Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1904-09-01
THE OTHER MAN
copyright. 1903. by c. b. Lewls.I

Out uulh ulSlllr W me NtibHl y ililIS
were investing Petersburg, a Federal
force captured a Confederate outpost
and no sooner were 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 14O pounds.
Their eyes and hair were Of the same
color, and even their voices were the
same except that the southerner had
little more drawl. The pair were as
much astoniShed rs the officers and
surgeons who were called TO look them
over
You will not be surprised that advan-
tage was taken of this curious Coinci-
dent TO send Thomas into the Confeder-
ate lines. As Il preparatory step he
was given a week In which TO pump
Wakefield. The prisoner did not know
the object, and, being of a garrulous
disposition, he was ready TO talk on
any subject. Thomas got from him his
family history complete, then the name
Of the town from which the man hail
ed, with incidents of people and streets;
then the names OF his officers and COM
rades, with incidents of campaigning.
The Federal had been an actor before
enlisting and had cultivated q wonder
full memory. When he had stored up
thousand different things in his mind
he bought the uniform 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, II was made to appear
that one of the Confederate prisoners
was making n dash for liberty, and the
picket opened a sharp fire, but took
care not to aim at the running man.
On reaching the Confederate lines
Thomas was sent to the headquarters
Of General Malone. The general SEEM
ed a bit suspicious, and Thomas, play
ing the part of Wakefield, asked that
his captain be sent for. 1t was n cou-
pie of hours before the officer arrived,
and the general at once said TO him:
Captain, this man who has come
into our lines tonight claims to be
member of your company. Is he or is
he notT'
"He certainly is, sir" was the prompt
reply.
whats his nameY
John Wakefield, sir"
That settled It,
After three or four days and under
pretense of visiting cousin in Vir-
ginia regiment Thomas covered the
front and had look at guns and forth
fications. When he returned to camp,
calculating to take the first opportunity
to escape, he was at once put under
arrest. 1t appeared that Wakefield
and some of his comrades had raided
a store of a lot of eatables. and the
proprietor had ascertained their names
and now demanded their punishment.
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 a declaration
Is a puzzle. but he seemed to be guided
by intuition. He was ridiculed and
laughed at, but he stuck to his assertion
and even denounced Thomas to Gener-
al 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 intuition.
The name OF the merchant who had
been despoiled was Saunders and he
was of an implacahle nature Roins
put on his mettle by the sneers and
ridicule, he determined 10 prove his
case OF all costs, AS the accuser he
had the general ask hundreds Of Ques-
ttons. He knew the town and the peo-
pie from which Thomas as Wakefield
claimed to hail and in the course of the
day had trapped him a dozen times
over. AS an offset all the officers and
privates of the company asserted that
Thomas was Wakefield and that there
was no room to doubt. He went at 1t
and related every incident of camp life
for year past and told Of things which
II seemed impossible for stranger to
know.
General Malone was clearly puzzled
over the case Gnd took two days to
think II over At the end of that time
Thomas was escorted back TO find n
soldier in Federal uniform in the gener-
aPs tent, and there were also two civil
ians In waiting. 1t was a little surprise
for the spy. The man in Federal uni
form claimed to have known Thomas
as Federal soldier under the name OF
Brown, and the two civilians claimed
that he had never been n resident Of
their town.
Thomas realized that the pinch had
come and he braced himself to make n
fight for his life General Malone
treated him In the fairest manner, and,
acting as his own counsel, he went Mt II
and soon had the supposed Federal sol
der all twisted up and out of the run
ming. Then he tackled the civilians, and
they proved to be as easy game. In
steau or Delng cornered up he corneFed
his accusers, and it was so well done
that he was complimented by the gen
eral. When the case had been conclud-
ed Malone leaned back and looked at
the prisoner for long minute and then
said:
"Wakef1eld, everything is in your IA
vor. and l am going TO dismiss the
charges"
There Is no doubt that in time the I'm
position would have been exposed and
that he would have ended his life ON
the gallows, but one night during ter
rfble Thunderstorm, with row going
on between the pickets Mt the same
time. he made a bolt and fortunately
reached the Federal lines in safety.
NJ. QUAD.