Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-12-03
SATURDAY. 49,. DECEMBER 8, 1904
WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES
ZEN. WILLIAM j. Pal1ner's Close Gail
When Serving the Union
eS a Spy.

Gen. William J. F2imer. who recently
gave TO the ,lJale o. -v.orlu. s.r,a-s
beautiful pI4., has had one of the
stormiest caTee:s OK any man living.
when the ciTu ~ broke oct young
Palmer was The secretary of J. Edgar
Thompson, prlsiCtnI Of tie Pennsyl-
Fanla railroad. his company was the
hVal OF the Is dyt4IOre & Ohio tor east
anu west tran.c. and its spirit was SO
intensely patriotic TN It its whole stan
except Mr.. Thompson. who was a
Quaker, entered the army. Thomas A
Scott vice preSide ut. became assist
ant secretary OF war, in charge OF
sahroao transportation, and young
Faimer. who was born on the border
became one OF the most daring and
smclent spies in the service of the
north. The administration staff of the
SaItlmore q Ohio railroad on tho
ether hand, was actively engaged on
me confederate side. and so many of
&ne o1hcers went south that there was
NOT enough left TO run the road. That
eon matter very much because il
was on debatabe territory and was
run first by one army and then nv
me other as military line. except the
oaltlmore and Washington division,
Nhlcn remained uninterruptedIy in
the possession of the union forces
rom the time of its recapture by Gen.
Butler.
Gen. Palmer's experiences as a spy
were brought to an end hy his can
Sure and sentence to death. He
escaped before he could be executed
and then raised a cavalry regiment at
Sermantown and went into the field
and became a brigadier general.
Alter the war he became treasurer
e1 the Kansas Pacific railroad and
tater president of the Denver & Rio
Srande railroad, the great three-foot
kauge line that passed through the
Royal gorge, climbed Marshall PISS
and connected Denver with Salt Lake
Saty. Ii has since been Reconstructed
1T standard gauge.
II is with Gen. Planners war ex-
periences that this sketch is con-
cerned, and this story of IL is told by
Vol. A. Il Mcclure, the veteran jc,pr-
ahiiSt and parliamentary OF me SUI
preme court of Pennsylvania, who as
assistant adjutant general, was in
command of the military forces on the
border.
Every night Capt Palmer, who was
On duty at the Potomac river, entered
she enemy's line and brought back in
formation OF Lees movements prelim-
anary to crossing the river to meet
mcclellan at Antietam lie was ac-
eompanied by William ". Breson. an
opert tcleSrapher. who carried his in
etrument with him. and by attaching
u 10 tie nrst wiIes they struck after
$merginS from che rebel lines end
sometimes within them, communicated
sheir news. which forwarded at once
20 Mcclellan.
' All the -eVs that Mcclellan re-
served frorl the front ~ Lees army
came IL This way from Palmer. The
bold yoCnH fellow kept In touch with
Lees army and followed il back to
Virginia after Antietam Finally he
Vas missed at a time his usual report
vas expected, and when ten days had
hlapsed without word from him /
FASTENED to Philadelphia 90 confer
b with Mr.. Thompson
We were satisfied thai Palmer had
peen captured, and in order 10 prevent
his identification, il was arranged that
should write up for the PHILADELPHIA
Press and Inquirer, Tor public alton the
next morning, displayed dispatches an
nouncinS the arrival il Washington
OF Capt William J. Palmer, who had
been scouting in Virginia and who had
Drought most important information
Of the purposes and movements of the
enemy
Some details were given e. make
the story plausible. to which was
added the statement that he had
Drought momentous Information that