Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-02-12
THE BOUNTY-JUMpER
SOME OF HIS GOOD DEEDS
FOR HUMANITY'S SAKE.
Got Money from the Fedcrals
and Was Kind To His Con-
fcdcratc Friends.


the st. James Hotel, in Washington city,
early one bright June morning in 1873.
The speakers clothes were well-worn
but clean his appearance and features
those OF ono who had been accustomed
TO the free use OF intoxicants, and his
shaky. nervous condition clearly indi-
Gated his want OF further stimulants.
"Well." replied in answer to his adj
dress, that title is sometimes gwen me
by old army comrades but may ! ask
who You are ? for though | can't recall
you feel sure | have seen you before. a"
He laughed heartily. and then said in
q very sad tone surely l must have
changed if Won do not recognize me. for
it was l that helped you OF the battle
field of Kernstown when you were SO
badly wounded.
"What is il possible that you are
Sheppard 2" instantly giving him my
hand and shaking his heartily.
"Yes, IT'S me, and q wreck am, .oO
regret TO let you know, but have had
hard times since you and last met. II
you have leisure and will give me
drink or two to steady my nerves, /
would like TO tell something of my his
tory since saw you last.
Taking him back TO the bar in the
rear of the hotel he was supplied with
tie liquor he craved. and then We
strolled over to the Smithsonian grounds
and in that loved spot he told me OF hls
troubles and trials since we parted IN
. L. Of 10
HE ENTERS The CONFEDERATE SERVICE.
Bnt let us go back to the month Of May,
IN the year 1861. Among the many gal,
liant companies organized in RichmoDd
was one that gave itself the name OF
Sharpshooters - afterwards COM
pany IL, Twenty-third Virginia Nolun-
tecrs, commanded 10y then Colonel
William j. Taliaferro. the brave and
chivalrous soldier and the courteous Old
time Virginia gentleman. The sharp.
shooters were composed principally OF
youths from this city, and though Wild
and fun OF fun and deyilment. generally,
no other corps surpassed them IN deeds
of daring on the battlefield. 1t was
commanded by men Who had for years
been attached 10 the old Blues and left
the camp of instruction rs well drilled
aud disciplined as any other company.
just le,Ore gong into active SER
vice. handsome, genteel young fellow,
clean and neat III appearance, and, from
his conversation, Of good Intelligence,
applied for admission to the company.
lie was accepted, gave hls name as Shep-
hard. and SAID he was from the Vest
think Missouri. The fun-loying boys
soon pretixed Jack TO his name, and
forever afterwards he bore the title OF
Jack SHEPPARD and from the way he
kept himself supplied with rations and
clothing when others could not procure
them. 1t was generally conceded he was
fairy entitled 10 the name gwen HIM.
He became attached to the writer from
the first and kept mp his friendship till
ia parted us later on.
ACTIVE SERVICE Is TIE NORTHWEST.
Passing over the first years service OF
the reglment-ils hurried march TO Lau-
rel Hill, It's bushwhacking experiences
there. the retreat and suffering of the
men. fighting in Cheat river, death Of
Garnett, battle Of Greenbricr River, the
terrible Bomney campaign, &c.-we
come down to Sunday, 23d OF March,
1862, when, after march Of thirteen
miles, the regiment took part III the Sc
we're battle Of kernstODn. The Sharp
shooters, being armed with Mississippi
rifles, previous to the engagement had
been detached and ordered to advance as
skirmishers which they calamity did :;
but when the battle began the company
remained in the woods, where they
were safe from danger. The writer had
been detached from the company and
ordered to and Ill commanding another
portion Of the regiment-two compa-
MES. most Of the officers being at home
recruiting.
just about shutdown, as the Confede-
rate forces were compelled to fall back
from Il stone wall, the writer was Sc
yerely wounded twice-in the side and
arm. Falling at once TO the ground i
remained there until somewhat recover
ed from the shock, when / attempted
10 get on my feet, but found myself I'M
able to do so. The Federal cavalry were
then securing the field. capturing the
slightly wounded and others that had
not gotten back beyond their reach.
They had passed near the writer twice,
but did not disturb him. thinking, per-
haps, he was dead. After the Federals
had lett the field, | commenced to drag
myself along on hands and knees to a
piece of woods short distance of,
which | finally reached, and then fell
with loud cry of pain, for | was suffer
ing terribly. Some one hearing the cry,
hallooed out, "Who is that - Think
ing | would die if did not get some at
tention soon, | replied at is wound
ed Confederate. Como and help him,
whoever you are" lie ut once came,
and who should it bo but Jack Shep-
hard, of my own company, who
had been skulking in the woods
during the entire engagement? With
Jacks assistance, | WAS finally gotten
back to a little church in which the
Confederate wounded were quartered for
the night. Jack left the writer there
aud did not hear or see anything of
him until the day after tho evacuation
of Richmond, when q knock was made
at the door of my residence, in the east
ern part of the city. 1t is proper TO say
that the writer's wounded arm prevented
him from services IN tho field till near
the close of the struggle, and while dis
abled | was detailed as courier for the
War Department and on other detached
service.
FEDERAL SOLDIER AT THE DOOR.
Hearing the knock at the door, my
wife naturally peeped through the blinds,
and on seeing Federal soldier in full
uniform standing there she became very
much alarmed, but finally opened the
door, when the soldier asked If Lieu
tenant \. lived there and if no was in.
Seeing the wife to be very much alarm
ed, he fastened to assure her that no
harm WAS intended. that he was her
husbands friend, and was there to assist
him if necessary. She then told him at
what hour her husband would return
home. Prompt to the minute the soldier
was at hand, and who do you suppose
was the Yankee soldier None other
than Jack Sheppard.
Well, Of course, he was invited in.
He then told OF his being a bounty
jumper from the very beginning of the
war how he had been on both sides
how he had managed to escape going into