The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-08-13
81 and Shorty With Their Wives at the Ma
tional Capital The Boys Meet an Old Ac-
ouaintauca

| ~ anu cuO&ty WILL 1ucll WlSCo dt tAS va
tional Capital The Boys Meet an Old Ac-
| auaintance-
! They returned to the boarding house for
dinner. since 81 and Shorty had the raven
Gus appetiteS OF, convalescents. which even
| overwhelming grief could not stiiie. They
were just finishing SO hearty Il meal as to
astoniSh even the landlad.', used as she
WAS 20 hungry soldiers. when there came
| down the street the unmistakable sound Of
several companies of infantry. advancing
ut the double-quick. 81 and Shorty look
| ed up inquringly from the luscious quar-
ter of apple pie that had been set beside
each.
Company A. halt, Front. Right
| dress. Deploy as SkilmShers"' came in
ringing tones of command. and one of the
companies could be heard executing the
order. while the others doube-quickcd on
to follow Co. AS example Il little farther
away.
What in Sam Hill are they doing out
there" said Shorty. taking mouthful of
pie Having a battalion skirmish drill
| III the street TO amIIsc the crowd!'
Likely one of the new regiments being
put through their p'S and as" suggested
81.
No new regiment about that mumbed
Shorty with his mouth full Of pie. That's
| oiit mat ie'THeu us BUSINESS. Len tndi
| by the way they doublc-quicked. Its took
them about three years to learn that step
| SO WELL"
| Al intervals came floating in the voice
of the Captain "Deploy along there in
| side sidewalk SO; steady there. Now
watch these houses as far as the corner
Don't let anybody go in or out. Sers't
Panabaker, take three men and search the
house on the corner. Serg't Pickle, take
ti,r.,, 4 l., H.,
! Boorman. take three men from the left
and search the next one. Do it thorough
| ~. Doa't miss as much as an auger hole
and bring out every man you can find"
Hello" said Shorty. dropping his pie
What does this mean? Can that be the
provost guard: Our leaves are albright
for some days yet"
| They arose from the table, went on the
| piazza and looked eat.
| y Gordon of sentrieS along the inside of
the broad sidewalk stretched clear around
the block as far as they could see. The
people attempting to enter the houses
were stopped. and already quite Il little
| group was collected in front of each door
Hello. Panabaker.' said 81. recognz-
ing the Sergeant. who came through the
yard to the piazza. Il thought | knew
that hame when | heard the Captain call
it out. What are yom doing here?'
ii'iiD- 81. ID tHdl you. TeSDOHuPU
Panabaker. Glad to see you. After |
was discharged for my wound at Chicka-
mauSa and went home and got well. | re
| enlisted in the Veteran Corps Where did
you come from! You will find our Cap
tain an old acquaintance Of yours. Capt.
Lunsford. here's,,Si Klegg"
Capt Luisfoid, fine. Soldierly young
man. who formerly commanded COM
pany of the 200th Ind, had received what
was feared to beia mortal wound at Stone
River and gone to die. Recovering,
he had sought and received n commission
i'll the Veteran Corps. lie was efferves-
Gently glad TO meet men of his old regi-
mcnt. and briefly exchanged greetings and
"reminiscences with them.
Whats up. Captain?" asked 81. as
these We're checked by the Captains re
membrance of the business he had on
hand. s.-
"Oh. wiid-goOse chase think" an
Swered the Captain with n Shrug of the
shoulders. An anonymous letter came to
the Provost .Marshars that two of Booths
companions were concealed in n house in
this block. We got orders to make a thor
| ough search. It's a mighty slender clew,
but everybody is so dead in earnest that
they are not inclined to neglect the least
hint. Then, this is right near Mrs. SD
rats house Oh III street near 9th, only
lew AWAY. WUcTe bOOlu
had his headquarters and where the muir
der was planned"
In all the houses in the block the peO-
pies grief and CONSERVATION over the raid
and the rude, unsparing invasion of their
privacy by the soldiers was great Some
of the women were savagely scolding the
soldiers, while others were resorting to
fainting and Mysteries. All the same. ev
cry door had to be opened. every closet ex-
I IL
and relentleSsly. The men were collected
on the sidewalk and looked over rapidly
by detectives in citizens clothing. Most
of them were dismissed ut once, but not
allowed to return into the houses until the
search was finished. A few were collected
| under guard for further examination. All
We're white-faced as they were brought out
and those put under guard looked intense
ly fearful. Every one, however. took it
with surprising quietneSs. -Four years of
| dreadful war had bred an amazing stole
ism in everybody. Death brought less of
an cutlery than trivial mishaps would have
| done at the beginning of the trouble. Be
| sides, everybody had learned that tears,
protests and lamentations were absolutely
| thrown away upon soldiers engaged in the
| performance of duty.
Where do you suppose John Wilkes
Booth is, Captain" asked 81, as the
search was concluding
"Oh, over there in Maryland somewhere
trying to keep hid until he can get across
| the Potomac" answered Capt. Lunsford
''He galloped over there directly from the
| theatcr as soon as he had committed the
deed. He is now hiding in some of those
| terrible swamps over there between the
Potomac and Chesapeake. It's net
work Of dense swamps, with dark, slug
gish streams. that no man has ever been
through. Even absconding criminals and
| runaway negroes are afraid to go into it.
| It's full of snakes, water moccasins and
all sorts Of queer reptiles enough to scare
any man alive. A man would get lost in
side Of few hundred yards and starve
to death because he could not find his way
out. The worst part is down by the Wi
comico River, which runs into the Poto-
mac. Dogwood, sweetgnm, water birches
and the like grow there as thick as the
palings on fence, and running over them
is n mass of this Internal cat-brier which
makes a jungle which hardly anything but
snake or lizard can get through"
well, the man that goes into hiding
there will have TO make trail, unless he
is a heap sight smarter than Indians ever
were" said 81, whose adventurous spirit
was beginning to rise at the recital of
the difficulties. He was feeling his old
desire to take part in the game which
others felt to be exceedingly difficult.