South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1892-12-02
relief came, and the officer in COM
mand said TO me:
Where did you get that fellow"

enjoyment OF the joke ian uncon-
scious one, Of course) was 20 great
that ! determined, on the impulse
or the moment, to get better &C.
quainted with him before turning
him over as . prisoner, il possible,
and when l reported to my supe-
rior added that the prisoner came
from Ohio. not q great distance from
my old home in West Virginia, and
that / would like to have q talk
with him. In explanation ! will
say that the prisoner had told me
that he belonged to another regi-
ment. OF course, under ordinary
circumstances, such q thing would
have been impossible, but just as
our line was fling into town the
whistle Of locomotives and rattle Of
drums announced the arrival Of re-
endorsements, and while the atten-
ton Of the squad was attracted ]
nudged my prisoner and slipped in
to camp with him without attract
ing attention.
Lying under dog tent we talked
for several hours. i told him where
l came from. and found that he had
actually been born and raised not
thirty miles distant from my old
home, although in a different state.
He knew many Of my acquaintan-
tances, and had known many peo-
pie with whom he had been famil-
lar. Any one listening to us would
have thought we were old acquain-
tances and old friends, and we GER
tainly became friends, il not old
ones, that night. My Yankee friend
began to show great deal Of un-
easiness before a great while, and /
soon learned that he had terrible
dread Of being sent to Libby, but as
l had succeeded thus far in run
ming things to suit myself, l told
him not to be uneasy, but to lie
still until / came back.
First 1 made him take off his
blouse and his cap, and these / roll
ed up and carried out of the tent
under my arm. In fifteen minutes
l had exchanged the blue jacket
and cap for the gray jacket and
gray slouch hat of Con- ederate.
Its owner was asleep. From
another sleeping soldier borrowed
q big chunk Of cornbresd. Return
ing to the tent told my prisoner
to put o1 the jacket and hat--a
mighty risky business for both of
us-and then led him down over
the hill, keeping in the dark, until
we struck the same rayine where l
had captured him, but at a point
100 feet distant from the picket.
After guiding him to the opening
between the hills, l pointed out the
direction of the camp of his frien Is,
and after telling him that they had
probably retreated (Which 1 learned
afterward was fact), told him
to keep on going, as our fellows
would make things lively that morn
ing. We then shook hands and
parted.
Five years ago, while sitting in q
big country store in Ohio with about
q dozen ex-U al)n soldiers, swap
ping war stories, / told of the fore
going occurrence. When l got up
the next morning a half dozsn
horsemsn had just arrived, and at
their head was q middle-aged gem
tleman whose air and carriage be-
tokOned prosperity and happiness.
He sprang from his horse and walk
ed-almost ran-to the porch of
the hotel where / was standing,
seized me by both shoulders With
pair Of trembling hands, looked me
in the eyes a moment, as If in
doubt, and then actually Rugged
me as the tears ran down his cheeks.
"God bless you, Johnny. have
always hoped, but never expect ca
to see you again. Get your things
and come along, and, actually, be-
fore could recover my senses or
catch the e st glimse Of ths mean
ing Of the strange scene, / was seat
cd on q horse in the midst
of the crowd and on my way some
where before / found out that tie
gentleman who had met me 30 af-
fectionately was my quondam
prisoner.
What a talk we had, and how
many questions each Of us asked
cannot now tell, but they covered
tho lapse Of the years between the
time when the bullets sang requi-
ems and the shell and shrapnel
down overdecades Of peace
and prosperity. Our ride ended
IN front Of a 6ne, large two-story
brick country residence, about
which everything indicated the In
telligent cultivated taste Of its own
ers. An old but sWeet-faced and
handsome lady stood at the top
step Of the veranda, and az my con
ductor led me up to her & said: cit
is he, mother" she placed her arms
around my neck and kissed me,
and while tho tears fell from her
eyes, she said "God bless you,
my son may lie always prosper
you"
/ did not get away that day, nor
the next, and when I did leave on
the third day, forced by pressure Of
k~.--~.. II Infk k.Ls-I -. g. H..