Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-07-22
BOYS WHO WE'RE
SCOUTS IN WAR
Lads Under 1S Years of Age
Weren't Turned Down by
the Army in the
Sixties

| IL ing story of Kipling's about the two
| little drummer boys who charged an
army-it was said to have been taken
| from a real incident Of British campaigns.
A British regiment had been driven back
by the fire of Indian mutineers. The lads
saw their chance to retrieve the day.
They must convince the enemy that
their regiment was returning to the at
/ tack. How to do this, save by drum
ming the charge? And so these young.
sters in their early teens advanced, beat
ing the charge, whereat the enemy was
disconnected, the British rushed after
the boy heroes, whose bodies riddled.
were found with their broken drums
after the victory they had won.
Just now the authorities are highly
technical about the age of enlistment. A
Philadelphia boy who was found to be
not quite the minimum age-1s-has
just been discharged from a regiment at
the border. All this legality would be
blown to the winds the moment real war
was declared, as was shown in the time
Of the Civil War. More than 100000 Of
the Federal enlstments then were by
lads not yet 21. There were thousands Of
the ranks Of the North. OF these there
was none who had record for daring
like that Of Charles II. Phillips, aged ID,
who for four years was a Federal spy
in Richmond. His father had been sent
to the city to handle some presses for
the Richmond Dispatch and had been
caught by the war. He was soon in touch
with Federal spies and used the lad to
carry messages. Don't ask questions,
Don't answer any," He showed his good
sense the first time he was sent. Where
did you get this note?" asked spy. "I
don't know" Where did you leave the
man who gave 1t to your" II don't
know" You'll do" said the man. Later
his teachers used anger, wheedling-all
sorts Of tricks to trip him up-but al-
ways his II don't know" was ready, and
at last they were satisfied that he was
reliable.
He was given newspapers to sell He
soon learned that his bundle Of papers
was passport by which he entered
prisons and crossed picket lines com.
modify that made him welcome in camp
and arsenal, in rifle pit and department
office. The dispatches he carried were
written on narrow strips of thin paper
and rolled into little wads, which Charlie
had sewed In an inner seam of his trou-
sers He got invaluable information at
Lynchburg, selling papers in the arsenal.
"Gee!" said the lad, "ain't ye got lot
of cannons here!" A Confederate work.
man looked up proudly. never dreaming
that the ragged boy was one end of a
nf cpia fhot
Grants tent. "Aint them the guns,
though, boy? Won't they just blow the
Yanks to hell? Forty of these here six.
inchers." The boy would remember. An
other workman would drop a remark:
so many tons of powder in the town.
More to remember. He had pallid skin
and seemed very young and innocent.
After his hazardous trips out of Rich
mond he would have good excuse
when he got back among the rebel
newsies. "Oh, been SICK" he would say,
and his looks did not belle him. He
played sick for four years Sometimes
his mother would bend over him after
some unusually perilous errand and mur-
mur softly, BE careful, Charlie very
careful"
Once he fell among double traitors"
4 captain and woman who were playing
fast and loose with the Union. He car.
'ied their messages, but let his own
spies copy them on the way. The cap
tain at last caught on. He drew his
revolver. The boy was quicker with Q
stone and laid the captain low. Then the
ad took his uncensored story to the girl
Served him right" she said. II can get
mother captain" What her game was
Charlie never knew. She may have been
/ triple traitor" double-crossing the spies
n gray uniforms and intricately loyal
o the Union after all. Years later, when
Phillips was a policeman in New York.
ie met her and laughed over old times.
She remembered how the ragged news
10Y had caused the arrest of herself and
# her wounded captain. Once he hung
n the boughs of a tree to see a spy
hanged. Once he saw a man rifing the
pockets OF the dead on battlefield and
Iilled him with a rusty musket aimed
t the mans head, while the robber was
triking at him with a sabre.
There was thrilling trip to see Grant.
Ie had message in his trouser seam. He
assed with his passport-5his newspapers
Ito the outermost Confederate picket
Inc. Mister" he said, with his broadest
southern drawl, 'let me go and sell
apers to the Yanks yonder." Bring us
ack some Yank papers and y can CO.,
hey bargalned. But within the Union
ines something went wrong. He was ar
ested. He played baby" whined and
egged. but they would not let him CO.
Ie demanded TO be taken to Grant. and
howed such determination that at last
hey took him. Charlie stood barefooted,
oatless. before him. I'D like to see you
lone for minute. General" said the
oy. "Retire, gentlemen" said Grant.
nd the officers withdrew Then the lad
ore open the seam and produced his tat.
sred message. Grant read it. impassive.
2, Where did you get this?' How are
ou going back?" He stood at the door
the tent. cigar in mouth, and looked
oVyn with a nafernal emilia andsa x.tora