The Press., 1912-03-20
Honest
Abe
How President Lincoln
Rewarded a Girl For
Union Service
BY Captain r. A. Mitchell

nance that has ever been accorded to
American authors.
If any one of these romantic Incl.
dents that occurred during the war be-
tween the states may be selected as
standing out with especial prominence
1t Is the making of the tunnel by Fed
eral soldiers at the old tobacco ware,
house in Richmond. Va, that had been
turned into Libby prison. The story
Of how these men, beginning in an old
fireplace in the cellar, little by little
scooped the earth away, forming a tun-
mel Just large enough to admit of a
mans body passing through it and
leading out to a point beyond the wall.
then escaped in a body, has been told
again and again. The story am about
to tell is connected with that escape.
feel bound to state, however, that.
since the heroine was a real woman
and 1 shall use her real name, only the
main features are given as they actual
ly occurred. In other words, they are
fiction founded on fact. But Mr.. Lin
coins connection with the story shall
give in the words of the assistant of
Edwin NJ. Stanton, secretary of war.
as he told it at a dinner a number of
years ago.
One morning three men in blue uni
forms that had faded through exposure
into a sort of green. whose trousers
were in rags and the soles of whose
shoes tapped every time they stepped,
approached a house a short distance
| % ~
river. They stood in a wood. where
they were partly concealed. looking
wistfully at the house. They were hun
cry almost to starvation. They had
recently escaped from Libby prison
and had lain in hiding for fear of
recapture, with nothing to eat except
a little corn pOne furnished them by a
negro.
81 wonder If we'd better risk it.
boys?' said one of the three.
IF you do" said another. "we'l go
back to that horrid pen. and that
means death to me. I'll be carried out
with the regular load of dead"
AT that moment there was clatter
Of hoofs of many horses, and the trio
retired from the edge of the wood. A
company of Confederate cavalry passed
oyer the road not a hundred yards
from where they had been standing
and refined up in front of the house
they had been looking at. The COM
handing officer dismounted and went
In, while the men waited outside on
their horses. Presently he reappeared,
followed by a woman. They were
4 knIlv
wood could not hear what they were
saying. Then the Confederates moved
/ on.
''I wonder If they're looking for u.s."
said Captain Porter. one of the fugi-
tives.
doubt it." replied Lieutenant Dob
son. eff they had been they'd have
sent few men through the woods"
But didn't you see their captain
post men around the house when they
rode up to it," said Sergeant Sweitzer
TITS my opinion they were thinking
we might be there"
'Then why didn't they search the
premises?' asked Porter.
Meanwhile the sound of the horses
hoofs had died away. A girls head
was thrust out of q window of a loft
In the barn. She looked up the road
In the direction of the retreating horse
men and listened. Then the head was
withdrawn. and the girl, perhaps twen-
ty years old, emerged from a lower
door and went to the house.
That's the party they were looking
for" said Dobson.
| "a giriY' exclaimed the other.
| Eyes. a girl. And she must be a
Union girl They're Union people In
there for sure. Come on. boys. I'll
risk it."
You'd better go and reconnoiter. If
the coast Is clear you can call u.s."
Captain Porter evidently upon con-
| sideration concluded to move cautious
ly. Some of the Confederates might
come back. So skulking behind trees.
running along beside fences, he finally
made rear door and knocked The
woman who had talked with the Con-
federate leader came to the door and,
seeing a wretched specimen of human
ity In a faded blue uniform, said,
Come In here quick" Porter went
In, and she shut the door. In a few
words he told how he and his compan-
ions had escaped from Libby prison
and how the others were skuIking in
the woods near by. The woman told
him they had nothing to fear from her
and babe him beckon his companions
to come to the house. He did so, and
within a few minutes the three men
had found temporary abode.
The first matter Of moment was the
satisfaction of hunger. There was not
mnch tn eat I'm tho bo..oA hI1+ aIloh -.
It was they were made welcome to it.
While they were eating their hostess
went upstairs. and they heard low
voices. Presently she came down, and
with her was the girl they had seen in
the barn.
This young lady," said the woman.
'-is Miss Green. She acted with some
Of the men who have escaped with
you from Libby prison. and the Con-
fedeTStes are hunting her. A CON-
pany Of them stopped here a spell
ago, looking for her. pretended to be
a Confederate and told them she had
passed up the road not half an hour
before toward her home. They didn't
stop to look for here here, but went
right on, expecting to get her."
Captain Porter told Miss Green the
story Of his and his companions es-
cape from Libby. intimating that get
ting out Of the prison was easier than
making journey to Union territory.
They could never In the world find
their way through the wilderness that
lay between them and the northern
states.
Miss Green offered to pilot them.
They discussed several routes Of trav-
Ell, one being to go down the James
river to Fortress Monroe, held by the
Federal army; another to travel by