Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1894-07-18
A SWAMP MYSTERY.

North Carolina. 1t even did some
thing to counteract the more de-
structive heat of the Civil War.
General Burnside had captured a
long reach of the seaboard, and had
established his headquarters at New
berne. No battles followed very
soon, nor any storms to speak OF,
but the army and weather were fast
getting into high state OF prepar-
ton for either kind of event.
There were Union loops at Fort
Macon and Morehead City, not
many miles up the coast from
Newberne, and much pay was due
them.
The money came down from the
North in July, and a couple of pay
masters received orders to 60 at
once and deal it out to the men.
Before the war a railway had
been constructed from Newberne
to Morehead City. Its rails were
still there, but all its rolling stock,
with the exception of one hand-car,
had gone into the interior OF the
state. The viaduct was only just
wide enough to carry the rails, and
much of its course was through a
swamp whose dense bushes were
now luxuriantly reaching out as If
they meant to capture the track be-
fore the end of the season.
The quartermaster placed his one
hand-car at the disposal of the pay
masters. He did so with the pleas
ant information that on the previ-
Gus evening the busy Confederates
had made raid and had swept
away all the pickets posted along
the line of the railway. New pick
cts had been posted, he told them,
and their proposed trip would be
reasonably safe.
THAT is" he said, 81 guess you're
safe from any Confeds, but if you
don't get through before dark, I'd
advise you to be pretty prompt
about answering any hail. The
boys'll be wide awake this time.
They won't be slow about taking
care of themselves IN the dark.
Not "a man of them wants to 60 to
Wilmington just now, nor to An
Jacksonville either"
That warning made the paymas-
ter shake his head and grow in i'm
portance before the hand-car set
out, for it was plain enough that
it would be dark before the trip
could be half made. Precisely how
dark it would be or why, was not
yet imagined by anybody.
There were nine men huddled on
that hand-car when it went. A
sergeant and four soldiers were it's
motive power, guard and garrison.
The writer Of this story was there
altogether as an adventurer. Two
paymasters, with the rank of major,
and one clerk, were in charge of
black box containing over eighty
thousand dollars in greenbacks, to
be scattered among the volunteers
on the morrow.
The air grew more and more
close and sultry. and just before
night sort of haze began to rise
over the eastern horizon.
That's it, major" said the SER
geant to one Of the paymasters,
"We're going to hear from Cape
Hatteras."
storm comingp"
Right along. 'Twon't take it
long to come"
He was correct as to the time re-
quired by Cape Hatteras, or what
ever was managing that storm.
The sky rapidly grew black as ink,
and darkness came with but moder-
ate reference to the departing sun.
Just before entering the denser
thickets of the swamp, a picket was
reached and the officer in charge
repeated the warning of the quar-
termaster:
"Be ready to answer right away.
It'll be pitch dark, and some of the
boys are nervous, after last nights
work. They'll shoot quick"
That was to the sergeant, but it
was paymaster who replied: