shoot him on sight she went into hyster-
| les and almost cried her eyes out.
The next Gay | received notice that he
had joined the rebel forces and was about
twelve miles from the city on the CLAW
road. A body Of sixty cavalry was sent
out after him, with myself to make the
arrest. About ten miles out we ran into
a regular battle which had been in prog
ress for an hour.
The rebs were already on the run
when we arrived, and it was after dark
when the 300 prisoners were put in q
barn. l took a lantern and went to each
of the prisoners and finally found NV
man. Even then he bluffed me. and I
! was on the point of releasing him at one
time. lie was dressed in a complete
rebel uniform, and as that was the best
! evidence against him, | marched him
back to the boat arrayed in the damning
clothes. How he ever got outside of our
| lines is more than [ can tell, but L sup
| pose he bluffed the guard according to his
! old practice.
| Il took him aboard the Nymph where
| he had three trials The first time he was
! sentenced to death; then he was granted
a second hearing, as a result of which he
was ordered imprisoned. About this
time his mother appeared, and after the
! third trial he vanished. and he has never
| been heard of since. There was report
several years ago that he was convict in
| the Pennsylvania penitentiary, but it was
never verified. II he is alive he is Ger
! tainly criminal, and all that ever saved
! HIM from the death he so richly deserved
was his claim that he was nephew of a
very prominent gentleman. His was
| the only case of desertion in the navy
and attracted wide attention. His au-
dacity in sporting a commanders uni
! form SO openly was never equaled in this
! country"
Auction on Saturday.