Evening star., 1896-12-19
Joys and Sorrows of Christmas
Times During the War.
AWASHINGTON WOMAN'S EXPERIENCE
How She Lost and Found Her
Husband on Christmas Day.
IN son AS A SPY

Wrltten Tor Inc Evening star.
A few squares northeast Of the Capitol
resides a widow lady, Mrs. Lee, who, while
enjoying the Christmas festivities Of 1896,
cannot forget some of her experiences Dur
ing the festal days Of 1851 and 1862. The
first was the most gloomy she had ever
spent, for her husband, the only wage
Garner in the family, had been captured
and taken to a southern jail a few months
before. and just before Christmas she had
learned. from an apparently authentic
source. that he had been hanged; and those
of 1862 the most cheering, for the husband
and father had returned few weeks be-
fore, and though physical wreck, he
helped the family to enjoy the occasion.
Her husband. Mr.. A. H. Lee, was at the
commencement of the war a well-known
painter in the northern part of the city,
and had come here with his family few
years before from Calvert county Md.
He had his shop on K street near Sth
northwest, and with his family lived near
by. In appearance he was one of those
enigmas of humanity, apparently so deli
cate in health as to make one wonder how
ne was able to walk much less than to
perform mans share of labor and no
one would suppose for an instant that he
would be able to perform military or any
other service for the government. He was
a man of strong mind, cool, calculating
and of ready wit. and being in thorough
sympathy with the government when the
war broke out, he applied to Gen. Mans
field for work in the cause. His appear
ance personally was against his employ
ments and although the authorities were
satisfied that his personal knowledge of
people In southern Maryland supposed to
be In sympathy with the rebellion, could be
used to advantage. he was thanked for his
oner and told that when needed he would
be called on. The secret service, or mill
tary detective system, was then being
evolved, and such was the condition of af-
ra1rs that 1T was difficult to ascertain who
was Tor or against the government and
there was more or less voluntary work bv
private citizens.
A Volunteer Detective,
Mr.. Lee became impatient for work and
hearing daily of information being fur
nished the government by Others he deter
mined to take "go-as-you-please'' commits
sion, ard do some work on his own account
He having lived number Of years in the
lower part of Maryland, and through his
business having formed a large acauaint-
ance with the people, was convinced that
the sympathes of number were with the
south, and some were aiding in keeping
open a mail route to and from the confed-
erecy. He had become aware that much of
the contrnband mail was sent from and
received In W ashington, and determined to
learn the details of the business and If
possitle the active agents in it. Leaving
his family, Mrs. Lee and three children os
tensibly to look for work, he followed some
OF Fls clues. and succeeded in obtaining, in
the course of his two weeks absence such
valuable information as to locate the con-
federate post office in Washington. This
he at once commune ated to the military,
authorities, and 1t resulted In the seizing.
at store near the Center market of n
number of contraband letters and papers
rms work gave him a standing, and he
was recognized by Gen. Mansfield as :.
trusted agent of the military service. AS.
however. he was to make the lower .Poto-
mac the scene of his operations, 1t was
not lcng before he was directed to report
to the Navy Department and work in CON
nectlon with the Potomac fiotilla
A Sudden Hnlt.
On August of that year the stage for
Leonardtown had him as a passenger. and
he was quite confident that on the trip he
would be enabled to completely break up
the Potomac route for the cIandestfne
nail; and, indeed, he then had, in his
mind, the locations of several stations on
the Maryland side. After verifying one or
two matters of debate he was to communi
cate with the sunboat Yankee. and strict
attention was to be paid to the points in
question, but suddenly his career as a de-
tective came to an end. This was effected,
1t was thought by one regarded by
.o the family lily! as their most intimate
personal friend, end when in after days
the family here and the husband con-
fined in prison tried to conjecture how
he had been found out and captured
they could not recall any circumstance but
one which might have led to his betrayal
This was that on visit to the home by the
supposed friend one of the children had
unWittingly mentioned the name Of a per-
son residing in southern Maryland with
whom the friend was acquainted and at
whose place the secret agent had spent
some days, and they were quite certain
that the friend surEised from this fact that
the husband was engaged in watching op-
erations, and communicated his suspicious
to parties living in that section. Mr.. Lee
had on his previous trips excited no sus-
picion, for his two or three trips had been
made in his working clothes, with bundle
of overalis and few brushes, and what
pertained to his work of painting, but he
had in his mind his Instructions and a
small amount of money In his pocket.
Took to the Woods.
Mr.. Lee an inveterate joker and
talker, and it was a common saying among
his friends that he could joke in the face
Of death, but they little expected that his
quick wit would one day save him from
death by hanging.
He took the stage from MarshalTs, on c
street between Az and 9th streets and the
monotony of the trip was relieved by story
and joke, and his fellow-passengers en-
joyed them. When In the evening he was
set down at the tavern door, with his
thoughts on supper, he found that his arri-
val had caused much interest, and that
there were some suspicious movements
being made. He soon learned that If caught
he Would not live to tell the tale. Then he
made for the woods and swamps, and he
disappeared In them not a minute too soon
for as he walked hither and thither he sew
eral times heard his pursuers. and more
than once got sight of some of the party
His general course was toward the river
and he hoped by daylight to reach it.
and to be able to communicate with q gun
boat So near did they come upon him that
It required the greatest caution on his part
but after travelling, he thought, for thirty
miles, the following day he was finally cap
tured and taken to a farm house near the
river. where he was guarded till night
Then party, over dozen, In large seine
boat rowed him across the river and after
landing, proceeded to hold a parley, and
discussed what disposition they should
make of him. Some suggested shooting
but others objected that 1t would be too
much honor to put him out Of the way as
a soldier, when he was spy; and they de-
cided that a spy he should hang I'm
der guard, between two trees, he had heard
the discussion but he showed no sign OF
fear, nor did his wit forsake him The
leader, approaching him, said: You have
heard what your doom is You are to be
hung. and IL you have anything to say or
DreDarattOnS to make will pdvo vor a