Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1903-02-18
FORGED A MILITARY PASS.

FORGED A MILITARY PASS.
A Banker at q Confederate Veter-
ans Reunion Explains His Lame
ness.
At the Confederate Veteran Camps
meeting, held at the Waldrof- Astoria
last Monday night, group were ex-
changing recollections in one corner Of
the room before the speeches. One Of
the group, man connected with a
New York bank, was asked by COM
rade where he was wounded, for the
banker has a noticeable limp.
MY lameness is the result Of a for
gerry" he replied.
Bank episode, 'eh?" asked one.
mo-" was the reply. mot exactly.
I reckon I may as well satisfy your
curiosity.
about six months after my enlist
ment under Gen. Sterling Price, Of
Missouri, was sent to the hospital
for repairs. War was hell to me right
in the beginning. I was left In
farmhouse, and as the Yanks were hot
on our trail had to be moved.
II resolved to get back home, and
by various strategems succeeded. It
was quite a journey-from Arkansas to
the northwest corner Of Missouri,
where my people lived. I got home by
night travel. 81.
II found the old town in possession
Of the Federals. Old Col. Bob Smith
with his Sixteenth Illinois infantry
was holding the place, and every road
and hog-path leading to the town was
guarded. I had to run the pickets to
get inside.
81 got to my fathers place late in
the night and crept into the barn. AS
soon as it could be done, hiding place
in the house, under a stairway, was
fixed up for me. Every few days Col.
Bob Smiths soldiers were searching
the houses Of southern sympathizers.
They came to our place several times,
but they never got onto my hiding
place. ~
Things were getting very warm in
the old town. It was under martial
law. An order was issued that no man
or woman should be permitted to leave
the town without a pass, signed by the
provost marshal and the officer Of the
day, and in order to get such a pass
the applicant had to swear allegiance
to the government, and in addition, a
personal description OF the applicant
had to be written on the back Of the
pass.
IT had resolved to leave town, not
only because was anxious to get into
the fight. again, but because every day
I remained in my fathers house I was
liable to be found, and that would have
meant exile for my old father, my
mother and my sisters.
"It was easy enough to get blank
pass, but 1t had to contain the sigma
lures of the provost marshal and the
officer of the day to be. Of any value.
My father. through friend who was
regarded as q Union man, secured
blank permit. used up a bottle Of
ink and made my wrist lame trying
to initiate the proper signatures. FL
nally mastered every crook and for
nation Of the signatures. and writing
them on the pass, filled out my de-
scription and signed false name un-
der the oath.
II was to leave on q night train. I
had planned to go to the end OF the
road, about 400 miles, and then ex-
pected to board a boat on theSAdissis-
sippi and take my chances. The night
favored my leaving home. It was dark
and the rain was falling In sluices.
E" reached the train and took q
seat. On every train leaving the city
was an officer who examined the pass
'es Of all passengers. The train limped
along to the first station, about twen-
ty miles out, and then the guards re-
turned. I was sitting near the door
Of the car.
/ II saw the officer when he came. In
at the front door with the conductor.
I saw that he scrutinized very closely
every passengers pass and then looked
at the holder to see II the description
tailed. He looked at one mans head
very closely. That made me nervous,
for I had on wig which I had got
from my father. was afraid the OF
ficer would get on to my false hair, put
what I most feared was that he would
discover that the signatures on the
pass were forgeries.
1T left my seat cautiously and went
out on the rear platform. The tram
was running about ten miles an hour.
There was no brakeman about. !
caught the iron handle Of the plat
form and jumped with the train.
IT thought should never touch bot
tom. When I tried to pick myself up,
I found I had broken leg. In that
condition, drenched to the skin, In the
most excruciating pain. crawled back
to my fathers house. think If had
had a pistol I would have killed my
self.
"I must have crawled six or seven
miles-maybe more. I reached home
Just before daylight. My fathers old
family doctor was called, and he was
sworn to secrecy, Of course. l snail
never forget how my old father told
him he would kill him If he betrayed
u.s. But, of course, he never would
have done that. An operation was ne
cessary to save my life. have been
lame from the effects Of it ever since
"How did you get away from home
afterward?" asked Virginian.
"That is another story" replied the
banker-veteran, "but 1t wasn't on
forged pass."-New York Sun.
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