The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-10-12
BY W. B. HouoHToN.

After some days borrowed from Sam Lowther a derrenger, the only pistol in the neighborhood, and I think he said 1t was his grandfather's dueling pistol. and taking some fishing tackle, clad in my worn uniform, I made my way to the place where the wagon was robbed. con- hdent with my experience as a scout even after the lapse of three weeks I could find traces of the missing property. Ar irving after a walk of four miles at the foot of the hill where the robbery took place I found in the woods on the side of the road toward the river. where the dead brush had beentramped upon, and by fol- lowing it there was a pretty fair tral to the river, distant about 400 yards, which at that point was about one-fouth of a mile wide, with swift current broken by many large rocks and one or two wooded islands.
 A batteau half filled with water was tied to the bank, and with paddle commenced bailing out the water While thus engaged heard a shout, evi- dently a signal from the Georgia side, and I could see a man and two women in field who were making signals. I started across the river, which had many dangerous currents among the rocks, and had need for all my expert skill with q paddle. On approaching the Georgia shore, the persons, to my surprise, re- tired from the bank some forty yards and commenced a conversation with me, anx- iously inquiring if the war was over, who I was, etc. told them the war was over, that I had surrendered with General Lee, that I belonged to a Mississippi regiment, my name was Thompson. that my uncle who lived near Columbus and owned 6 plantation near had sent mo out to look after some matters and I had come to the river fishing. and hearing their signal had brought over the boat.
 They were very suspicious, but finally got the man tame enough to come near and he put one foot on the prov of the boat as 1t lay on the shore and talked some minutes when I inspected his clothes and saw that everything he had on from head to foot was mine.
 A girl had presented me with a cravat embroidered at the ends by her own hands and the rascal had on that. He had been
 
 gia, and had been dressing himself In my best, just as I had done before the war. He told me his name and l recognized him at once, as I had known him from infancy, but he did not appear to recog- nize me. I offered to carry him back in the boat, saying it was too windy to catch fish, offered him the rear paddle and ar- ter much talk finally got the two buxom girls to take their places in the boat While making our way to the Alabama shore I made up my mind to land the girls, draw my pistol and compel the man to drop down the river to Smiths landing, and then carry him prisoner to my friends.
 But my plans would not work. When within an hundred yards of the shore saw on the bank a notorious deserter, whom I had known for years, with an Enfield rife in his hands. As soon as he saw that there was a stranger n the boat he stopped and glided into the thick cane and brush Which lined the bank.
 Landing I gallantly helped the girls still unsuspicious. out of the boat, chatted a while, begged for and obtained an invi-
 
 house two days after-I had never danced a step in my 1ife-and bidding them good bye, walked off whistling Dixie" no doubt passing within a few feet of my friend with the rife, but never looking to the right or left. Again my scouting ex- perience served me well. for had I be- trayed knowledge of his presence. I would have been sent to the bottom of the river and this tale left untold.
 I kept step to Dixie till got to the woods, and then in a douple-quick, I summoned my friends to meet me the next morning. Some of my old friends, some crippled soldiers, among them Lawson McKelvey, met me with boats at the mouth of Soap Creek Four of us went to the island, found evidence Of a camp, and papers from my trunk. Form ing sl1irmish line across the island we traversed its length, and Lawson found the bacon in an underground cellar clev- erly planked up and covered with drift wood. The deserters had taken the alarm and removed the trunk and other things and we searched the Georgia shore and other islands without further results.
 While searching the Alabama shore one