Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1910-01-21

town, Pa, has celebrated his I'D birth
day anniversary and is in vigorous
health. That. however. is insignif
cant compared with Mr.. Chess thrill
ing experience in the War of the Re
bellion. as related on that occasion TO
neighbors and friends. He is one of
very few men who can truthfully say
that they served In two armies the
Confederate and the Federal
Mr.. GieSs in his earlier life was
brieklayer, and no man in those parts
ever handled the trowel with greater
deNterity. Late in the 50s he entered
the employ OF the late Samuel McHose
of Allentown. renowned as a builder
of blast furnaces. for which he had
contracts all over the United States,
In 1889 he took force of nineteen
men, most of them from that city. to
Richmend, Va, to build the Westham
furnace, along the James River canal
Among them was Mr., Chess. The only
other survivors of that party are John
Paul of Rittersyille. and Levi Quier
OF Reading,
The spirit of rebellion was already
high at that time, and things were not
any too pleasant for the gang Of North
ern bricklayers. They were not ex-
actly wanted, and they knew it, with
the result that all of them, with the
exception OF Chess, made tracks for
home before the breaking out of the
war Mr., Chess, however, was of
more venturesome nature, and he de
cided TO remain. He associated with
many of the Confederate leaders. fire.
quented their councils as much as pos
sible and was highly interested in the
great drama that was unfolding itself
day by day. Mr. Giess remained in
Richmond for nearly year after hos
tilities between the North and South
had commenced
Although a loyal Union man, he. in
March, 1862, was suddenly informed
that he had the opportunity" of en-
listing in the Confederate army or be-
ing conscripted. II he enlisted he had
the opportunity" of joining Gen. Mar
maduke Johnson's light artillery,
which was then being formed If he
refused TO enlist he would be forced
into the army as conscript and as
signed to some very undesirable regi-
ment
As he knew General Johnson person
ally and found him a very fine man.
he concluded to enlist donned the
Confederate gray and Joined the com
mand. They went into camp OF in.
struction and for two weeks he watch.
ed his opportunity to escape, One night
II came. and crawling through the lines
he succeeded in making his way back
into Richmond
During his stay in Richmond Mr..
Geiss had made the acquaintance Of a
German cigarmaker a Northern sym
pathizer, who kept quiet about IT,
Chess succeeded in making his way to
his friends house and was immediate
ly given shelter. There he learned to
make cigars, which his friends after
ward sold
For a long time Mr. Chess did not
venture out of doors save in the night
Finally, however, he grew bolder and.
Disgusting himself as well as he could,
and passing himself off as a German.
foreign born, and acting as If he could
sneak English only with the greatest
difficulty, he made his way all over
Richmond. frequently conversing with
Confederate officers who came in from
the front.
He found a great deal of interest In
visiting the schools in the suburban
districts Of Richmond, and one day he
came across little country school
house some distance outside of Rich
mond. Hearing the pupils singing, he
went in.
They sang Dixie" The Stars and
Bars" The Bonny Blue Flag" and
other Southern songs. Finally Mr.
Giess asked them to sing Yankee Doc
die"
The eyes OF the teacher. young
woman. flashed fire; but she made no
remark, nor was the song given. Next
day Mr. Chess was arrested and lodged
In the Richmond Jail. He was in Jail
forty-eight hours Then he was re-
leased Mr.. Chess then came to the
conclusion that 1t was high time he
got ont OF Richmond He had succeed.
ed in escaping from General Johnson s
command in March and II was now De
ce.nber Watching his opportunity he
succeeded in appropriating a pass be-
longing TO another man whose genera!
physical description he closely resem-
bled, and at o'clock in the morning
OF December day in 1862 he took his
leave reaching Washington by way
of the famous Dismal Swamp and the
Rappahannock River
lie suffered great hardships. not the
least Of them hunger and cold. He
reached the capital in safety, how
ever, and the first acquaintance he
met was the late John L. Stiles, Of Al
lentOwn. who was then a member Of