Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-05-08
CHECKED BY A SIGN.
surRIDAN,s TROOPERS HALTED
ny AN ENEMY.
He USED NEITHER GUN NOR WORDS.
Sergeant Cosby's First Intimation Oh
secret Power, with Which lie ms
s,nc. p.comr FnmiIiar-A story of
Lees Last Retreat.

81 saw a regiment OF Sheridan's cav
airy halted once by an old Nirglniah'
who had no arms in his hands ana VIM
didn't speak word" said Junlus a.
Cosby. the giant Sergeant Of the Second
District police force.
He did not deign to notice the incredu-
lous expression which the Dispatch re-
porter was trying to conceal, and trying
IN squeeze himself further into his chair,
that is fully three sizes too small for him.
went on.
eft was during the retreat from Peters,
burg. in April, 1865, the day before Gene
raj Leo surrendered. 1 had been station
ed here as a military telegraph operator
Int lust before Richmond was evacuated
I was ordered to skedaddle, and join the
army 1 was supposed to DO close 10
General Lees headquarters on the re-
treat. but 1 considered myself mighty
lucky 10 get any place where l could
keen q whole skin and out Of reach OF
Sheridan's cavalry, that didn't give US
any peace for an hour at time. IL
seems to me l was generally Win the
wagon train, and there the trouble was
the hottest. for the blue coats would
dash in, destroy a portion Of our wagons
and would then have TO get out to es-
cape the fire our cavalry anu "'l'''''
would pour into them.
I'VE were getting pretty Well up tne
COMMUNICATING and fighting al the
way-when, one day about noon, was
going it alone through piece OK Woou-
land. and came on a beautlful sprihBi
INST al the edge Of field. L had not had
mouthf,ll to eat, except corn-sOmetime
norched and sometimes raW-tOr about
four DAYS. so i followed the pain out
into the open, thinking it would lead 10
"A house. l wasn't mistaken. Tor Wheh
got to the edge Of the woods saw
comfortable-looking farmhouse not ldi
of. l went up to the front gate anu
into the yard. There was an old gentle
man on the porch, but before l could
sneak. his wife ran out, crying the
Yankees were coming.
81 told them | wasn't a Yankee, put q
Confederate soldier without meal lot
four DAYS. and wanted something 20 eat,
was at once invited in, but before mao
a chance to sit down, hardly, the old
man came in off the porch, eXclalnlhB
the Yankees were coming up 10 the
house | started to clear out. but II was
too late | saw through the front door
that what looked like regiment Oh
Yankees were coming along the ROAD
and up the winding carriage road 70 the
house.
and l caught on in minute. L WASH
ANYTHING more than a boy, so l thought
| could work something Of baby racket.
I ran out and hid under the wood
pile my telegraph instrument, which !
carried slung over my shoulder, and then
came back and sat down near the old
man on the front porch. The old man
started to give me some directions ABOUT
how [ was to conduct myself, when he
saw the soldiers tearing down the renee
D along the road and turning their horses
into his wheat-held. The wheat was
eight or ten inches high, and, OF course
several hundred horses with good appe-
tites would ruin the whole patch IN a
mighty little while.
my God! l can't stand that the old
fellow said, and he jumped up and
started down the steps. He trotted down
TO the gate and climbed up and sat on
ton OF one Of the posts. He didn't speak
a word but he did something worth
mora to him then than all the speecnes
ever made. He didn't have anything 70
shoot with. but he had something else
that beat a cannon all hollow. l didn'
know then what he did. but | know now
that he made the distress signal OF a
Master Mason. You could have knocked
me down with a feather when l saw
those men begin climbing into their sad
dies and saw them ride out into the
road and fix up the old mans fence.
"Then several officers came galloping
I'M the drive and stopped at the gate
THE Old man clambered down from his
nerch on the post, and then there was a
most fraternal handshake all around.
"The old fellow invited all OF tnem
into the house, and L tell you l felt
uiehtv saueamish when they came ~
onto the porch where I was. One OF
them said something about my belns
lucky enough not TO have been born II
time 10 have a share In all the trouble
and then they ali went into the house
and had drink OF old apple brandy
when they came out, the colonel tolc
his entertainer that guard would De
placed at the gate down at the road, anc
that his property should not DC disturbed
They galloped away, ana went IN an,
nocled away under my belt as much
cornbread and fat meat as / could hold
| then struck out, and caught up WIFI
our army. The next day we surrendered
at ADpomattox.
"The really remarkable fact about al
this. IL seems 10 me now, is, that wheT
| took the Masters degree in Masonry
and learned what It was that the OLE
man did 10 hold Sheridan's troops II
check. ne himself helped confer tn
| degree"