The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-04-25
ADVENTURES OF A SCOUT.


give Won better quarters than TINS ne
pretcndeA TO be stll half asleep whie cast
ing about in his mind for a plan, ruoolns
his eyes and giancing through ms hHseia
TO see how many of the enemy there "eie.
lie was determined not to be captured by
ANYTHING less than ten or twelve uie" iaN
saw seven men, as he thought put aItet-
wards found that two of these were ms
own men who had been awakened ana
disarmed by the enemy. When he rose up
il was with pistol in hand, and with
auIck movement TO one side to avoid the
gun of the man Above. Both hred. Inc
Yankees bullet passed through the BRAIN
OF the man who had been asleep on the
blanket beside him. while his bullet put
the Yankee out Of the combat. This was
the man whom Capt. Strngfellow said ne
did not know whether he had klhed OF
not.
II really couldn't tell you what took
place in that fight except that 1 know that
when it was over l had the best of IT, -
said Can't. StrlngfelloW. 81 fired just four
shots. ! was in a STOPPING position when
| fired the first shot, and as ] revolved
the barrel the cap fell off and choked the
pistol. l quickly drew my second pistol
and fired one or two shots. Being still In
a STOPPING position, a cap also dropped
from that choking it. Then l drew my
small pistol and fired another shot -Four
Of my antagonists were now out of the
fight one of my men, of the two who
had been captured and dsarmed, had brok
en- and run like deer when the shooting
began. l didn't blame him. He was dis
armed and il was natural that he should
run The other man had managed to get
a-plstol somehow, and was trying to shoot
but his pistol was choked, too. The fifth
man had thrown himself on top of me. l
was about to shoot him with my small
pistol when 1 reflected that while it might
kill him on account of the small caliber,
it would not disable him in time to pre-
vent his killing me. Quick as a flash
threw the pistol aside and drew my bowie
knife, making a sweep for his throat.
When ne saw that knife he let out yell
which somehow touched my heart, and
drew the knife back sufficiently TO escape
his throat. He Immediately jumped up
and ran off There was now nobody but
myself and the one man of my party left
the "Black Horse man." 1 called him,
as he belonged to that command, and we
proceeded to run"
Il have probably done more running in
my time than any man in either army,
said Capt Stringfellow. Solomon says
there il a time for all things. There is a
time to fight, and a time to run, and this
was my time 20 run. and I was a good
runner. The Black Horseman had all he
could do TO keep In sight. The enemy
were all around us and the best thing that
we could do was to get away. What's the
use of fighting, boys, when the other fell
low has got the edge on you. My advice
TO you soldiers is that there is a time when
it is just as appropriate to run as it Is at
others to stand
Capt Stringfellow left the scene in such
haste in fact, that he left boots hat and
overcoat behind him and this was the
cause of his getting into further trouble
later on. He and the caValryman bad
some amusing adventures with a long leg
ged Yankee whom they caught riding a
very small mule later in the day. Capt
Stringfellow rode the mule after the cap
ture while the Yankee trotted on one side
and the cavalryman on the other When
eyer the prisoner thought he
was too tired to go further
Capt Stringfollow convinced him that
such was not the case by presenting his
pistol 10 his head. Leaving the cavalryman
to guard his prisoner and the mule Capt
Stringfellow hid under a bridge on the
main road along which a division of the
Union army had just passed for the pur-
pose of getting a horse for himself Finally
"a very handsome horse came along ridden
| by very stylishly dressed man whom the
captain thought TO be a general at least.
| When he had captured him, however, he
| proved, 10 be only an artillery sergeant.
| Capt. Stringfellow said that scouts could
| not afford to be bufdened with prisoners.
and told how he got rid OF his The threat
| OF Libby prison usually make the prison
ers shake. but the threat to blow their
| brains out frightened them stiD worse
| When they had been thoroughly frightened
| they were sworn on the Bible not TO reveal
| anything concerning the whereabouts of
| the scouts when they were released.
After getting rid of his Two prisoners i'm
| this manner, Capt Stringfellow ana his
| companion, took another route and finally
took refuge for the night in a small match
| OF WOODS on the mountain side where they
| thought they would be perfectly safc
| Again his companions disposition 10 sI,,r,
| Der came near costing them both their
| lives. Having left the Other
man on watch, towards dav-
! break he awoke some time Later =
find the little piece OF woods eomnle,oi,'
surrounded by cavalry. which had evident
| ~ tracked them to their hiding place "A
seemed gone case but no hero Of FennL.
more Cooper was ever more full OF suhtle
| devices than was the Confederate sco,,,
He proposed 90 the cavalryman thar he
Stringfellow, should take the horse ana
ride through the enemy's lines. draW-tps
their fire ana attracting their atteuffon
while the other man escaped in the opno-
size direction. To this the cayalrNn,n
was unwilling. but accepted the reyerso
proposition that h. should ride out on tbe
horse ana leave Can't. Stfingfellow 10 80
cape on the iittle mule. This plan was
carried our ln part. The cayairyman penf
through IN great shape
Capt Siriagfellow said he was 50 iuter-
csted and amused iu watching his friend
50 through the Yankee lines that he for