Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1908-01-10
CAPTURING a spy.
He Died Game, Refusing to Peach on
His Accomplices.


1t was usual to send out squads of
cavalry-20 or 80 men-commanded
by a lieutenant, to the outposts to
stay a week or ten days before being
relieved. While out on these expedi-
tions the hardtack and SOW bosom
would get very common, and so on one
occasion q comrade and myself pre-
vailed on cnr lieutenant to let us go
out in the country beyond and try to
get something in the vegetable or fowl
line for a change. He consented, and
we went out and gathered supply
leach had sack), and were returning
to camp, when we saw a man riding
through the woods some distance
away. From the direction in which
he was going we surmised that he had
gone around the picket post. handed
my sack to my comrade, and told him
that / believed would take that fell
low in. He had gone down into de-
preston by this time, and evidently
had not seen us. l turned my horse
and put him OF the run, and by the
time he came again into sight l was
less than 100 yards from him, and
commanded him to halt. He stopped,
turned around, rode toward me, and
when he came up handed me pass.
looked at it, and saw that it was
genuine, with Gen. Steele's name at
tached. l asked him why he went
around the picket post. He got little
confused at this, and did not give
satisfactory answer. l then told him
that l would take him back to the
picket post, ana the lieutenant (Sling-
erland by name) could do as he
pleased about passing him out. When
we got to the post the lieutenant came
out to the road, took the pass, glanced
at it, turned to us and said: Take
this man to Steele's headquarters as
quick as you can get him there" We
took him to headquarters, continues the
writer in National Tribune, and when
Steele saw him he said: AHA, my man,
/ was looking for you. l didn't think
you would escape my hellhounds."
There was some private mark on that
pass that the officers of the outpost
understood. Sewed up in the leg-fend-
ers of his saddle were found complete
maps of our army, all the forts and
number of guns. Steele ordered us to
! take him TO our regimental guard
house. had seen this man frequently
around our regimental suffers tent
Zone Bill Whiteman) all the forepart
OF the winter He seemed to stop there
part of the time. We also had Capt.
Whiteman in the regiment, brother
to the sutler When this fellow had
been confined in our guard house two
or three weeks Capt. Whiteman came
to me and asked me If l wasn't on
guard at the guard house. l told him
that 1 was, and he said: Take that
fellow out and give him chance to
run. They will keep him and fatten
him up two or three months and then
turn him loose, and there Is no doubt
but he is a spy" He didn't tell
tended me to do. l took him out in
the night, and told him they were 60
ing to hang him, and that he had bet
ter run, but he wouldn't do 1t, and /
was very glad afterward that he didn't,
as they hanged him in short time.
He was only 10 years old, and they
offered to liberate him If he would tell
who helped him draw the plat. 1t has
always been my opinion that Bill
Whiteman, our sutler, was the man
and that Capt. Whiteman knew 1t, and
for this reason wanted him killed,
fearing he would squeal on his broth
er. My recollection is that the spy's
name was Dodd, though am not sure,
but am sure that he died game.
On April 25 following this incident
I was taken prisoner at Marks Mills,
Ark, and after we were taken a con-
federate officer rode up and asked If
there were any of the Seventh Mis-.
souri, cavalry in the squad. Some fool
said "Yes" (There is always fool on
such occasions). The confederate said:
1--WE are going to hang every son OF
them They caught one of our men up
at Little Rock last winter and hung
him." If he had known that l was the
man who captured him there would
probably have been something doing,
and would have been the center Of at.
traction. Needless to say made myself
about as small as / could, and felt
about the size of jacksnipe. l will
not dwell ON the horrors of our pris-
on life. We were first taken to Camp
Ford, Tex $50 were taken to another
prison near Austin, and what was left
of my crowd of 247 were exchanged
in December at Galveston, Tex, and
brought to New Orleans. Quite mum
ber were so nearly starved that they
died after being exchanged.
A New Monster Weapon.