The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-09-14
JUMPING THE BOUNTY.

During the spring and summer of
1863 the bounty-jumping business was
! tiourishing and men were reaping
fortunes. Quotas were credited by
counties and townships at figures
ranging from $500 to 81 600 and over,
yet the ranks Of the army We're not
correspondingly enlarged The tx
tent OF these desertions and the facility
with which our army lines could be
waded by these Jumpers gave the
war department much concern. At
the same time the desertions from the
the general hospital at Washington
and the convalescents' camp at Anna
polls were becoming quite large, so
that it behooved the department to
take some summary steps to put stop
to these wholesale desertions.
1t was very evident that there was
some systematic and we'll arranged
plan IN operation to run these men
northward from the Potomac to the
Susqnehanna Whether it was part
of the substitute brokerage business
or not the writer is not prepared to
say, yet he thinks it quite plausible
theory. At any rate such an arrange
ment had existence and did flourish
ing business at the time. The line
had for its starting place a point on
the Potomac river at or near Seneca
creek and terminated at Port Deposit
on the Susquehanna river. Along
this route, at certain distances apart,
We're stations or places of rendezvous.
The proprietOrs of these stations, as
soon as a certain number, usually
eight or ten, were on hand, would con
vey them by night to the next station
and the proprietor of that station
would then convey them, together
with any that he might have at bis
own awaiting transportation, on the
ensuing night to the next station in
order. The last station master landed
his passengers at the Susquehanna.
Once across the river these men were
ready for the next bounty money that
might be offered by the willy substitute
broker, who no doubt felt highly de-
lighted to see, his old friends" back
so soon. And so this thing was going
on quite briskly in the spring and
summer of 1863, the government send
ing them down and these men sending
them back.
The writer was at this time station
ed with his command at Elysville, on
the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, guard
ing two iron bridges across the Patap
SEQ. He was also for time time being
acting as provost marshal for the
western section of Howard county.
He had incidentally learned through
some of his men, who had been out on
scouting expeditions. such facts as
led him to believe that a certain estab
lshment and its proprietor was in the
habit of harboring deserters from the
army and even aiding them to escape
Instructions had been sent to Major
General Schenck, then in command
of the department of Baltimore, from
the war department, who, in pursuance
of the same, detailed the writer ito
proceed with the least possible delay
In ferreting out the line or route usu
ally travelled by our army deserters
and, if possible to do SO, to break up
the business effectually;" that should
he discover ''any party or parties guilty
OF harborlng or IN any wise aiding de-
serters, to arrest them forthwith and
send them to department headquarters
at Baltimore, together with the evi
dence against them.
On the day preceding the receipt
of this communication one of the
writer's s>rgeants had returned to
camp in a highly indignant state Of
mind, alleging that as he came by
the place above alluded to, and feeling
quite thirsty he had stopped at the
pump in front of the place to get "a
drink of water; that while in the act
of getting his drink of water the
gentlemanly (?) proprietor came out
and approached him in very rough
and brutal manner, ordered him away
from his premises and applied some
very vile epithets; that he stepped to
the highway and off the mans prem
ises, and then asked him to
come to him and repeat his insults;
that he declined to do this, saying
that all he wanted was that 'he didn't
show his face spying round his place"
L AS ntI SSClIIt ttlSO lc ICI ttti lHdI lic
was fully satisfied he had seen some
soldiers at the house before he reach
ed there, but that none were visible
while he was at the pump or near the
house.
1t was, therefore, pretty evident
that things were not looking quite
straight in this direction, so the writer,
on receiving the department instruc-
tions on the following day, called in
the sergeant and one of the privates,
shrewd and wiry little fellow. to
whom he entrusted the working up
Of the case-the private to play the
''decoy' and the sergeant the detect
i've" As there are a number of main
roads leading northward that cross
the Baltimore x Ohio railroad immed-
lately west of Elysville, it became
necessary that they should experiment
somewhat Ia ordered to light upon
the correct one. The decoy had run
out the first road as far as the railroad
without any clue secured. and had al
most concluded he would have to start
| the second one, when he very unex-
pectedly tumbled into a streak of good
luck and with it an excellent clue. He
had seated himself Oh a bench at the
railroad station, which was also a
country store and post office, and, pre-
senting a travelled and dust stained
appearance, soon attracted the atten-
l!on of the postmaster, whe began to
question him very closely as to where
he came from, his company and regi
ment and where he was bound for