The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-12-07
THE OTHER MAN.
tBy M. Quad.)


One dark night, while Grants lines
were investing Petersburg, a Federal
force captured a Confederate outpost,
and no sooner we're the prisoners
brought in than one of them proved to
be the double of a private in a New
York regiment.
The name of the Confederate was
Wakefield while that of the Federal was
Thomas The former belonged to a
Louisiana regiment. When placed side
by side they seemed to be twin brothers.
Each was about twenty-five years old
each was about five feet five inches
high-each weighed one hundred and
forty pounds. Their eyes and hair were
of the same color, and even their voices
were the same, except that the south
erner had little more drawl. The pair
were as much astonished as their offl-
GERS and surgeons VINO were called- 10
look them over. No twin brothers could
bear a closer resemblance, even down to
their very walk
You will not be surprised that adj
vantage was taken of this curious coin
cident to send Thomas into the Confed-
crate lines. AS a preparatory step he
was given a week in which to pump
Wakefield. The prisoner did not know
the object, and being of a garrulous dis
position he was ready to talk on any
subject. Thomas got from him his fam
lily history complete. Then the name of
the town from which the man hailed,
with the names of scores of people and
streets. Then the names of his officers
and comrades, with incidents of cam
paigning. The Federal had been an
actor before enlisting and had Guilt
waited a wonderful memory. When he
had stored up thousand different
things in his mind he bought the uni
form worn by the Confederate and was
ready to set out on his mission.
One night Thomas was taken down
to the front and made a bolt for it.
In other words, it was made to APP
pear that one of the Confederate pris-
and the picket opened a sharp fire,
but took care not to aim at the run
ming man. On reaching the Confeder-
ate lines Thomas was sent to the head
quarters of General Malone. The gen.
eral seemed a bit suspicious, and
Thomas, playing the part of Wake
field, asked that his captain be sent.
for. It was a couple of hours before
the officer arrived, and the general at
once said to him:
into our lines tonight, claims to be
a. member of your company. Is he or
is he not?"
He certainly is, sir,'' was the prompt
reply.
Whats his name?"
John Wakefield, sir"
And you are positive that he is your
MANI"
81 am, sir. I knew him before he en-
listed, and he has been in my company
for year"
That settled it. Thomas was sent to
the regiment, and not a man of his
company questioned his identity. You
may say that it was al wonderful thing,
and 1 agree with you, but nevertheless
he wears a medal to-day, if living, pre-
scented to him by President Lincoln
himself. His orders were to ascertain
Lees strength on a line about four
miles long.
After three or four days, and under
pretense of visiting a cousin in a Vir-
ginia regiment, Thomas covered the
front and had a look at guns and forti-
f1cations. When he returned to camp,
calculating to take the first opportu-
nifty to escape, he was at once put I'M
der arrest. It appeared that Wakefield
and some of his comrades had raided
store of a lot of eatables, and the
proprietor had ascertained their names
and now demanded their punishment.
I When the merchant and Thomas
were brought face to face the latter
declared that Thomas was not the man
he represented himself to be. Why he
should have made such q declaration is
puzzle, but he seemed to be guided
by intuition. He was ridiculed and
laughed at, but he stuck to his asser
ton and even denounced Thomas to
General Malone. AS stated after the
war, the general had felt doubts of
Thomas from the first, which may
again be set down to the sense of fntui-
! ton.