The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1901-09-26

| uoOES VI tIt Olu
- ~ school were
closed. Ninety
:: !" =: 7: !: ! !: !;
| 4 " per cent of my
VA IAN boys enlisted.
Ns sS7 Eighty peg cent
//#Z MI We're COnfeder-
N%>//W III ates. At the be-
&"" ~ ginning of the
49, second year of
the war there
was not school in the town or county.
I cannot describe to You my feeling at
that time. l suppose the excitement
and passion OF the hour kept me from
being lonely. My age. health and fam
lily responsibilities kept me out Of the
struggle.
The trying moments Of the situation
to me were those in which saw some
of my boys enlisting under one banner,
some under the other. knew the pos
sibilities Of their meeting in battle. For
year carried this cross. said moth
ing to any one, but l used to lie awake
until l was exhausted thinking Of my
boys at war with one another.
At the end of the second year Of the
war those Of us who stayed at home
began realizing the meaning of war.
One night | was called into my IL
brary to meet man whose appearance
Immediately suggested that lie was in
trouble. He had come In out of storm.
His clothes We're ragged and queer
combination. His coat was of the Uni
ted States cavalry uniform. His trou-
sers, or what had been trousers, looked
like dilapidated quilt. His slOuch hat
was In tatters and almost hung upon
his neck. He had but one arm.
Quicker than II has taken to me to
give you this description, he had told
me that he was one Of my boys; that
he was spy sent by Gen. Sterling
Price, the Confederate commander I'M
der whom he served. He had come to
me for few hours Of rest and because
he wanted to see me.
l knew the meaning of war after l
had seen him and had heard him talk.
In the old school on the hill this spy"
was known as the gallant Of the crowd
He was our chevalier.
At the time Of his visit to me the
Federals held the town. The hills
commanding the place had been con-
verted into military camp. 1t bristled
with guns which poked their hungry
mouths from bastiOns.
nno Of tho oflao.s, In, xl,ox <o~x
also one Of my boys. And what hand
some fellow he was. His enlistment In
the Union army. however, had cost him
the friendship Of most Of his school
mates. 1t had cost him his sweetheart,
q spirited Southern girl.
My boy who called upon me as
spy" told me his mission. l begged
him to stop before he had said too
much. but knew when he left he was
going to the Federal fort on the hill,
rs a spy! l did not tell him his old
classmate was an officer there
A few days later the Confederate spy
was captured. He had succeeded In
getting the information he wanted, and
was leaving when he was taken as q
suspicious person. When he stood be-
fore the commanding officer 1t was
known from papers found that the pris-
Oner was a spy.
One Of the stan Of the commanding
officer was there. He recognized his
old classmate, but not a word passed
between them. The spy was confined,
Of course. at once, and 1t was the talk
Of the town, for this was the first incl
dent Of the sort In our place. And the
Spy was one Of the old boys of the
town-Our chevaiier.
My boy from the Federal fort hasten |
ed to see ME to give ME all the particu- |
lars. or course my lips were sealed |
the visit Of the spy" to me
before the capture.
Again did I realize the meaning of |
war.
The incident was soon relegated to |
The events Of yesterday by more i'm
pOrtant ones at the front. Once, at the
invitation Of my boy in blue, I visited
he one who belonged to the gray, al
hOugh his uniform did not so Indicate.
md who was held as spy. l messed
With both.
After the spy had been prisoner for
nearly six weeks my Federal boy came
o see me one night hurriedly, and told
he In confidence that '.the cheyalier''
lad escaped.
If he comes here" said the Federal
'fficer. you protect him until he can
ret through our lines"
Before l could protest, IL / had de-
ired. before ! could realize the situa-
lon. the Federal was OF. l heard the
Ounds Of the iron hoOfs Of his horse
N the stones until 1t seemed TO me
hey would never die cut. But much
o my qualification. In some respects.
he spy did not come.
was learning more about the mean
ng Of war!
The spy was never captured. After
he war was over he came back to
amp stricken, as many of them did.
)ne evening l went to his old home
S1Ds Vue VA to"h. hC CuCldl |
ow an ex., was also there. The old
had lived through the storm
battle and met again. was the wit
ess to the marriage Of the "spy's"
ister to the Federal officer who had
eld the spy" II prisoner. Every one
the three is dead. Perhaps you have
our own opinion as to how the escape
the ''spy" was effected. l never had
ny doubt OF 1t. Perhaps because l
new that before the war the girl was
he sweetheart Of the man whom she
,arried after the war.-ChicagO Trib-
ne.
The Monotonies of Life.
While the siege Of Vicksburg was in
8 most exciting stage and the ratiOns
the beleaguered garrison had been