Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-10-07
THE FORTUNE OF WaR.

|
The room was comfortable enough. 1t
was the guest-room of an old Virginian
| farm house on the James river; but the
farmer was away, fighting in Lees army
| for the defense of Richmond, and half
squadron of Sheridan's Horse, on out
post duty, occupied the building. The
| furniture of the room was old fashioned,
solid and substantial. The bed had cur
tains; the floor was carpeted and prints
hung upon the walls The last place in
the world that the room resembled or
suggested was a prison. Yet the man
who walked perturbedly up and down
the floor was o prisoneI--a Confederate
prisoner of war; and the other man,
who paced the court yard outside, be-
meath his window, was a Federal soldier
guarding him.
| The prisoner had made no attempt to
sleep. From 10 at night when they had
locked him there till three in the morn
ing, he had been feverishly striding to
and fro almost without break. When
he had thrown himself, from time to
time, upon the bed it was to think
and not to rest Partly he was weighing
chances, and wondering whether it was
possible that Stuart's Cavalry would
swoop down suddenly and rescue him !;
but his mind mainly dwelt upon the one
paramount horror Of the position in
which he found himself.
His lamp was still burning, and there
were pens, ink and paper lying on the
table. He had asked for this favor, and
his captors had granted it without de-
muir. As they were going to shoot him
at daybreak, they could scarcely grudge
him so trivial an indulgence.
There was something which he wanted
to write before he died, last message
to his mother IN South Carolina, who was
praying for his safe return. Three times
already he had begun the letter, and
then stopped and torn up what he had
written. 1t was difficult to write with
out telling either too little or too much
At first he had intended to suppress all
that was really essential in the story.
But within the last hour something had
happened which had changed his mind,
and resolved him to write down the
plain truth about the things that had
befallen him. Cruel as the truth was, it
was not dishonorabe. Better, he
thought, that his mother should hear it,
than that apocryphal, and perhaps cal
luminous, tales should reach her ears.
SO, with an effort, he Gained himself,
and took up his pen and wrote:
'MY DEAREST MOTHER: Whether this
letter will ever reach you cannot say,
as shall have to trust to the kind offices
of the enemy for its safe transmission. In
any case, before you receive it you will
have heard the worst. You will have
heard that | am dead. At the moment
when | write this have only two or three
more hours to live, as | am sentenced to
be shot at sunrise. If these lines reach
you you will also know that you have no
reason to be ashamed of me, or of my
brother Jefferson, who is sleeping in the
next room to me, and whose prisoner ]
am.
"Jefferson's prisoner That puzzles
you, no doubt. Well, will soon make
you understand. 1t has happened very
simply.
81 was serving, as you know, with
Stuar's cavalry. General Stuart wanted
some information which could only be
obtained by passing inside the Federal
lines. Happening to know the country
better than most, | volunteered for the
service, and, disguised as q farm hand,
made my way in the direction of Rich
mond. | obtained my information, but
on the road back was taken by two Of
| Sheridans troopers. They searched me
and, unfortunately, | had concealed abou
me some plans had made of the Fedora
defenses at Bermuda Hundred. So they
brought me along 10 this farm house OF
the james river, where they are stationed
under the command of my brother Jeifer
son - Captain Jefferson Langley o.
the Federal Army.
81 didn't know any more than you did
that Jefferson was fighting for the North
hadn't seen him, any more than yol
have, since that day he ran away from
home FIVE years ago. | didn't even know
be was alive But when the Sergeant
marched me IN front Of him | recognize,
him az once
''lIo wasn't 50 quick AZ recognizing
me bat that's 90 wonder, for, as ! toll
YOU, was disguised. aud | Ind to
days beard GA my face. lie bcga
questioning met
You have been arrested within OH
feiru. lines. Compromising document
have brcH ieaHd upon Y0aT ref0u io
NFe accused q hflna Confederate apy
Have t0a satlbnF tn my II y0H Va
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