The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1915-10-29
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A WAR STORY
By Savoyard.


| Wllldru t1OCel curing Inc TeCeHt HlaHu
Army encampment at the National
Capital and related to them the curl
GUS experience of certain Kentuck-
ian during the big war of 1876, one
of their comrades. All agreed that it
was, perhaps, as singular an adven-
ture as even that war produced, and |
was requested to "put it in the pa
pers." So here goes.
Some time in 1862 two Of Morgan's
men, young fellows CARRIED in plain
clothes, went into Glasgow, KY, to see
their sweethearts. One was Jim Bates,
a native of Glasgow, and the other
was Jim Hines, of Bowling Green.
Each was about twenty-years of age.
There was a Federal garrison at Glas-
gov, an Indiana command, and Bates
and Hines made a drawing of their
camp. 1t was county court" day, and
considerable crowd was in town.
About noon a squad of soldiers ap-
peared in the court house grove, where
the master in chancery was selling
some real estate, and arrested the two
rebels. Hines slipped teh drawing
he had made into the coat pocket of
country fellow who was standing by
and he, too, was arrested, the soldiers
being fresh from Hoosierdom and not
being personally acquainted with any,
body in those rebellious parts.
The countryman was Nathon Stink
ner-real name Schlenker, which had
been corrupted or Anglicized into
Slinkner. 1t was numerous family
in that locality, and every one bitter
| ly anti-slavery and strong for the
Union. This young Slinksr was ex-
ceedingly taciturn, phlegmatic, slug
gish, thought he was far from being
fool. He could have cleared him
self of the charge, but desired to see
Louisville, where he had never been,
and here was cheap way to travel,
and so he was hustled off to Louisville
as a rebel spy with the other two.
Thomas L. Bramlette, Federal SOL
der and the leader of the Union par
ty in Kentucky, was friend of the
families of Hines and Bates and repre-
scented to President Lincoln that it
these two boys were executed as spies
lit would mean at least two additional
regiments from Kentucky for the Con.
lfederate army and thus the charge Of
spy was withdrawn and the boys sent
to Camp Morton at Indianapolis,
where they were held as ordinary prls-
oners of war. In spirit of mischief
Hines and Bates told their captors
that Slinker, whom neither of them
had ever seen before, was the most
reliable and valuable spy Morgan had,
and thus Slinker was taken along,
too, and incarcerated, though he pro-
Tested his innocence and his devotion
to the Union.
A few days later plans were COM
pleted by the prisoners for the escape
of one of their officers, and to facili-
tate it the officer exchanged sleeping
hunks with Slinker. 1t was success
full, and then the prison officials were
convinced that Slinker was in the plot
and about as dangerous rebel as
tley had on their hands. Hines and
Bates sought to present the true case
to the authorities, who would hear
none of it, but treated Slinker with
exceptional rigor.
A few months later there was an
exchange of prisoners and all there,
Hines, Bates and Slinker, were sent
under cartel to Vicksburg. But
the Confederates would have none of
Slinker and refused to exchange a
Yankee for him. The Federal author
tiles suspected trick, and imagined
that Slinker, in the opinion of the
rebels, could render better service in
prison than out. So he was carried
back to indianapolis and again incar-
cerated. Later he was sent on a
cartel of exchange to Old Point Com
fort, Va; but there again the Confed-
crates ignored him and would have
none of him. Thus again he was a
prisoner at Camp Morton. All the
time he protested his loyalty and his
abolitionism but it fell on deaf ears
Months later he was sent to John
son Island, where there was camp
established in retaliation" for alleg.
ed cruelty to Yankee prisoners at the
South. He suffered severely and re.
lated his story to captain in the ar.
nv stationed there, who gave it cred.
ence and advised that he volunteer ii
the Union army. He agreed if he was
allowed to join Kentucky regiment
and thus he became member of the
Thirty-seventh Kentucky Fedora
Mounted Infantry, scurrillously called
the "Tater Diggers."
He remained with the command til
the close of the war and when dis
charged went back to his old home
telling the folks that he had beer
visiting his kindred in Missouri.
Now for the strangest part. Many
: years after the war was trying t
practice law at Edmonton, Metcalf'
county, KY, and two eX-Confederatc
+ soldiers, Morgan's men, were visitors
to the town trying to sell paten
churn. They were sitting in my of
flee, a county court day, when Slinke
passed the door. One of the churl
men said:
, 81 know that fellow. l was in {
| Yankee prison with him."
/ "The devil you we're" / exclaimed
! "That fellow was an abolitionist be
{ fore and is now the blacklist Republi
: can in the Union"
l 81 was in prison with him all right,
, responded my visitor, land his name i
l Slinker."
: 81 rushed to the door and Gale,