The National tribune., 1903-10-29

Sarliy marched close TO the former place.
and, although Allen had returned to the
command, Morgan hoped that the Fed
erals at Frankfort We're still under the
impression that an attack upon them was
imminent.
About noon, the column arrived at Mid
way, a small town on the railroad. equi-
distant from Lexington and Frankfort
LIGHTNING" AT MIDWAY.
Ellsworth. known as lightning"
played a fine hand at Midway. The fol-
lowing is his own story, verbatim ct litera-
TIM
AT this place l surprised the operator
who was quietly sitting on the platform
in front of his office, enjoying himself,
not suspecting that Morgan was in his
vicinity. l demanded of him to call Lex
he did. This l did for the purpose of
getting his style of handling the key in
writing dispatches. My first impression
of his style, from noting the paper in the
instrument, was confirmed. he was, TO
use a telegraph term, u plug operator.
Adopting his style of teiegraphing, L COM
menced operations. In this office l found
a signal book. which proved very useful,
as it contained the calls of all the offices.
Dispatch after dispatch was going to and
from Lexington, Georgetown, Par.s and
Frankfort, all containing something In
reference to Morgan. On commencing
operations. / discovered that there were
two wires on the line along this railroad:
One was what we term 4 through wire,
running direct from Lexington to Frank
fort, and not entering any of the way
Offices. l found that all military mes
sages were sent over that line. As it did
not enter the Midway Office l ordered It
to be cut, thus forcing Lexington on to
the wire that did run through the office.
] tested the line and found, by applying
the ground wire, that it made no differ
ence with the circuit, and, as Lexington
was headquarters, l cut Frankfort oil.
Midway was called, 1 answered, and re-
ceived the following:
Lexington. July Is, 1862.
"'To J. W. Woolums, Operator, Midway:
"'Will there be any danger in coming
to Midway? Is every thing right?
TAYLOR, Conductor
81 inquired of my prisoner, the operator,
If he knew a man by the name of Taylor.
He said Taylor was the conductor. l i'm
mediately gave Taylor the following re-
ply:
Midway, July 10, 1862.
"'To Taylor. Lexington:
"'All right; come on. No sign of any
rebels here. WooLUMs.'
1.-The operator in Cincinnati then called
II
a dozen unimportant dispatches. He had
no sooner finished than Lexington called
Frankfort. Again / answered, and re-
ceived the following message:
Lexington, July 10, 1862.
!" To Gen. Finnell, Frankfort:
~ wish you to move the forces at
Frankfort, on the line of the Lexington
Railroad, Immediately, and have the cars
fellow and take them up as soon as pos
cihla E>nrfhar will wolf than n
Midway. / will, in three or four hours,
move forward on the Georgetown pike:
will have most of my men mounted. Nor
gan left Versailles this morning with $50 |
men, on the Midway road, moving in the |
direction of Georgetown.
This being our position and intention
exactly, it was thought proper, to throw
Gen. Ward on some other track. So. in |
the course Of half an hour, manufac
tured and sent the following dispatch, |
which was approved by Morgan:
Midway, July 10, 1862.
TO Brig.-Gen Ward, Lexington:
Morgan, with upward of 1000 men,
came within mile of here, and took the |
OLD Frankfort road, marching, we suppose,
for Frankfort. This is reliable.
'WooLUMs, Operator
I'm about ten minutes, Lexington again
called Frankfort, when l received the fol- |
lowing:
Lexington, July 10, 1862
TO Gen. Finnell Frankfort:
Morgan with more than 1000 men, |
came within a mile of here. and took the |
old Frankfort road This dispatch re-
ceived from Midway, and is reliable. The
regiment from Frankfort had better he re-
called.
"'BRIG.-GEN. WARD
Il receipted for this message, and again
manufactured one to confirm the informa-
ton Gen. Ward had received from. Mid
way, and not knowing the tariff from
Frankfort to Lexington, l could not send |
formal message; SO, appearing greatly |
agitated, waited until the circuit was
occupied, and broke in, telling them to
wait minute, and commenced calling
Lexington. He answered, and l tele-
graphed as follows:
Frankfort to Lexington:
Tell Gen. Ward our pickets are just
driven In. Great excitement. Pickets say
the force of the enemy must be 1000.
OPERATOR
1T was now 2 o'clock p. m, and Nor
gan wished to be off for Georgetown. l |
ran secret ground connection, and opened
the circuit on the Lexington end. This
was to leave the impression that the
Frankfort operator was skedaddling or
that Morgan's men had destroyed the
telegraph"
BIT OF HoME-GUARD ELoQUENCE
When Morgan arrived at Georgetown,
about shutdown he found himself con-
fronted by small body of home guards.
Very cOnsiderate, the Colonel sent them a
polite invitation to surrender assuring
them that they should not be hurt. How
ever, as usual, they promptly and inglo.
riously scattered" In telling of this cpl
side, Gen. Duke INDUCES in the follow
ing pleasantly:
THE leader of this home-guard band
is said to have made his men a speech of
singular eloquence and stirring effect. If
he was reported correctly he told them
that Morgan, the marauder and murder.
er, the accused Of the Union men of Ken
lucky was coming upon them; that in
bis track everywhere prevailed terror and
desolation; in his rear, the smoke of burn
Ing towns was ascending the blood of
martyred patriots was streaming, the
walls Of widowed women and orphan chill
dren were resounding, and in his front,
home guards and soldiers were flying;
that he was then, just outside of town
with 10000 or II, 200 men, armed with
long boards and butcher kniyes;' and the
orator thought that they had better scat
ter and take care Of themselves They
accordingly scattered A Southern sym
pathiZer, whom the valiant home qua rds
had imprisoned In the courthouse, seeing
his captors ingloriously scattering point
ed to the star-spangled banner still fy-
Ing, and apostrophized the fugitlves in
terms that ought to have made even q suit
Ter fight Are you going IN dasert yopr |