The Topeka state journal., 1903-05-19
COLONEL's ORDERLY.

a
we were 300 strong ana we were
holding Snyder Gap in the Cumberland
mountains against the Confederates.
There We're good reasons why the
strength Of our force should not become
known to the enemy. He could have
massed q whole division and sent it
pouring through the Gap against US,
but the information had gone out that
we numbered four times 5000 men,
This made him cautious and reluctant
to attack in force, and our purpose was
being duly served. No countryman was
allowed to enter our picket lines to es-
innate our strength, and we kept sueh
a sharp lookout for spies that none
could penetrate our lines.
had been detailed as orderly to Col
onel McClintock of the 2nd regiment
and it was my duty to follow him as ne
rode about / am not giving you ms
right name. as he has long been dead,
but I shall stick to facts in all else /
am sure the colonel had left his wife
and children at home behind him, but
had not been with him long before
discovered that he was interested IN
woman living about two miles from the
Cap and within our lines. I had been
orderly ol;ly two days when he rode
out there one evening and remained
three hours.
The woman passed as a widow, and
had her mother with her, and there
were several colored people about IN
her employ She was a ialF-lo0fAiIs
woman of thirty. and what struck me
from the very first was the tact tnal
she had the speech. manners ana dress
of lady. In other words. she was ou1
of place among the people of that ais
trict. and could not have passed Win
any one IS a farmers VIE
learned too. from one Of the daFk-
eys that she and her mother had ar
rived at the house only a day or Two
after our force arrived at tne Gap.
How the colonel became acquainted
with her j know not but am certain
that he passed himself off as q single
man. and that after little ne became
infatuated.
The Coloners visits were mostly made
in the evening and after seeing the
horses put up had nothing 10 40 Dus
loaf about. / had to talk to the eeloreu
servants or to no one at all. ana thus
ft came about that I fell In with
Young man called Dick. who acted as
a sort of butler. He was snarp, Keen
fellow and after bit ne iel out .Hs l5
information that instead OF being an oin
family servant he had been hired 10
come down from Washington 1or q Re"
weeks
thinking. and the Colonel hadn't paid
more than four visits before l became
suspicious. on two occasions lhe lhoti1-
er had spent half an hour trying 70
tions about the strength of our forces
Again 1 had seen a man skuikins
about the barn. and had noted tnat one
of the colored men had gone out 20 num-.
Perhaps the man Dick was Waltlng Ior
mo to get my eyes open. At any rate,
as soon as ] began TO question MN ne
was ready to answer. He, too, was sus-
nicious He believed the widow had
re1,e down there for no other purpose
than to secure infOrma tiOn. and that sne
was picking up a great deal from the
Colonel.
The officer was piled with liquor at
every visit. and he was always ''gabby'
as we returned to camp, and sometimes
visiblv under the influence OF drink. IN
waiting on them Dick had overheard the
woman asking many questions. ana the
Colonel seemed willing to answer all.
He also knew of strangers, whom ne
believed to be soldiers in civilians dress,
coming to the house
which covered a period of less than
three weeks, 1 was satisned tAat the
Colonel was being worked but was
helpless i'm the matter. 7 could not
speak to him about it, nor old dare 70
20 to the Brigadier without the plainest
evidence. Dick and I were now IN fuil
accord. and We determined TO flfo out
lust how matters stood.
II vas in summer. with all the win
dows in the house open at night One
could station himself under the sitting
room windows and hear every word
haps the widow had always had col
ored servant on the watch against
eavesdro-aers, but on the night of the
ColoneTs ninth visit Dick saw to it that
this servant who was a middle-aged
colored man. had too much aDnleiack to
awake and the field was left clear. But
for the issue at stake the act would have
been cortemptible
When / had crept beneath one of the
windows I found the Colonel to be tell
ing all ne knew under the widow s cross
QUESTIONING He had drank until his
tongue was bound to wag. He gave her
the exact strength of our force and the
strength of our artillery and mentioned
that the latter arm was short of ammu-
milton. one of our wagon trains had
been captured. He told her how far up
the Gap our videttes were stationed,
and what sort of defensive works we
had erected, and in half on hour she had
got all the information wanted 1t was
enough to give away his own force bun
the chattering officer went further He
gave her the strength of the force at
BronsOn's Pass and at Derby's Gap
lying east and west of us.
After hearing what I did. I Judged
that the woman would have some one
at hand to carry the information to the
enemy I had hardly left the window
when she came out to look for tn.
servant who bad been made drunk
Seeing his condition. she expressed
anger and disappointment but was