Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1901-08-23

hausted thinking of my boys at war
with one another.
At the end of the second year of the
war those Of us who staid at home
began realizing the meaning of war.
One night | was called into my Ii
brary t. meet n man whose appear
ance Immediately suggested that he
was in trouble. He had come in out of
a storm. His clothes were ragged and
a queer combination. His coat was
of the United States cavalry uniform.
His trousers, or what had been trou-
se-s, looked like dilapidated quilt.
His slouch hat was in tatters and al
most hung upon his neck. He had but
one arm.
Quicker than il has taken 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 un-
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 I
had seen him and had heard him talk.
In the old school on the hill this
"spy" was known is the gallant OF
the crowd. He was our chevalier.
At the time of his visit to me the fed
erals held the town. The hills com
manding the place had been converted
into the military camp. 1t bristled
with guns which polled their hungry
mouths from bastions.
One of the officers in that fort was
also one of my boys. And what a
handsome fellow he was. His enlist
ment in the union army, however, had
cost him the friendship of most of
his schoolmates. Ii had cost him
his sweetheart, spirited southern
girl.
Ny boy who called upon me as
"spy" told me his mission. / begged
him to stop before he had said too
much, but | knew when he left that
he was going to the federal fort on the
hill, as spy! l did not tell him his old
clasmate 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 a suspicious person. When he stood
before the commanding officer it was
known from papers found that the
prisoner was spy.
One of the staff of the commanding
officer was there. He recognized his
{ old classmate, but not word passed
between them. The spy was confined,
of course, and il was the talk of the
town, for this was the first incident of
the sort in our place. And the spy
was one of the old boys of the town
our chevalier.
Ny boy from the federal fort has
tened to see me to give me the par
ticulars. OF course my lips were
sealed touching the visit of the spy
TO me before the capture.
Again did realize the meaning of
war!
The incident was soon relegated to
the events of yesterday by more inn
portant ones at the front. Once, at
the invitation of my boy in blue, l Wis
tied the one who belonged to the gray,
although his uniform did not so indi-
cate, and who was held as a spy.
.smessed with both.
After the spy had been prisoner
for nearly six weeks my federal boy
came to see me one night hurriedly
and told me in confidence that "tht
chevalier" had escaped.
"If he comes here" said the fedora
officer, "you protect him until he car
get through our lines"
Before I could protest if had de
sired, before / could realize the situa
L. 81 -lr a.
sounds of the iron hoofs of his hors,
on the stones until it seemed to IN.
they would never die out. But much ts