Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1916-01-21
The Shadow
Of Death
What President .lincolr,
Did While II HUNG
Over Him
BY +. A. Mitchell

BY F. A. Mitchell
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
The following narrative is given ex-
actly as it occurred with scarcely any
filling in transforming it from ordinary
parlance to the story form:
One Of the saddest features of the
war between the states was the ar
raging against one another of the diff
ferent members of the same family.
Such cases were more especially to he
found on the border line between the
United States and the ConfederacE. In
east Tennessee the prevailing senti-
ment was for the Union. Kentucky
was about equally divided. Maryland
was in favor of the Confederacy. All
these states, however, We're held for
the Union by being occupied by Fed
eral troops in the early part of the
war. In Missouri, whic.a was geo.
graphically northern state. the insti-
tuition of slavery had been planted, and
both Confederates and Federaas waged
war for it's possession, the latter gain
ing the day during the early part OF
the war.
For years the anuttelings of the strife
land, and for months those who were
farseeing began to fear that it was
about to break forth. Tnen came the
day of firing on Fort Sumter. land the
people began to range themselves on
the side with which they :sympathized.
One day two brothers. A1lmon and
George Vaughan. babe each. other good
by in the town of Canton. Mo. ALL
mons syma'athies were with 1.-THE north
in the struggle about to take place.
while Georges We're with ;the>south.
Il am sorry. George" said Allmon,
that yon are determined ito take the
Confederate side in this contest, but l
grant t2at you .ane honest lin. your con-
victions. You are ito be lin the Confed-
crate army; shall fight with the Fed
erals. l hope that we shall never meet
on the field of stattle.''
And l regret, >Allmon, that you will
not be convinced of the wrong the
northern people are doing the south
and that you will not join me in de-
Tending her. However. since can't
convince you we must part
"Goodby, George. j :hope that we
will both come out >0f the struggle
alive and shaE meet, again here at our
home, but something tells me that the
war will be a long one;and before that
can he we shall both ube exposed to
terrible dangers
Little did either of the brothers
:foresee the great danger that would
IbefRl one of them and the efforts to
he made by Ahe other to save him
from a fate vmorge than death on the
battlefield or under the surgeons
knife. George Vaughan made his way
ITO the south. while Allmon was given
"a position on the staff of General
Mark Il. Green, an Old friend of the
Vaughan family.
About a yeac' latter the parting of
the brothers George Vaughan de
termined to pay a visit to his home in
Canton. Being "a Confederate soldier,
this could only DIE done secretly
Disgusting himself, he passed the
Union lines and reached Canton with
out his identity being discovered. He
was received with Joy, mingled with
fear and trembling, by the members
of his family. To Mrs. General Green.
on whose husbands staff his brother
A1lmon was serving, .herbore messages
from friends in the Confederacy.
Quite likely the lady was southern
fhi0nr thu
in the border states Were on the south
err side. even the wives of Union Off
GERS not .cencea1ing their,preference.
When George Vaughan returned
from his visit he WAS recognized by
one who had known him before the
breaking out of the WAL. and since he
was known to have game south to en-
list in the Confederate army, and
caught within the Unicn lines in dis
guise he was arrested and lodged in
Jail at Palmyra.
The record does not state that the
prisoner was bearing inflammation con-
corning the Union forces sor plans to
the southern leaders, but it is prob
able that he was. Having brought
messages to Mrs. Green, 1T is quite
likely that he took messages from
her and perhaps to friends in the
Confederacy, and it is not unlikely
chat there were written messages con-
tanning the contraband information.
George Vaughan was transferred
from Palmyra to st. Louis. where a
charge of being spy was preferred
against him, and :: court was eeaiven-
ed to try him. His defense WAS that
he had gone to his home for no other
purpose than to visit his family.
Whether or no he was bearing infor-
nation to the Confederates. having
been caught within the Federal lines IA
citizens dress was sufficient to convict