The National tribune., 1901-03-07

of my captivity, ss Iearly as possible, in
order that my release could be effected
without unnecessary delay, and l there
fore applied myself to the entertainment
of my jailer.
The soldier who had charge of me 1
soon found to be q jolly, kind hearted fel-
low, and l amused him immensely by re-
| lating some ridiculous anecdotes which
had heard, and before the time came for
him to be relieved had entirely won his
favor.
Seizing a favorable opportunity l asked
him if he would deliver a note for me af-
ter his time for standing guard had ex-
pired, at the same time offering to repay
him for his trouble, To this he readily
assented, and by the dim light afforded
us managed to scribbie n few hasty lines
to the Assistant Secretary of War, in
forming him OF my Imprisonment, and re-
questing him to order my release as soon
as possible, and in a manner which would
not excite the suspicion of the Captain.
At about g o'clock the guards were
! changed, and my messenger departed upon
his mission. He was fortunate enough to
! find the servants of Mr.. Scott astir, and
informing them that his message was of
extreme Importance. he had it delivered
to the Secretary in his chamber at once.
At O'Clock the guard returned, and com
! ing to the door he cOnversed few min
utes with the soldier who had succeeded
him, when L called out:
| How is the weather outside"
| ''All right, siri' replied the man, with
sly wink. and then l knew that my note
had been safely delivered, and my liberia
| tion simply a question of time.
At about $50 o'clock the Sergeant of
the Guard came to the door with u paper
in his hand, and called out:
"E. ]. Allen and William Ascotr'
Ascot was the name of my operative
who had been arrested with me. and with
whom l had not exchanged word since
had been imprisoned. We responded to
our names. and following the Sergeant
were again taken to the room occupied
by the Captain.
| "Thc Secretary of War has been in
| formed of your arrest, and you will be
conducted to him at once, and then we
shall see whether you will remain silent
any longer"
| The manner Of the Captain was imperi-
Gus and commanding, and l laughed to
myself as L thought of the possible result
| of our interview with the Secretary. The
| Captain led the way, and in the company
of four soldiers we left the place, arriv
ing in n few minutes at the residence Of
| Mr. Scott He was awaiting our arrival
| and as we entered the room he ordered
the guard TO release me and directed me
to accompany him to his room. | fol-
| lowed him immediately, and as the door
closed behind us he burst into a hearty
laugh at my uncouth and unkempt ap-
pearance. / was sorry spectacle, in
deed, and as I surveyed myself in the mir
| rOr l Joined in his merriment. for q more
realistic picture Of drowned rat"
never behcld.
| at once detailed what had happened on
the preceding night, and as | related the
interview which l had witnessed between
| Capt Ellison and Mrs. Greenhow his
| brow became ciouded, and starting to his
| ta nacni tha mildly and ny
citedly.
| Mrs. Greenhow must be attended to.
| She Is becoming dangerous character.
! You will therefore maintain your watch
| upon her, and should she be detected in
attempting to convey any information out
\ side of the lines, she must be arrested at
| once. And now we will attend to Capt.
| Ellison ..r
Tapping a bell which stood upon his
| table. he ordered: IN ~
Request Capt. Ellison to come here"
AS the Captain made, his appearance he
seemed to be very i'll at ease, and gazed
| searching1y at Mr.. Scott and myself, as
| though he suspected something was wrong.
Captain" said Mr.. Scott. addressing
him, will you give me the particulars of
| the arrest OF this manfi pointing to me.
The Captain answered that he had gone
| to visit some friends, who resided in the
outskirts of the city, in the evening. and
ticed that he was being followed, and sup
posing me to be foot-pad or a burglar
| had ordered my arrest.
Did you see anyone last evening who
| is inimical to the cause of the Govern
| menti i'
The Captain became flushed and nervous
under this direct question. He dartcd a
| quick glance at me, and after hesitating
| for some moments he answered in d fal-
| tering voice:
mo, sir; have seen no person OF that
character"
"Are you quite sure of that?" sternly
| inquired Mr.. Scott.
Il am, sir"
'In that case. Captain, you will please
consider yourself under arrest, and you
will at once surrender your sword to Capt.
Mehaffy."
The Captain was completely unnamed
| as these words fell from the lips of the
| Secretary, and sinking into chair he
buried his face in his hands, seemingly
| overcome by his emotions.
But little remains to be told. Capt. Ell
| lison was arrested, and search among
his effects discovered sufficient evidence to
prove that he was engaged in furnishing
information to the enemy. and he was con-
| fined for more than year in Fort Nc
| Henry. He was finally released, but,
broken in spirit and in health, and fully
realizing the disgrace he had brought upon
himself, he died shortly afterward
After leaving the residence of Mr.. Scott
| | took carriage and went directly to my
headquarters, and dispatched new men to
| relieve those who had been ON duty all
| night
We continued our watching of the prem
ises, and during its continuance n number
of prominent gentlemen were received by
| the fascinating widow, and among the
number were several earnest and sincere
Senators and Representatives, whose 10y
atty was above question, and who were,
perhaps, in entire ignorance of the lady's
true character.
Almost every evening one particular in
dividual was observed to call at the house,
and his visits invariably were of long du-
ration. He was therefore made the OBJ
| ject of especial attention by me, and in a
short time l succeeded in learning his true
character, and the nature of the business
which he followed Ostensibly an attor-
ney, / ascertained that he was undoubt-
edly engaged in the vocation of a Southern
spy, and that he had a number of men
and women under him by whom the in
formation was forwarded to the rebel au-
thorities. This gentleman, therefore,
found himself. in very few days, pris-
| oner of war.
About eight days after this orders were
| pivan for arrnSt of Mrs Grppnhnyv