The age-herald., 1898-05-25
HOW DEWEY
 SAVED HIS CASH
  Four Hundred Dollars Became the SpoiIs of a Confed-
 crate Guerrilla.
From the Philadelphia Times.

From the Philadelphia Times.
 Clark Fisher, of Trenton, N. J., formerly chief engineer in the navy, tells an in- teresting story of how he once became eus- todian of the savings of Commander Dew ey, and was relieved of them by a guer- rilla while on his way north. Dewey and Fisher were messmates on the gunboat Agawam in 1863 and 1864 Dewey was the executive officer and Fisher was chief engineer of the boat, which was aid- ing General Grant in his operations around City Point and Petersburg. The ,Agawam was in the heat of battle much of the time and was kept busy lodging torpedoes re- leased up the river by the enemy. At that time MT. Fisher says Dewey was considered one of the best men in the ser vice. He was active, energetic. alert, a good disciplinarian and prompt in every thing without being nasty.
 Dewey and Fisher became very chummy in the course of their service together, and when Fisher secured furlough of two or three months Dewey asked him to do him a favor while in the north.
 .'It came about this way" said Fisher speaking of the incident. 'I was busy one day packing my trunk, when Dewey came up with his hands in his pockets. He was always a retcent sort of fellow, even when with his most intimate friends, and he hadn't talked long before I knew that he wanted to say something that ne hated to, so I finally asked him why he didn't drive straight at the mark. I told him that I knew he was simply beating around the bush and suggested that we had been good friends enough for him to speak right out and let me know exactly what he wanted. -"'Well, Fisher said he, you know I don't like to trouble anybody, but do want you to do me a favor if you will when you get up north.
 Now, you are talking said I, what is it, old mani?
 "'You see, Fisher, said he, a fellow corked up here like mouse in a trap hasn't much use for money, and I have saved little. It has been ratting around in my trunk for several months doing mo- body any good, and l want to get it into action. If l could get 1t to my father he might invest it for me, and when need 1t it may amount to something. l thought that it might not be too much trouble for you to take it to the old gentleman while you are up in his neghborhood I'd mail it, but you know that under the present circumstances it would probably never reach him.
 
 can get it to him I shall be very glad to do So'
 Dewey pulled role of money out of his pocket and counted it. There's four hun dred dollars, even, said he; it isn't much, but will come in handy if fellow is ever laid up.'
 "He handed me the money and tucked it away in an inside pocket of my coat along with some money of my own. The next day 1 started for home.
 41,s the train was in the vicinity of Gunpowder Creek, when it suddenly came to halt in the midst of a dense wood. The passen- gers put their heads out at the windows to see what was up, and found themselves under the cover of reyolvers in the hands of a band of guerrillas under the command of Harry Gilmore. The guerrillas began to board the train, and concluding that dis cretion was the better part of valor, bolted for the rear door, at which nobody had appeared. I got through the door and was just leaving the platform with flying leap when a fellow as big as two of me caught my coattails and hauled me back
 |" Hold up bit, youngster,' said he, want to talk to you.
 "ButI had nothing to say, so l paid es- peeial attention to getting out of the fel- lows clutches. The coat that he had hold of @ trifle loose for me, and as quick as you could wink I slipped out of it, and leaving it in the hands of the guerrilla, jumped the DuSIlSS iliu nldue ny eSNdpe. The fellow sent a bullet after me, but he was probably too astonshed to take good aim and I heard the bullet rush through the brush several feet away.
 When I reached a point where I felt that I was safe, l sat down and thought the situation over. It occurred to me for the first time then that Dewey's money had gone with the coat. I regretted it. of course, but I didn't feel like going back and making an effort to get it. My own money went along with it, and had some trouble nraisng the wind to blow me home. The money was never invested for Dewey, but I guess he has managed to get along pretty well without it''