The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-02-25


row of the relatives by stopping TO wit
ness the reception Of the body. Mrs.
ID. Il. Wirt's Scrap Book
She Was a Union Spy.
Mrs. Pauline Fryer, well known FIJI
army circles as Major" Pauline Cush-
man, the Union spy. now living in San
Francisco. has at last received a very
limited recognition from the govern
ment. After many years of privation
and want she received Il small pension
for the services of her first husband,
Charles c. Dickinson, who died early
in the war. Major" Cushman now
expects to have to spend nearly all of
the money she has thus received in
an attempt to get an appropriation bill
through Congress for the services which
she herself. gave to the federal cause.
She is still dependent and very poor,
her small remuneration being almost
absorbed by the claims necessarily III
Cured to get the pension at all. In
her pension she was obliged by poverty
to waive the right of one child. as she
could not wait for the time 10 pass I'M
til she could prove the child's rights.
The story of the life and services of
Major Pauline CuShman Is well known
to Union soldiers. She was. born al
New Orleans in 1896, married Charles
G.. Dickinson and was left a widow
soon after the war commenced, her
husband dying in the Union army. She
went upon the stage and at Louisville
in 1862 fell under suspicion of the fed
eral authorities. 1t happened il the
play of The Seven Sisters" in which
Pauline Cushman, in military uniform
drank toast to the Union. Confed-
crate officers i'm the city offered her
$500 TO drink to JEFF Davis and the
Southern Confederacy." Being brought
before Gen. Boyle few days later
she told of the offer made to her t.
exonerate herself. Gen. Boyle saw an
opportunity to secure clever and eff
cient female spy, He closed an agree
ment with Pauline Cushman, and she
then accepted the $500 Confederate Of
fer. She drank the toast and was driv
eli from the city as a southern sympa
thzer. At Nashville she repeated the
toast performance and was "sent into
the enemy's lines" Her own brother
was in the Confederate army. To him
she went and secured the desired infor
nation. While returning to the federal
forces she was detected and taken tc
Gen. Forests Headquarters She was
imprisoned as a spy and was prostrat
ed I'm Jail with fever She eventually
bic information. but her health was
completely broken down.
Gen. Garfield wrote to President Lin
coin of her and Lincoln promised thai
she should be properly rewarded. H.
warmly Endorsed her title of major
The President said of her that ''hel
services were of inestimable value to
the Union forces Lincoln was assas
sinated and Major Cushman's bes
friend was gone. She has been neglect
ed and almost forgotten since. After
the war Major Cushman came to Cali
fornia and often delivered lectures IL
various cities here for the benefit Of
the charitable institutions. She has al
ways been much more generous TO 9th
ers than to herself.
Major Cushman. or now Mrs Fryer
smiled cheerfully through the tale o
her hardships, striving to conceal witt
pride her dependent condition and tn
low ebb of her finances. The lines o
determination in her face tell Of tn
moral courage that sent her through ;
| trying ordeal for her country, and the!
| tell as plainly as she can herself tina
she will bravely continue her fight fo
| the reward she believes the Unite,
States owes her for her work in Oh
tanning information from the Confeder
ateS.