Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1898-07-07

InAA ~ NAAN AAINn
before me. II seemed perfectly hopeless
to brave but the ordeal / would haye 10
undergo In the enemy's lines. without a
pass in my pocket and no n 70 vouch
FOR me. / was taken TO General Kirby
Smiths tent. The General was Informed
that 4 had been arrested without a pass.
and that [ was suspected OF being a SOY
i'm the r,lse of a deaf and dumb pedler
General Smith said nothing. we or three
officers In his tent went and Whispered
TO him. I knew they we're devisinK
schemes 10 catch me X / were a SOY in
disguise. 1 pulled myself together ard
looked absently about, as II l had never
seen the interior OF q tent In time OF war.
I knew that | WAS thoroughly suspected
by all present. one OF the oincers wrote
me a message on a bit OF paper While |
was writing an answer, the man started
and calculated. Look OUT
III wonder now that my hand did nos
start inyoiuntarily. The officers and other.
were looking at II closely. s1r some min.
utes there was a conversation on my
slate concerning why | had no pass IN tie
Confederate lines, whence | came, AID
where I was going. l could see II was az
done TO disarm me OF any fear l had An
officer came forward and said: This poor
mute looks tired. It's n shame 10 keep
him here Then, turning 20 me, he smi.
ingly said. Are you hungry
ut was a pretty ruse, but | simply
stared at him. Then they tried to make
me pale. and 1t was 4 rlghtful test. I
was made to sit down, while General
Smith turned TO other business, apparently
forgetful Of me. The other officers Sal;
near me and smoked and chatted. Pre-.
sently they began talking about some new;
orders that had been Issued TO hang
every Federal spy Immediately upon COM
yiction. They talked abou, how TWO spies
that had been hanged W lays previously
had acted as they squirmed In death, and
how the officers were looking ior more
spies TO hang on the same spot. by brain
was i'm a whirl. Everything swan before
my eyes. but / sat with my race turned
up TO the military diagrams and rules ol
camp on the tent wall before me. More
whispering followed. | wrote: i am hum
CRY and tired. Why do you keep no
here?
"A colonel wrote: we think you ar,
deceiying US. II you are Il will be death
to you He watched my face as / read
the lines. / wrote I'm reply: L have q very
hard time getting a living in this war. I
am with the Confeds with all my soul.
Please. may 1 go?'
I'm an hour was taken TO a shanty-
like affair and locked In. \ young man
in Federal uniform was lying on the loor
when / entered. He rose, n looking al.
me. said: My goodness g%racious! Haya
they got you. too?'
II looked at him. / wrote that I was
mute. Then the stranger laughed and
said:
"'Oh. II won't do you any good 20 keep
that trick up longer. We're going 20 90
together as Union spies. and why not De
resigned TO it? 1 was caught day before
yesterday, and I'm to be hanged. Now
they'll wait for you TO 20 with me. VA.
ha! Wen show the Rebs how Yankee
boys can die game, won't weY
1T was a trying moment, and / di
want TO open my heart and mouth %
such a jolly Federal man. while my case
seemed pretty hopeless. / could not ioll
what opinion the men at General Smiths
headquarters had formed OF my actions.
l wrote on my slate that | was a mute,
and that II was useless TO try 20 commu-
nicate with me except by signs or writing.
But the stranger talked right along and
tried to appeal 10 my love for the Union
cause. He would suddenly fling n very
natural question at me. Worn out and
hopeless as / was. 1 dared not doze even
for a second that night. 1 knew my COM
panlon was feigning sleep. also.
along i'm the middle OF the night, when
I was ~purposely breathing deep and regu'
larly, | heard some one enter. II was
pitch dark. ] was all attention. but SIM
breathing deep. / heard a pistol drawn
from it's holster. Crashi bang, The wea-
pom was fired an inch above my face. IL
seemed as If lightning had struck m.
AT the same moment a dark lantern was
in my face. and my countenance
was studied. | slowly opened my eyes az
the light and rolled over as I. TO 90 70
sleep.
'"The pseudo Union soldier went out wi.h
the Confederates. L could hear them
whispering about me. n what reason
there was TO suspect me as a SPY. Al !
next morning / was led TO the cook
tent, where they gave me a meal. Ny
satchel wase restored TO Ins. A colonel
came and shook me by the hand. lie
over my few remaining soaps. &cy
and bought a little. Then, turning 10
me, he asked:
"How much are these7'
az believe my lower jaw did move. 7
was caught of my guard for a trice Bua
1 never spoke, and the Colonel was not
looking at my face. He wrote mo A
pass in the lines about Jackson. and just
as he handed IT to me he turned ana said:
"Let me see that again
my hand almost moved 10 obey ouch
agreeable gentle nan, but instead {
folded the paper AMI started on my way
out Of camp. knowing that I was watched
by scores Of eyes. That day I
repIenished my satchel I'm Jackson, and
back by a circuitous road toward
the Federal lines. / had no further
bother from the Confederates. and my
gifts Of tobacco to several officers whom
/ met made me friends. ] reached tho
Grand Gulf at dawn on May l1th. / was
thanked for the information / had got
for my army, and a month later / was
lieutenant in my company. OF the
men who went as spies at that
time, four we're captured and three were
hanged. One man was shot dead by a
sentinel.
II was I'm Nashville. Tenn. ia 1883. and
called upon Colonel Jason Parker. who
was on General Smiths stan. and who
tho attempt 10 catch me mapping
In my role as a dummy pedler. He re-
called the circumstances clearly. and 40
fast friends. He said he was
cocksure when ] started away from Gene.
raj Smiths headquarters that I was a
genuine deafmute. and he had felt sorry
for me-"
az n. al n. - - 81 g