New-York tribune., 1918-06-30

beast" Watching an opportunity
when no one was in sight, led Jesse
into this safe retreat. Slipping off
saddle and bride. and hiding them
away, I tied my good friend by a
long rein to an overhanging branch,
poured the oats upon the ground and
bade him really "affectionate fare
WE'LL"
Before I crept out of my hiding
place dozen men, led by my quon-
dam friends, came galloping by.
The hiding away of that horse was
fortunate for me, for it evidently
put my pursuers completely off tn '
scent. / crawled over to the rail-
road and started on my long tramp
up the track for our lines about
Washington. l frequently lay for
several minutes fiat in the weeds
and grass, cruelty tormented by
swarms Of insects, while parties
passed within sight. 1t took me
over an hour to get around War
renton Junction, where, as at Rap
pahannock Station, scores of peo-
pie were gathered picking up and
packing off the debris of the de-
serted Union camps.
Then came great surprise.
fastening through cut and
around curve in the road, I en-
countered an armed man. My first
impression was that he was one of
Mosby's guerillas, disguised, as
they frequently were, in the uni
form Of the patriot troops; but his
voice, as he ordered me to halt,
gave me assurance, for in all my
intercourse with Confederates I
had never heard the Irish brogue
from the lips of disloyal person.
He proved to be a private of one of
our Irish regiments Il think tthe
69th New York;. They had been
here all winter, believe, as guard
of the bridge across Cedar Greek,
and, by some mistake, had received
no orders to break camp and join
in the general advance.
Caught at Last
At Manassas Junction
At Manassas junction l got
caught at last. Here was regu-
larly organized Confederate cav
airy camp-really an outpost to
protect all the country from the
Bull Run to the Rapidan, recently
abandoned by our troops, from in
cursion by the forces about the capi-
tai. AS I approached the place so
much vigilance was manifest that l
abandoned the idea Of creeping past,
deeming it safer to walk boldly into
the camp. l told my story, with the
purpose of pressing right forward
on my mission, but the major in
command was absent and the lieu
tenant in temporary charge did not
feel justified in letting me go on.
Here 1 waited three or four hours,
getting more impatient as the time
went by, and more uneasy, lest some
one might come in from below with
a description Of a certain fugitive in
whom | had vital interest. At last
dusk came on and then I did a very
ungentlemanly thing. Without any
expression Of thanks to these ex-
tremely attentive people, or any po-
lite message for the gallant major,
at whose headquarters / had been
entertained with such steadfast and
scrupulous solicitude, I crawled out
between the guards and broke away
up the track for the Bull Run River,
six miles distant. Reaching there,
as l came across the trestle, Union |
picket took me in and sent me to the
post headquarters, at Union Mills,
near by. The officer in command,
kind, well-bred Frenchman, remem-
bered me as having visited the post
from Washington few weeks pre-
vious. And here, at last, safe within
our lines, my story of adventures
might end, except that here, at last
also, difficulties less exciting but, if |
possible, more formidable, and GER
tainly much more annoying, were
awaiting me.
l found that was the first news
paper man-indeed, the only man
from the front-to cross Bull Run |
River. This made my news doubly
valuable. The nearest public tele-
graph station was at Alexandria, |