Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-08-22
A WAR MESSAGE
tOrig1nal.1

| lOrlg1nai.
| During the civil war Jane st.
Clair, a young girl Of nineteen, was
put In charge of telegraph of.
fee in one of the stations on the
Louisville and Nashville railroad in
Kentucky. The people of that state
were divided in their sympathies be-
tween the Confederate and Onion
sides, most of them being Confederates
Jenny st. Clair, however, belonged to
a stanch Union family and was her
self Unionist.
made by the Confederates behind the
Union armies for the purpose of har-
assing their enemy's communications.
Jenny's post was far in the rear Of
the Union advance, but she knew that
at any time the town was liable to be
captured and the first place the raid
ers always took possession of was
the telegraph Office. Jenny used to
wonder what she should do if they
swooped down upon her Office and her
thoughts finally resulted in a plan Of
action in such an event.
One night a cavalry force command
ed by the famous Confederate partisan
leader, General John Morgan, came
riding into town and half dozen men
under an officer went straight for the
telegraph Office on the second floor Of
a small frame building. Dismounting,
they hurried upstairs and threw open
the door, with drawn revolvers ready
to cover the operator; but there was
no operator there. A kerosene lamp
was burning on the table to which
the telegraph instrument was fixed.
There were several chairs, looking
glass hanging to the wall and lounge.
These were every article in the room
except woman's hat.
'Reckon this Office is run by GAL"
said one Of the men. "She heard us
coming and lit OUT
Reckon" replied the officer.
He went to the telegraph table and,
sitting down, began to click the key.
He called a neighboring town and re-
ceived a signal which he knew came
from Confederate who had captured
the replying station.
Tell the general" came the words,
chat we have just taken this place
and are ready to move in conjunction
with him against the Nj. railroad bridge
| and trestlework. We will attack the
bridge guard at the north end at 5
O'Clock in the morning and expect Cen
| oral N0ruon To
south end"
The officer called one of his men and
gave him the message to take to Gen
eral Morgan. Then he sprawled him
self on the lounge, falling into doze.
There is a half awake, half asleep
condition that we have all experienced
in which one hears sound, not know
ing whether he really hears it or not
The officer thought he heard clicking
Telegraph keys are continually clatter-
ing, and the key on the table was no
exception. But it did not appear to
the dozer that the sound was on the
table. 1t was rather down on the floor
and at times directly beneath him.
Presently he got himself awake and
started up to listen. All was perfectly
silent. Lying down, he was soon in the
same semisomnolent condition as be-
fore-he dared not go to sleep while on
duty-and now the clicking recon-
menced in more pronounced manner.
and it seemed to be in the head of the
lounge on which he rested. He began
to take note of the letters and read the
message he had just received. 1t was
very singular, he thought, that it could
be clicking in his pillow. Was he not
dreaming? Or was he really receiving
the message? Or was it's sender re-
peating it to make sure of accuracy?
Presently the messenger returned
with dispatch which stated that all
was right and General Morgan would
be on hand. This was sent over the
wire. Then the officer unscrewed the
instrument and. taking it with him.
rode away with his men.
The next morning, when the two de-
tachments of Confederate cavalry
made a joint attack on the bridge and
trestle, as agreed, they found an over
whelming force drawn up at both ends
to oppose them. They proceeded with
the attack, only to draw off with a
number of killed and wounded and the
loss of some prisoners. Among the
latter was the officer who had received
the telegraph message for General
Morgan the night before. The captured
officers were taken to the Union gen.
erals headquarters.
(Which Of you did the telegraphing
last night from B." asked the gen.
eral.
IT," said one of them.
| "Well, you needn't take the trouble
to use any Of our telegraph stations
again. Our operators are too smart
for YOU"
| "How so, general?'
"Orderly. ask Miss st. Clair to step
In here"
| Jenny st. Clair came in. looking
radiant.
TELL the gentleman how you out
witted him." said the general.