Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-10-18
The Daily Story
IN THE ENEMYs UNIFORMLY THOMAS R. DEA
c.pyrightsd. Rur


reply. and likely bent on pillaging OF
some other reprehensible conduct.
consider it my duty to send you back
TO your command"
Our hearts sank within us. Wher
returned to the regiment to which we
claimed to belong we would be proved
impostors and our real identity would
come out. The officer had but a doz.
en- men in his escort, but needed nc
large force to send with us, for any
resistance would be mutiny. and mu.
tiny is punishable with death. He de
tailed a corporal and four men to see &
that we returned to our command and
rode on.
Had we not been in the enemy's lines
with halter hanging over us the stu.
alton would have been laughable. Five
unsuspecting Confederates were in.
trusted with guarding dozen daring
men who would rather die by bullet
than rope. said nothing to my men
nor they to me. We rode meekly be
tween the corporal and two of h:= cae3
in front of us and two bringing up the
rear. But by a look l signed to my
subordinates TO remain submissive till
should assume the initiative.
1t behooved me to make a break fol-
life before being returned TO our sup.
posed command. kept my eyes open
and presently saw large field of tents
a short distance ahead. On leaving
our guards we must go through a corn.
field to a wood on the other side of the
field. / did not long delay action. for
| saw a troop OF cavalry coming on
the road before us.
Corporal" said, we're bearing i'm
portant dispatches from the command
er in chief and don't propose to be In
terrupted. We're going to leave you,
and you may as well let us go. for il
you fire on us we shall return your
fire."
With that put spurs to my horse,
calling on my men to follow me. The
corporal and his men were so surpris-
ed that they stood paralyzed till we
had got several hundred feet away,
then gave chase, firing over our heads
as they came AS bad luck would
have it, the horse of Bob Robbins, one
ing his rider over his head. l turned
and rode back to him, but too late.
The troopers were on him. and my 9th.
er men had got so far away that If
attempted to save Robbins l would be
captured myself. So l fed.
As for the Eve Confederates, we saw
nothing more of them. We had seen
all of the enemy we cared to see and
were eager to get back to camp. But
every way we turned we encountered
| the enemy. and, since we were now
outlawed, we dare not meet them. We
hid in a thick wood during the after
noon, hoping to make our way to our
own lines under cover of the night.
We lighted bivouac fire and lay
down. So long as we could pass for
| Confederates we were in no danger.
but our narrow escape from detection
: had got on our nerves. None OF us
slept since we expected to move at
| dawn.
About midnight we heard a move
| ment in the underbruSh. and suddenly
out of the darkness came Robbins. He
had been taken TO the provost marshal
! and questioned till he was so wound
up that he broke down and confessed
himself to be Yankee soldier. He
was sent under guard after dark to
general headquarters and on the way
broke from those In charge of him. In
| the darkness he had gained the wood
| we were In and came upon us acct
dentally.
His coming brought new danger,
| for he had confessed himself spy
and would incriminate US However.
as soon as ii was dawn we mounted
our horses. one of the men taking Rob-
| bins up behind him. and started to
| make our way back to our lines. We
were not far from them. but were
obliged to go a very roundabout way.
During our travels we suddenly de-
serted a body OF Confederate cavalry
about our own strength riding to-
ward us.
Again the halter frightened about
our necks. and we prepared to fight
desperately for our lives. The com
mander. a young second lieutenant.
rode up to us. and saw at once that
he had not met us before.
"a spy has escaped. and we are
looking for him. Have you seen any
thing Of him?"
was about TO reply in the negative
when I noticed him looking steadily
at Robbins. changed my tactics.
"seen hlmr' ! exclaimed. We've
got him.
Good
Were taking him TO our general"
'T'll relieve you and take him to
NINE
mo. you won't. We made the cap
ture and propose to get the credit of
f. Forward
We rode on. leaving the young off,
Ger gaping at Us. Presently. turning. !
saw him riding In another direction.
We got safely back to camp and gave
the general the result of our reconnois.
sance.
"Your Confederate uniform" he said,
was an element OF strength and at the
same time an element OF weakness"