Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-05-25
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
FACE TO FACE WITH pEArH.
A Union Soldiers Daring saves Him From
the Fate Of Spy.

the rate or a spy.
With pity at my heart, I stood and
gazed upon the man before me; a man,
a fellow being, doomed by a merciless
court-martial to die; To leave the bright
and beautiful world around him, and
10 be ushered alone into the valley of
the shadow of death" A noble-looking
man he was, as he stood there, unmoved
amid enemies that surrounded him, and
a naughty, half-sad, half-defiant ex-
preston rested upon his handsome, dar-
ing face.
He was a union spy, captured in the
confederate lines and bearing upon his
person reasonable papers sufficient to
have condemned a regiment He had
made a good fight, but he was at last
overpowered, the papers found upon
him, and, after speedy trial, was con-
demned to die.
! had formed one of the court-martial,
and though I knew that the crime of
being spy was punishable with death,
yet had / sought to have him spared.
was young then, for it was the first few
months of our civil war, and / was not
as used to deeds of blood as l became in
after years; and, besides, the spy was
young and handsome, by his deport-
ment evidently a gentleman, and his
reckless bravery had won my admira-
ton.
Nightfall came upon our camp, and
the following morning the spy was TO
be called out and shot / had been APP
pointed to take charge of the execution,
and. seated in my tent. / was thinking
OF the unpleasant duty was to perform
on the morrow.
Lieutenant, a mole for you, sir"
l started as the orderlys voice broke
the stiffness of the night, and taking
the outstretched note, read:
Pardon me foI disturbing your slumbers,
but as you command the detachment that will
tomorrow usher my soul into eternity, I
would see you If your duties as an officer do
not urge to the contrary Hoping you will grant
this favor remain, with respect,
'WmBUR HAYES"
j carefully read the note over twice,
and then said to the orderly:
SAY that will come"
few moments later, and l stood
in the presence of the condemned man.
mir. Hayes, you sent for me. +"
81 did, lieutenant and it was be-
cause of your kindness to me during the
trial, and also that l saw in your eyes
pity for my fate.
u do feel for you. from my heart
l do; and sincerely wish l had not
the unpleasant duty devolving upon
me of ordering your execution to-mor-
row."
II have favor to ask of you, sir; to
please order the guard to remove some
distance from the tent, as it is a confess
sion | wish to make"
gave a command to the guard to re-
tire few PAGES, and returning to the
tent Hayes at once began:
II am no spy, sir, but am condemned
upon circumstantial evidence. ] came
into the confederate lines to visit my
mother who lives in the south, although
she is union in her feelings After a
visit to her of few days / started to
return, and by the roadside came upon
a dying man clad as a confederate
soldier. Imagine my surprise to recog-
nize in him noted spy of our
own army, aad recognizing me, he in
formed me that he had been wounded
the night before by being fired upon by
party of confederate cavalry, and had
ridden on until he could 60 no further.
lie knew he was to die and intrusted
to my care the papers he had about
him. l watched over the poor fellow
until he died, and then following out a
shallow grave,
"Left him alone in his glory,
and proceeded on my way.
Il have little more to add, except
that l am major of cavalry in the
United States army, and wish that you
will take my private papers from me
after l am dead and send them to an
address l will give you. Now this is all
l ask, except that you will send me
pen and ink by the orderly when you
return"
Thus we parted, and finding a scout
awaiting me at my tent upon my re-
turn, gave him my pen, ink and paper,
and ordered him to ride over to the
tent where the doomed man was with
them, and to tell the guard to release
his hands of the shackles while he
wrote, but to keep close watch upon
him.
few minutes after, was startled
by loud shout, one, two, three shots
10 rapid succession, and then the rapid
rush of hoofs by my quarters / was
just in time to see the scouts horse
dash swiftly by and recognize, by the
moonlight the commanding form OF
Wilbur Hayes the union spy, in the
saddle
Men mounted in hot haste, and
chase commenced, but the daring sol
der escaped and thus saved himself
from the death of a spy.
Upon inquiry, l learned that when
the manacles had been removed from
his wrist, Hayes, watching his oppor.
tunity, with two rapid blows struck the
guard and the scout to the ground, and
springing lightly on the back of the
scouts horse, rode rapidly away, fol-
lowed by the shots from the sentinels
in the immediate vicinity N. Y.
Ledger,
THE BOYS FELL BACK.