Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-03-01

Young and very beautiful. and when she
went to the hospital she took five serv
in Memphis and they helped Loyalty witt
the hospital work: ere long Mrs. Newsom
decided that she would go where the need
was great and there were fewer to help,
The southern army. fighting. began to
fall back from the middle west, and Mr..
Newsom. taking her sick and wounded.
returned to Nashville. Scarcely had she
begun her work there when she was told
that she must retreat
She demurred. There were soldiers too
Ill to be removed. and Mrs. Newsom did
not want to leave them. The general told
filled with Federal troops in a few hours
and she would be taken prisoner. and
that the army could not spare her Then
a woman standing near. who had been
SON." she said. 81 am Union woman.
didn't want you to find IL out II there
is any one you want especially taken care
of. leave him in my care. I'll look after
him."
''oh. it's all OF themr exclaimed Mrs
Then Til take care Of them ALL said
the Union friend.
Then l promise you said Mrs. New
som, that wherever I find Federal SOL
dier in need of help III give him OF my
best because of what you DO LOT M
boys
And 50 they shook hands upon it. and
Mrs Newsom with three trainloads OF
soldiers left for winchester.
They were three days going about THIRTY
miles. Then they stopped. The pnIcers
told Mrs Newsom that the engines had
been cut loose from the trains and take.
away. They were at an old depot rev
miles south of Winchester and IL wa :
dead of night.
II know this place." said Mrs. Newsor.
and II you can find a lantern can mo
ru-tf1 ar
US into Winchester" And she did. too
- fs. =.
Soon came the battle OF Corinth. and
both Confederate and Federal victims
were brought into Mrs. Newsom's i'm
provtsed hospitals. Hearing of the great
need, a band of thirty women came W.
from Mobile to join Mrs. Newsom. Among
them was Miss Kate Cumming, who re-
NAMED with her until the end of the war
Miss Cumming has since written oooh
in which she describes Mrs. Newsom al
the Florence Nightingale of the southern
army-the soldiers loved her SO.
She followed to Shiloh and wherevs.
the battle ragged. takins little rest. ofte!.
she didn't undress for week. sleeping
only a few minutes at time as she was
overcome by exhaustion. She was Ell
route to North Carolina to JON Gen
Johnston when news was brought OF Gen
T,ee,s surrender. Her health wa gone.
her wealth was gone, and. lacking 1000
she got back to Atlanta. There sne nelpeu
other women make doughnuts ana gihsei-
bread. which she sold to the Union troops
There had been no money among the
southerners for months but the Confeoef-
ate money, ano that now was useless.
After the war Mrs. Newsom was mar
ried again and was seG SS ui dsI,c ae
child and nothing as means OF support
Through the influence OF a United states
senator from Tennessee she was gwen
government position. she o1ten mas "
he absent from her work Tor "eehs a.
a time. without pay: but at the age o.
seventv-three, and feeble. she has "
work for her living. 49,.
An extract from letter Written JUST
after the burning Of one of the southern
towns reads: "F'loride and her baby are
dead. after forty eight hours. II she
could have slept she might have lived.
hut the town has been burning Tor sew
eral days and the lear ANU eAei'e'AeN'
have killed her."
A Magdalene in Richmond-an outcasi
of outcasts, a woman living with :
gambler-carried help to Gen. and Mrs Z
Ricketts, when they were prisoners tnere
When she was forbidden the hospitals
and prisons she begged, and finally OBJ.
tanned permission to carry a basket OF
food once week.
The coionei's lady and Judy o'Grady are sisters
under the skin
The Union never had stancher
friend than Miss Van Lew, virginia..
who loved Virginia well, but her country
more. Brought up a girl In a fine; Old
mansion on Church Hill. Richmond. be-
fore the war, she was one OF the bellies
Of the south. and her great white-pillar-
ed home browning the hill a resort for
the mest distinguished society Of the
Old Dominion. But as young girl she
had been sent to school In Philadelphia
and there determined to devote her life
to the Union II secession came. And
when the guns of Sumter roared she TOOK
her stand under the Stars and Stripes.
All about her were lifetime friends
who looked upon her course as one OF
madness. and as her sentiments became
known and as the fight grew hotter, she
was Stunned as an outcast. Alone with
a few Of her family she remained under
the stars and bars. but she was an enemy
within the Confederate camp, foe 10
her old playmates and unnoticed by her
to her and as time went on she became
known as the spy" and was hooted
at when she appeared in public.
The people of Richmond knew that she
was sending out information to the Union
officers; they knew that she was watchins
every movement of their troops and for
warding 1t to the Federals. But so clever
ly was her work accomplished. that II
was almost impossible to eaten hcf III
the act.
BY her own work she established five
secret stations by which news could
be forwarded TO the Union authorities
Men from the Federal regiments
would manage to creep into Richmond
and hide in her house. They would BE-
fed and then return with the informa.
ton which this woman had MANAGED
to ferret out about the plans OF the
rebel generals If there were no-I ni0H
soldiers to be found she would Senu +.
out her faithful colofed man. who
would get through the lines and Sc
liver the news -
- : -. ~ g,
Just below her magnificent, home
were the frowning walls of Libby
prison, and not far off was the Tim
island in the James river known as
Belle Isle. Prisoners from theseiplaces
who escaped sought refuge in her
home and, there concealed, they re
manned till il was safe to flee at night
back to the army. Food, clothing, medi-
cal needs all were procured by her
money, which began rapidly to dwindle
before the enormous demands OF her
patriotism.
By a bold scheme she managed to
spy upon the president of the Con
federacy. jeff Davis himself. This she
did by means of a negro girl whom
she had sent north and educated. then
returned to Richmond to aid in carry