The herald., 1898-07-23
CHECKED BY A SIGN

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| CHECKED BY A SIGN
II This a True Story Of Freemasonry
in War Timesp
I saw a regiment Of Sheridan's cavalry
halted once by an old Virginian, who had
no arms In his hands, and who didn't
speak word" said Junius A. Cosby,
| the giant sergeant Of the Second district
police force. 1T was during the re-
treat from Petersburg. in April, 1865, the
day before General Lee surrendered.
| had been stationed there as a military
telegraph operator, but just before Rich
mond was evacuated 1 was ordered to ske-
! daddle and Join the army. was sup
posed to be close to General Lees head
| quarters on the retreat, but considered
myself mighty lucky to get any place
| where I could keep whole skin and out
of reach of Sheridan's cavalry, that didn't
| give us any peace for an hour at time.
1t seems to me I was generally with the
| wagon train, and there the trouble was
the hottest, for the bluecoats would dash
in, destroy q portion Of our wagons, and
then have to get out to escape the fire our
cavalry and infantry would pour into
them.
1--WE were getting pretty well up the
country, marching and fighting all the
way, when one day about noon I was
| going 1t alone through a piece of wood
| land, and came on u beautiful spring just
| at the edge of a field. I had not had a
mouthful to eat, except conservatives
parched and sometimes raw-for about
| four days, so I followed the path out into
the open, thinking 1t would lead to a
house. 1 wasn't mistaken, for when I
| got to the edge of the woods I saw COM
Portable looking farmhouse not far Off.
I went up to the front gate and into the
yard. There was an old gentleman on
the porch, but before I could speak his
wife ran out, crying the Yankees are
coming.
"I told them I wasn't a Yankee, but a
| Confederate soldier, without meal for
| four days. and wanted something to eat.
I was at once invited in, but before had
a chance to sit down hardly. the old man
came in off the porch, explaining the
Yankees were coming up to the house.
1 saw through the front door that what
looked like a regiment of Yankees was
coming along the road and up the winding
carriage road to the house.
"'You are my son. said the old man. and
I caught on In minute. 1 wasn't any
thing more than boy. SO I thought
could work something Of a baby racket.
| ran out and hid under the woodpile my
telegraph instrument, which I 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 l
was to conduct myself, when he saw the
soldiers tearing down the fence along
the road and turning their horses into his
| wheat field. The wheat was eight or ten
inches high, and of course several hun
dred horses with good appetites would ruin
the whole patch in a mighty little while
my God! can't stand that said
the old fellow. and he jumped up and
started down the steps. He trotted down
to the gate and climbed up and sat on
top of one Of the posts. He didn't speak
a word, but he did something worth more
to him than all the speeches ever made.
He didn't have anything to shoot with.
but he had something else that beat a
cannon all hollow. didn't know then
what he did, but know now that he
made the distress signal Of Master Ma
son. You could have knocked me down
with a feather when I saw those men be-
gin climbing into their saddles and saw
them ride out into the road and fix up the
| old mans fence.
"Then several officers came galloping
| up the drive and stopped at the gate. The
| old man ciambered down from his perch
| on the post and then there was a most
fraternaf handshake all around.
| "The old fellow invited all of them into
| the house, and I tell you felt mighty
soueamish when they came up onto the
porch where I was One of them said
something about my being lucky enough
not to have been born in time to have
a share in all the trouble, and then they
all went into the house and had drink of
| old apple brandy When they came out
the colonel told his entertainer that a
guard would be placed at the gate down
at the road and that his property should
not be disturbed. They galloped away,
and I went in and packed away under my
belt as much corn bread and fat meat as
| I could hold. I then struck out and
caught up with our army. The next day
we surrendered at Appomattox.
1.-THE really remarkable fact about all
| this. it seems to me now, is that when
I took the Masters degree in Masonry and
learned what it was that the old man did
to hold Sheridans troops in check, he
himself helped to confer the. degree
| Richmond Dispatch.