Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-21
A BOLD REBEL.
How . Confederate Soldier Cut HI.
Way to a Well-Earned Liberty.

How . Confederate Soldier Cut His
Way to a Well-Earned Liberty.
From the Chattanooga News
The greatest act of daring that remem-
Der to have been performed by soldiers of
the confederate armies" said Gen. G. P. M.
Turner to News reporter. settling himself
back in comfortable chair in the sheriffs
ofhce. was performed by a couple of men
who now stand high in official life in the
Lone Star state. One is H p Mabry, the
adjutant general of Texas, and the other is
John E. Love, who is now sheriff in one of
the Texas counties near Dallas the name of
which Just now fail to remember
AT the time 1 speak of Springfield was in
vested by federal army of $4,000 under
Gen. Fremont. The confederate force, a
comparative handful, Was quartered at
Camp Hardin, not far from Cassville under
General Mccullough. The confederates had
no knowledge Of the strength of the federal
forces, and having been approached by some
small federal divisions that were evidently
intended to incite an offensive movement
by the confederate forces, a general attack
on the federal lines was meditated 1 was
tEen serving as private secretary to General
Mccullough. and being constantly at head
quarters, was conversant with all move
ments in contemplation. Before making the
attack, General Mccullough deemed II pru
cent to have accurate information as to the
strength and position Of the enemy, and
called Tor couple of volunteers to go
through the enemy's lines into Springfield
and secure the desired information. There
were plenty of volunteers for this desperate
ur dertaking, but the two who were selected
were H p. Mabry. captain of a company in
the sixth Texas regiment, and John +. Love
captain of General McCuliough's escort
company. Mabry was of New York birth
de had been sent to Texas to manage a
branch mercantile establishment. but when
the war broke out he donned the gray.
shouldered rifle and marched forth TO the
music of Dixie Love was a southern
born man. Both were in the prime of young
manhood. filled with visions of glory and
fame. They acquired-both.
Dressed in civilian clothes they had no
great difficulty in passing into the invested
city, and they found accommodations at the
residence of Colonel Parks a man of wealth
and Of southern sympathies With this hos
p!table residence as their headquarters the
two scouts soon accumulated what informa-
ton was needed. and at night lay down for
a good rest, preparatory to the difficult un-
dertaking of getting back to McCullough's
headquarters next day.
There were negro servants In the house
of Colonel Parks, who, of course, were sym
pathizers with the federals and these ne
groes betrayed the scouts, with the result
that as they lay in bed in separate rooms
they were awakened by the sound of a mar
tia, tread, the clatter of accouterments and
words Of command. Peering out from the
windows the scouts saw the house to be
surrounded by soldiers with the captain Of
the company pounding on the door and de-
handing admttance.
Captain Mabry. already dressed, made
at once to the front door. which he threw
open. He stood face to face with the federal
captain.
Surrender" was the command he heard
All right he responded coolly
He put his hands behind his back as
though to hand forth his weapons to his
captor. but Instead his arms shot forth,
a revolver in one hand and q bowie knife
in the other, and with the quickness of
tho ught the kffe was sunk to the hilt in the
shoulder of the federal captain, who sank to
the ground. Leaving his knife where ii was
planted the nervy Mabry sprang forward,
emptying his revolver point blank at the
nearest soldiers in his pathway, killing two
Of them before reaching the gate and him
self received a bullet that curiously enough
struck him on the thumb and ranged upward
under the skin to the elbow and breaking no
bones"