The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-05-10
Woman Who IS Dying In
Chicago Hospital
SHE JILTED THE GENERAL
Years After She Was His Prisoner
as Confederate Spy.
REWARD ONCE OFFERED FOR HER

Onicogo dlspatcn 70 tne NOW tork
sun says Ono OF the most famous spies
OF the Confederacy, Mrs James Clarke. is
dying In q hospital In this city. When she
was Miss Charlotte Moore OF Oxford, o.,
she fascinated Ambrose Il. Burnside, then
q student there. and ultimately Tilted
him. 1t was to uen. Burnside THAI years
aftsrwa-d, when she was q prisoner In the
Burnet House In Cincinnati. she made .
confession Of her work as spy In the
Confederate cause. Miss Moore married
James Clarke. lawyer In Ohio.
The Clarkss were living In Ohio when
the civil war broke out and they were
known a. Southern sympathizers. One
Of the visitors at.their house about that
time was Walker Taylor, Confederate
Gen. Kirby Smith, and Mira Clarke vol
unteersd to deliver them. She disguised
herself as nm Irish woman. won the sym
pathy OF an Irish Federal soldier and was
passed through the Federal lines. She
delivered the dispatches to Confederate
wnom she met on the road, and whom
she had previously known, although he
When she was on her way back. AZ the
train neared Cincinnati, the stations were
notified that q female spy was on board
who must b. captured. Mrs. Clarke had
taken scat behind Gen. Leslie Coombs,
ex.Governor or Kentucky, q Uuion man.
The sobs and walls Of the supposed Irish
woman appealed to the General and his
wife. Her piteous tale enlisted their SYM
pathy. And when she said shs heard they
we're looking for female spies and was
afraid they'd arrest q poor lone woman
like herself, IL was Gen. Coombs himself
who helped her on the rear end OF tbs
train ct Covington and saw her pick her
way through thc dark streets toward the
ferry. She reached her home In Cipcin-
natl In safety.
It was soon after this that the Rev. DR..
Stuart Robinson, editor OF D religious
weekly In Louisville. was forced to leave
the country because Of the bitter editorial
which appeared In his paper against the
ada and met Col. Thompson, who was
also flying for fear Of arrest and together
they went TO Montreal. These two names
are famous In history - the leaders Of
that little band Of Southernsrs In Canada
VINO were accused Of collecting smallpox
olothing and other Infectious garments
and sending them to the Union army.
In this cause they were able TO enlist the
services Of Mrs. Clarke.
She iourneyed quietly to Montreal, and
q few months later m English lady with
IN ample foytune and In very bad health,
presented herself and her credentials In
Washington. and asked for q pass which
would snabie her to reach the great Vir-
ginia HprinRs.
when she Was questioned she acknowl-
edged having journsyed through Canada,
and having met there two Americans
who were very much interested In the
Southern causa She gave ~ much In
formatio concerning Sheir plans az she
remem bered, and 30 ingrAtiated herself
with the officers who pitied her evident Ill
health. that when Linsoln made his Jour-
ney to review the army OF the Potomac at
Fredericksburg, TO the surprise OF every
one concsrned. she was found IN tne presi-
Her charm did the rest and on srriv-
Ing 1T the camp Gen. McClellau. knowing
che had come In the presidential party,
gave her q pass through the Union lines
to Richmond. When the mistake was dis
covereo. stanton, the secretery OF war,
ward OF 90, 600 for that Confscernte fe-
male spy dead or alive. Having reached
her destination and delivered the dis
patches and information intrusted to her.
Mrs. Clarke turned her face toward Gin
cinnati. She came back tbroush the north
county, ana down through Mount Ster-
ling and Pikevills. Here she struck tho
Federal troops In command OF Gen. NIL.
roy, and the pickets halted the carriage
and refused to let her pass. After hear
ing her story. the guard sent word to Gen:
Milroy that an English lady, very Ill and
making her way North from Virginia
Sprinsa wished to pass through the Union
Iines The answer came to send the In.
valid to beadquartsrR Cen. Milroy felt
the Case was matter for the surgeon, not
for bimself. and ne accordingly called no
mis- medical director. man very proud OF
his Wisdom ana ability, who ordered the
stranger taken 10 the hospital.
when they reached the hospital the
English lady persisted she was not able 10
walk without assistance. Two attendants
we're brought out and she was carried In
= chair tn the surgeons office Here tn
officer asked the procise nature OF her ale
msur, and Was told that 10 Was rheuma-
sism Tbs pbysician prooeeded TO make
an examination. He raised the INTEREST," ne
strangers arm, and while hsr face wore
On expression OF misery tho Short sharp
scrspins Of sbs bones could be distinctly
beard. Ssyt the physician placed his esr
20 the invslids heart, and clearly heard
the orninous sound OF disorder there.
Mrs. Clarke hsd not studied the art OF
misniery for nvtbins. Tbs surgeon was
convinced that the stranger wss ell that
she repsssentsd herself, snd tbss she was
really I'm q vsry ssfioos condition. ene
Was carried downstairs % her carriage.
snd on recon- mendstion OF his medical
adviser, Gen. Nilvoy isspcd q pass which
brought bsr In ssfssy 20 CibefDrati.
BurpAios. wbo wes boz . general. end
In command In CineiDbsti, had heard
tbsrs wsre spies In his section cf the
country. ana issus1 oroers fer fbsm % ts
brought in. lee bous> of Clarke vss rs-
ported ~ bescqsart<fs for soUt,sfn sym-
pathizsrs. An sxsnt 81 Bsfnsics went
there 90 . visitor 90 sympstby With toe
Southern cause, and fDgrsffsseo himself
| I'm the coIfi1snce % Ma Moorx. tbs
| mother OF Ars. Cisrts. snc bex upsssr.
ried daughter when the<~ women went
away one day By steamer Bsrps;c<'s . ross
| was with them. snd bsfoss fbe ~cfnsr
| reached their destination. NezDpbis. tnsy
| were under arrest. In Miss Noors's trunk
| were quilts. Quinins end oplrn, ws,ct
| she hso hopsd % emuRRis roctk- The
| women were brousht bsck ~ Clncfpnsn
| and taken 90 the Barnet Hspss. Ths On.
cer had inst roturnod from tbIs DDDls~s-