The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1911-02-15
Short Stories by the Best Writers

SlcI tOulu AiL Huft bIOohSu Acui
years of comparative idleness. Be
sides, there was continued need fof
his services. The only railroad thor
oughfare between the northern Allan
tic states and the capital was continu-
ally threatened. Indeed. there was no
safety on any line connecting the capt.
tai with the rest OF the country. Even
dispatches were not safe in transit
The first work done by Webster after
foiling the intention of the Baltimore
consplrators was to carry some impor-
tant papers through to the president.
Webster found the railroad bridges
burned by the secessionlsts. Taking
the route through Havre de Grace.
where a long bridge was destroyed. he
was rowed across the river and hired
a wagon to take him onward. He was
obliged to pass through Perrymans-
vile. and the wagon was stopped by
the cavalry company in which Web
ster had enlisted for n spy. He was rec
ognized. but fortunately for him the fact
that he had revealed their plot TO the
Webster Travelled on in company
with an Englishman whose confidence
he won. and the man revealed to him
that be was bearing dispatches to
southern sympathlzers in Washington
When the two reached the environs Of
the capital. Webster, meeting one
whom he knew 10 be a Union man
sent word by him TO the picket guard
that he wished them TO arrest both
him and his companion. This was
done. but as soon as they were sepa'
rated Webster was released and went
to the White House. There he was al
once admitted to Mr.. Lincoln and
taking off his coat and vest, ripped
open the lining and produced the dis
patches. They and those found on the
Englishman were Of vital Importance
Possibly the latter were the more i'm
portant. since they revealed that the
president was living in a city where
numbers of the enemy's sympathizers
were plotting for the capture of the
capital.
Webster, though he did not serve
Mr.. Lincoln personally, accomplished
a great work for him as president. The
spy played a double game. He would
60 south as n southern man and enter
the service of the government for the
purpose of giving them information OF
the designs of the Federal govern
ment. There he pretended to be Q
Federal spy when he was really Con
federate spy. He was from the first Q
Pinkerton detective. and when Pinker
ton organized the military secret serv
ice bureau of the United States gov
eminent Webster entered that service
and worked for the pay he received
in It, Ordinarily it is hard to tel
which side a spy playing this double
game is really working for. Blu
Webster in the beginning saved th'
life of the president elect and con
tinued to take him important informa
ton. while he had only to give thu
Confederacy information that was un
true or would not avail it.
This being story of Mr.. Lincoln
rather than Webster. the many re
markable rom0nces in the life OF thu
latter during his term Of service mus
be passed over without even a cata
logue of them. Finally, though suf
fering from rheumatism, he started
south in company with Miss Lewis
who was in his confidence. The triI
was to be his last incursion into tht
south. Unfortunately he was laid vi
long while in Richmond with rheu
matism. Miss Lewis nursed him
During this time nothing was heart
from him at Washington. and tn,
president and others who knew of hi
mission became anxious about him
1t was determined to send the mem
bers of the secret service force soutl
to look for him.
The two men went to Richmond
They learned that Webster was lyinl
i'll at hotel and Numbered by goinl
directly to see him without communi
eating with him. In his room the!
found n Confederate and were rasl
enough to hand him letter from AL
Ian Pinkerton which, they said, came
from friend of his in Baltimore
They came again and unfortunatel!
met an officer from the provost mar
shal's office. This meeting led to thei
examination. They were identified b,
a person who knew them, and all wa
lost.
When the news came TO General Nc
Clellan's headquarters that the TIVE
men had been arrested as spies anC
had implicated Webster, Allan Pinker
ton hurried to Washington to see Mr.
Lincoln and discover If anything could
be done to save them. Singularl,
enough. Webster had saved Lincoln'i
life, and now Lincoln was called upoi
to save Webster's life.
Mr.. Lincoln called a special meeting
of the cabinet to devise means to saw,
the spies lives. Nothing could b,
done except to communicate through
the secretary of war calling the atten
ton of the authorities at Richmond t
the fact that the United States gov
eminent had always been lenient L
Confederate spies and had never trieC
or sentenced 10 death any one caugh
carrying information. The message
closed with threat Of inaugurating ,
different code in future IL the spies
were executed.
Neither the fact pointed out nor th'