The National tribune., 1899-09-28

olIS phStdAS VI
young lady. was in hurry, and only
of his, of no special importance, dated from
one of the Carolinas, as well as recollect.
STRANGER DID NOT RETURN. -
Upon leaving Staunton for the North in
1854, 1 turned the papers into my own
trunk and sold the strangers. while left
my own in charge of a friend in Augusta
County. Now to the sequel: The stranger
who left his trunk with me never saw or
heard of again, though 1 made many in
auiries for him. Some three or four years
after the war, my old trunk, being worn out
and laid aside, was at my brothers house,
and he one day, out of curiosity. with my
son, looked over the papers in the trunk
which had belonged to the mysterious
stranger. He discovered in an envelope
two $500 Confederate bonds, which had
been there since the latter part OF 1862 and
We're, of course, worthless.
Who was the stranger who left his trunk
with me | am sure | shall never know. j
formed many theories in regard to the mat
ter Was he spy on my actions, or was
he a Union man going North and met his
death in some manner while crossing the
l'ub, tilNIls WHY bib nv INV soN'A 1''t'
bonds for good money before he went; and
why did he keep his mission from me, rs he
claimed 10 know that / was Union man,
and that he was one also? If he We're
Confederate spy. why should lie leave the
Confederate bonds in the trunk? Who
shall ever tell?
EXECUTION OF UNION SPIES.
A short time. comparatively, subsequent
TO the battles below Richmond between Gen.
Mcclellan and Gen. Lee, a Northern man
named Webster, and his companion, name
not remembered, were arrested on suspicion
of being spies from Washington. They
were examined by the Confederate authori-
ties in Richmond and found guilty of the
charge and were sentenced 10 death.
The affair caused much talk, and agi-
tatcd the whole community for a season.
l remember that there was much CORE
spondcnce on the subject between the Fed.
eral authorities and Confederate. but moth
ing came Of it, and the two suspected spies
were executed finally There was much
talk Of retaliation on the part of the Federal
authorities, but the suggested retaliation
WAS abandoned eventually.
II seems that Capt. Webstcr-that was
his rank-was recognized in Richmond by 4
Confederate officer, or possibly civilian,
thus depriving the suspected parties of Ill
reasonable hope of acquittal.
ESCAPE OF PRISONERS.
About this period some 40 Federal pfis
oners confined in the Libby Prison sue
ceedcd in making their escape in a rather
novel manner, which caused a vast ani0unt
of talk and speculation at that period il
Richmond. The Federal soldiers cut {
tunnel from one Of the lower rooms through
10 the bank of the canal, or basin, a distance
Of some 40 yards or more The bank o
earth concealed them from the observation
Of the Confederate scntrics, besides the
friendly night shielded their movements
as they sped away through the rather deer
cut of the York River Railroad track, max
ing their escape through the route Of tn,
James River Road and williamsburg.
Had they been familiar with the country
over which they had to travel it is quit
possible that all of them would have safely
reached the Federal lines at Old Point Com
fort, but on account of this lack of knowl
elsc only onc-half of the escaped prisoner
reached the Stars and Stripes, the other hal
being captured by the Confederatcs a
different points in the vicinity Of the Chicka
hominy River.
Those who escaped described the par
tienlars in the Northern papers, and it wa.
"a marvellous feat indeed. 1t was said upol
prisoners were concealed III the house of