The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1899-09-07

HIS I uiOH NdDipIS Ill lllt NiNll w III
1862 Capt. James T. Payne was mem
ber of McLenan's battery, McGregor's 5
battalion. Imboden's brigade, of the
Confederate army. In May, in Il fight
at Parsons Mills, he was captured by
the Union troops and taken TO Rowles-
burg, where, with other Confederate
prisoners, he was confined in prison.
The captain some time ago told this
story of his experiences:
''One morning about week after my
capture an officer and two privates en-
tered the guardroom. While the Off
Ger stood near the center of the room.
the privates strobe silently and delib-
erately among the prisoners, closely
scanning each countenance and person.
mel They spoke no word, nor betrayed
the slightest interest or excitement un-
I'll they arrived opposite tie spot on
which stood, gazing out of 4 window.
When they got close to me both men
stopped, stood still a minute, gazing
intently at my features and running
their eyes up and down my person.
Then, apparently satisfied, they turned
and went ont of the room to the office
adjoining. where. after another glance
in my direction, they whispered some
thing TO the officer.
81 was somewhat mystitied by their
actions, for | had not the slightest
suspicion of their intent and purpose
until late that afternoon, when an Off
pap aama in apl ipf M. that I
had been Identified and recognized as
Redmond, notorious Confederate
scout and spy. OF course l denied the
charge and reiterated the statement
i had given at first of my name, COM
mand and where had been captured,
but the officer only shrugged his shoul-
ders and replied that would have AM
opportunity 10 prove my story before
q court-martial, which would meet the
next day. Even then the enormity of
the charge, the danger and risk which
would necessarily follow did not strike
me with full force. and l went back.
among my companions, careless and!
thougbtless as ever. The next day II
was taken by guard to the marquee
of the commander, where / found a.
military court ready to proceed. Here
the two strangers appeared and swore!
to my identity, declaring that they fre-'
quently had seen me, and that but a,
few weeks before l had been seen and
recognized in Cumberland, Md. They
had no hesitation in swearing to my
identity as Redmond, the spy, except
as TO one point-both of them said
that looked TO them somewhat young
er than when they last saw me, but
this change in my appearance they at
tributed 10 confinement in prison, and
TO my having shaved off some of the
beard which they said l had worn
when last seen. When it came my turn
to produce evidence in rebuttal. l
found that all Of my comrades in COM
mand who had been captured with me
had been taken several days before to
another point, and that not a single
man remained who could corroborate
my statement as to my individuality.
l asked the court for a continuance to
give Inc an opportunity to produce tes-
timony in my behalf, but was refused,
and remanded 10 prison to await a YER
dict. In about an hour the officer came
TO the guardhouse with the verdict.
which was guilty and the sentence
was death.
Il learned that just one week would
be given me in which TO prepare my
self. That evening | was taken away
from among my comrades, who had
done all they could TO comfort me. and
was confined in a small stone cellar.
which had only one narrow window
on the western side of the house.
There, in the cold, chilly underground
room l was placed, chained to n post.
which stood in the center of the room
as a support TO the upper floor. My
chain was barely long enough to per-
nit me TO reach the one window.
through which gazed from sunrise to
sunset guard was placed outside.
and his monotonouS tramp, tramp. like
the pendulum of time, seemed to mark
off the last minutes and seconds of nv
life. Contrabands, with wide open
StaAihS SsSs, SlOOu ODDO-
site my window and gazed at me with
awed faces. One day, after l had rec
ognized one of the darkies as one who
had come to look at me regularly, |
talked with him. Having some money.
l asked him to get me some tobacco.
which he did. \ thought then struck
me to get the darky to carry letter
10 Gen. Kelley, the commanding officer
ut Cumberland, to whom | would write
and explain my position, and ask for a
respite until l could have an opportu-
uity to prove my innocence. l wrote
a letter containing a full account of
my capture, my trial, and all the Incl
dents connected with il. And when
the darky came the next day l called
him to my window, and, under pre-
tense of asking him to buy for me some
trifie, | told him, in a whisper, what |
wanted him to do. He refused at first.
then hesitated; but, aft0r an eXplana-
ton and n declaration that no danger
could attach to him, he finally consent
ed, and took the message, with several
dollars in money rs his pay That
darky quietly disappeared and never
saw him again.
THE next day | began to fear that
he had either failed TO find Gen. Kel-
icy, or had become afraid of the vent
ure and had destroyed the letter. |
now had only four days left me, and l
determined to try again. / succeeded
in the same manner in getting another
contraband to consent to carry a note
to the general, and he, too, disap
peared. sent three notes altogether,
the last one on the day before the one
set for my execution, and l stood mo-
mentarily hoping and alternating in
despair. The day at last arrived and
l had heard nothing from any of my
notes.
AT 2 o'clock on the day appointed for
my execution, the tap of n mufiled
drum came. at first family, then louder