The Nezperce herald. (Nezperce, Idaho) 1900-1957, 1911-04-06
A Spy Of President
Lincoln
By DONALD cHAMBERLIN
Copyright BY American Press Asso-
citation. 1871.

tnoSe can De round 70 DO such work
especially since an ignominious death
: Is the penalty for being caught. The
e strangest feature Of the spy system
/. Is that the more delicate woman should
{ have done her share in II.
One day a girl about tFenty-four
8 years old went to Allan rinkerton,
! who was at the head OF the United
! States secret service bureau, and told
him that she had lived at Richmond.
the capital OF the Confederacy. and
was supposed to be a secessionlst. She
proposed to 80 there. intending to o6er
her services to the Confederate gov
eminent, to return to Washington and
take back information to Richmond
In other words. by pretending to be
In the Confederate service she hoped
to get Information OF their intentions
or condition for the Federal govern
ment She said her object was to
make money TO lift her sick mother
out Of poverty.
Pinkerton set several traps for her
In order to test her fidelity to the /
Federal cause and. having satisfied /
himself OF 1t. sent her TO Mr.. Lincoln
This was In 1864. when the struggle
was drawing TO a close. The work
Mr.. Lincoln gave her to do was to dis
cover what commissary stores were In
Richmond and what further supplies
could be obtained
Kate Beale went to Richmond. going
through the lines without much
trouble. Her accent, which she had
acquired In the south. was distinctly
southern and a great help to her. She .
wormed herself into the confidence OF
the wife Of an important officer in the
Confederate eommissary department
and asked him II there was not some ]
plan by which she could assist south
ern sympathizers In the north In J
running eatables into the south. He
told her there were only two ways. :
BY blockade running and by getting a :
vessel to some spot Of southern terri
tory unmatched by northern troops. 4
She proposed to start an expedition Il
on the last named plan
She was taken to President Davis !
and to the commissary general She =
told them that she knew southern men !,
b Baltimore who would run supplies Z,
through II sure they would be met =,
By a southern force. After much dis !,
.ussiOn point was named where sup q
,lies might be landed o
During these discussions the SOY
earned that II Grant succeeded in
aking Petersburg. all supplies being
mt on from the south, the troops and or
'eople Of Richmond had almost no an
provisions whatever to rely upon. The 1t
must follow very soon a
Having gained the information she ga
Wished for, Miss Beale made her prep m,
ratiOns to return to Washington. n,
The day before she intended to set SD
ut she was met on the street by a no
Of the many Washington wi
outhern sympathizers-who was car tb,
ring information to Richmond and DR.,
tho had seen her not long before COM ne
g out Of Allan PinkertOn's Office. He scr
'Oked at her with a pair Of steel gray COZ
res under bushy eyebrows and with hal
more than ordinary interest She did set
1t remember ever having seen him an,
fore. but considering her mission she tina
1t sure she was In danger. sue
She pretended not to notice the or
ans interest In her. Walking on, but
ithout turning to see II he followed
r, she spied an empty cab. Beckon- p
g to the driver. be pulled up at the Of
TO. ana she entered. telling him to rigc
I've her to the presidential mansion. ger
she was driven away she saw the Of
IN still looking at her, but pretend In
: not to notice her. When she stop told
! at the presidents home and alight- Ral
the man came hurrying up. She tax,
mt in and asked for Mr.. Davis. He claii
5 busy at the time; but, having wait II
awhile to see him, she went away. to d
len she passed out Of the door the anti
n with the bushy eyebrows had dis ~
'eared- Apparently her blur game the
succeeded. Woe
ut she dare not remain fn Rich
I'D minute longer Not daring to
directly nOrthward. she concluded IN
irst go south and told the cabman you
drive her to the battlehelds that soon
been fought on by Lee and Nc aTl
Ian two years before, and, arriving have
e. she dismissed him. Tn.
firing vehicles where she could. ed.
king where she could not hire An,
n, sometimes floating in a stolen pa
on the James river, she at last won.
he'd Fortress Munroe. in posses mark
Of the Federal forces. There she when
d naval transport about to leave Buffa
he north and. reaching New York
train for Washington.
hen the name Of Kate Beale was era
o up to Mr.. Lincoln be muttered a that d
ok God" and directed that she tie? y
ID be Immediately conducted to tie 4
When she entered the room surely
e he was and he arose to greet girl "
seemed to her that his tall, Iank play v
, would never cease rising. He cago !
both her hands In his. and his ex 49,
I've eyes told her how relieved be -
% see her.
have important news for you, Mr..
In" she said, and she told him 1
she had learned
vas but a month after that that
took Petersburg and the Con
acy collapsed.