Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1901-05-11
jim WARD.
BY FRANK n. BROOKS.

known.
He came out of the mountainous re-
gion of Kentucky. When he was a
boy, he fell into Il fire, and his hands
forever after We're dPformed. lie was
slow of speech: his voice ran to song.
He was n famous fiddler in his cOun-
try, and he was a whistler as well.
The notes of every bird he heard were
initiated by him.
He went to Missouri and lived with
his brothcr-in-law. Il Mr.. Crccl, on the
lattcr'S farm. some miles out from st.
Joseph. He travelled the road on horse
back or in driving a team between the
farm and town and back with never Il
mShap. lie had been told the topOg-
raphy of the road when lie first went
over it. His memory forgot nothing.
He met people on these trips who
knew him. When they spoke to him
he knew them by their voices and call
ed each by name.
At one time in his career the brother
iu-law of Jim Ward was appointed
jailcr of the county. The structure
was not warranted to hold any prison
err who had feeling of unrest. The
jailcr was frequently away from his
post, and n such times his wife and
daughter acted as custodians. Then
Jim Ward was jailer.
He was acting in the capacity of
guardian on the occasion of an at
tempted outbreak. He was alone in
the house-the jailers house and pris-
on being under one roof. An old fash
ioncd passagcway separated the two.
Jim Ward had taken the prisoners
food to them at noon. When he open
ed the outer door, the prisoners made
their dash. They had sawed off some
of the bars of the inner door. They es-
capped to the jailyard instead of going
through the jailer's house. high
fence incloscd the grounds.
With n blind mans quick intuition
Jim Ward closed the door leading to
the iailyard and barred it. This con-
fined the jailbirds within the Enclosure.
1t gave Jim Ward an opportunity to
corral the birds, provided they did not
scale the fence.
With the same quick action which
prompted him to lock his prisoners out
Jim Ward ran to his room on the sec
ond floor and seized muskct. Then
he threw up Il window sash and fired
in the air. He quickly reloaded and
fired again. The two reports gave the
alarm, and officials in the courthouse
across the street scampered out, led by
the sheriff, who forgot his jury.
The prisoners had not succeeded in
scaling the fence, but were budding in
corner The sheriff and his posse
went in through the gate and covered
the prisoners until Jim Ward returned
and unbarred the door.
One of the prisoners was highway
man and murderer. This act of Jim
Ward, blind as he was. with hands as
! gnarlcd as knots on a tree, was the
talk of the community for some time.
| But the county newspaper simply
chrOnclcd the fact that an attempted
break for liberty had been frustrated.
The civil war found Jim Ward a reb-
cl. He could never enlist as a soldier.
| That was what they told him. 1t was
what he knew himself But the fell
lows determination helped him out in
this situation, as 1t had in others.
There were n number of things n
blind soldier could do. He figured out
some Of them, and in the regiment
which was recruited about the town
and in the county Jim Wards name
was on the roster. He was assigned to
the kitchen brigade at the cOlonel's
mess. lie Ind his gun and fiddle. Tho
former was for use in case of any sud
den attack upon the mess. The latter
was used, MS occasion permitted, in the
evening for the amusement Of the colo
mel and his staff.
Jim Ward was "prcsent" at the bat
tie of Lexington. Mo. He was with
the sick and wounded in the hospital,
AS they were brought in Jim Ward
asked them about the firing line. When
Colonel Mulligan surrendered to Cen
eral Price. Jim Ward took his fiddle
and scrcnadcd the victor.
The command to which Jim Ward
was attached, like all commands on
that side, became decimatcd by the
conflict and disease until few were
left. That few got into Vicksburg.
Jim Ward was one of them.
AS Grant drew his lines more closely
about tie belcaguered city and Penn
berton began feeling the pressure some
information was wanted by the latter.
Only spy could get it. Jim Ward
asked permission to go. He was COM
plimcnted for his pluck. but was told
that he could be of no service.
A few days later Jim Ward was miss
ed from the colOnerS mess. He was
gone ten days. When he returned, he
brought some information which only
"a blind cripple" could pick up in the
enemy's lines But blind cripple as
a pcddler. especially one rs distinctly
marked as Jim Ward, aroused no sus-
picion, and men were not careful what
they said within his hearing.
Unfortunately for Pemberton, Ward
was too late in returning to Vicksburg.
| He got back on the night of July ).
Nicksburg fell the next day.
Nobody knows what became of jim
Ward. the blind hero. After the sur
render of Vicksburg he started for
Richmond. He was still loyal to the
cause and said after he was paroled
that he wanted to be ut the COnfeder-
ate capital when ii fell. But nobody
: knows whether he was or nOt.-Chica-
go Tribune.