Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-08-11
DAILY SHORT STORY
PLAYING THE SPY.

Downright. 1904. by T. c. McClure.l


ley a Federal soldier named Sid Davis
was sent into the lines of the latter to
secure information. He took with him
q peddler<s pack and claimed TO be
civilian and a resident of Virginia, and
his excuse for not being in the COnfed-
crate army was that he was physically
incapacitated by heart disease. On
penetrating the enemy's lines he was
taken before General Early, who ques-
toned him at length and seemed salts
fed with his answers. As he LETT the
tent. however. he encountered a private
soldier who was lying in wait for him
and who shook a fist in his face and
said:
Say, Yank, yo' fooled the gineral'
but yo' can't play it over me. Yo' are
a dodgasted Yankee spy, and I'll prove
it before yo' leave camp
The Confederate was Il rough speci- |
men of the soldier. having a saber cut
across his face and an aggressive man
ner of speech. but why he should dis |
play such malevolence toward a stran- |
ger Sid could not make out.
Are you drunk, or what, that you |
call me a Yankee spy:' clustered Sid |
as three or four of the mans comrades
came I'D and seemed inclined TO make |
trouble.
"No. I'm not drunk, and l saw yO' in
the Union camp at Charlestown last
spring when l was Il prisoner of war
there" was the answer.
Nonsense, man. If you have got
any charges to make against me, go 10
the general. If he is satisfied that l am
all right. it's not for you to kick"
Il say yo' are a Yankee spy, and l
say I'll prove it and have yo' hung"
growled the man as he and his com
radcs sauntered Off.
Sid picked up his pack and found
place to lodge and next morning began
peddling his goods through the camps.
| The rest of his adventures is told in his
| own language:
by laughing with customers over
| prices. and by hanging TO the goods as
| long as possible, 1 made them last me
| two days. In that time l had made
close figures on every branch of Early's
command. and had also got good idea
of the strength of his position. l had
secured all l came for and was ready
to return and report, but officers stop
ped me by the dozen to send messages
TO friends In Washington or ask that 1
make purchases for them. l was hand
ed upwards of 5000 i'll Confederate
money, and. though l would have no
chance to return it, it was no gain 10
me The whole sum would not have
| purchased Il bottle Of ginger ale of a
| Union sutler.
''AS to the man with the Sabcr cut, l
had seen him two or three times during
! the two days. and knew that he was
trying his best to work up n suspicion
against me. Some of the soldiers asked
me a few questions, but most of them
were satisfied that l was what l claim
ed TO he learned that the man went
to General Early and stated his case,
but as / was not sent for the general
could not have taken much stock in
what he said.
Il had intended to creep out of the
Confederate lines in the darkness of
night, but observing that the camp
sentinels and picketS had been doubled
and having met with such good luck in
playing my role, decided TO go TO the
general and ask for Il regular pass. |
did not find him, but his Gdjutant
general promptly handed me the paper,
and just at sunset on the second day
/ left by the same road had entered.
2 had no writing of any sort about me
and if stopped and searched there was
{ nothing to iucriminate. What informa-
f ton | had secured was all carried in
nv memory. and | had no fear of for
= getting any of it.
= NO one questioned the pass until
? came TO the last picket post. There
: were four men on this post, and one OF
= them was he OF the saber cut. As lie
realized that 1 was escaping his
5 clutches he threw his hat on the
l ground and shouted:
2 II don't keer if he has n hundred
l passes. l tell yo' he is Yankee soldier
2 and a spy, and dod rot him he can't gil
r by me-"
"The other three men, one OF whom
/ was corporal, protested that they haC
no right to stop me, as the pass was al
, right and not to be questioned at any
n post. and l spoke softly in hopes Of
placating the man, but he grew still
! more fierce and handled his muske
menacinSly and shouted:
"'He's shorely got 10 go back L
: camp with me. l kin tell the ginera
how to trap him. About face and for
ward march or I'll put n bullet int
yo'.'
"Of course 1 refused to go back, an'
-. in this l was stoutly supported 10y th'
3 three others. two of whom had pur
- chased goods Of me the day before anC
, been very friendly over il. They ar
- gued and protested, and just when
was hoping that the man with the sea
would calm down he suddenly drew
-. up his musket with the intention o
7. shooting me in my tracks. AS III
- weapon came up one of the men spran:
- forward and struck ii upward. and an
- other seized the man. Just how it wa
done l could not follow. but the mus