Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 27 May 1886 — A REBEL SPY’S SCHEME. [ARTICLE]

A REBEL SPY’S SCHEME.

Playing Daaf and Dumb to Trick Hl* Guards. When Gen. Early made his great raid on Washington, writes an ex-rebel to the Detroit Free Prese, I was scouting between his advance and the city, and was captured within the city limits twenty-four hours before his battleflags appeared in sight I was dressed in citizen's clothes, pretended to be deaf and dumb, and claimed to have been driven out of , Richmond because I had written threatening letters to Jefferson Davis. I had been inside the fortifications for half a day, and was slowly working out, when a couple of young men, both of whom were considerably the worse for liquor, halted me and wanted to flght. I had a pencil and a block of paper with me, and I wrote: “1 am deaf and dumb. ” That made no difference with them. Indeed, they declared that it woiild be a novel idea to lick a deaf and dumb man, and one of them gave me a cuff on the ear.

In those days I weighed 160 pounds and had the muscle of a prize-fighter. I tried to get away from them without further trouble, but when they seemed determined to have a row I gave them all they wanted, and wasn’t many minutes about it. A crowd of soldiers and civilians collected, the provost guard came up, and the result was as I had anticipated. I was arrested and carried off te a guard-house. One of the young men, who afterward turned out to be related to a member of the Cabinet, followed me to the office of the provost marshal and charged me with being a spy. No one seemed to entertain a doubt that I was deaf and dumb, as I claimed, and my examination was carried on in writing. I was asked my name, age, where born, and a hundred other questions, and then searched. They found nothing of a criminating nature, and I reasoned that I would be detained until after the excitement had passed and then turned loose. After being detained three days an officer entered my quarters one morning and said to me: “Well, dummy, you can pack up and go out.” The minute I heard his step outside I was on my guard, but he spoke in such a natural tone that I came near giving myself away. On three different occasions during the war I played the part of a deaf and dumb man, and I tell you it takes all the nerve and presence of mind a man can call up. I sat facing the door, and, while I heard his words, I made no movement. He came closer to me and said:

“Come, pack up your traps; you are to be turned loose.” I looked him straight in the eye without winking, and after a bit a look of chagrin stole over his face and he motioned for me to follow him. He took me to the provost marshal’s office, and I was ushered into the private room, where the marshal and three or four other officials were seated. On the way to the office, as we crossed a wide street, the officer suddenly exclaimed: “There’s a runaway horse—lookout!” If I hadn’t been expecting some such tiling on his part I might have betrayed myself. As I gave no sign, continuing on with my head down, I heard him growling: “They think they’ve got a sucker, but they’ll find out their mistake. ” I entered the office knowing that every trick would be resorted to to break me down, and my nerves were braced as if to charge a battery of artillery. I was left standing by the door for a moment, when one of the officers looked up quietly and said: < “Take a seat, sir, and well attend to you in a moment.” I made no move, but I looked around the room in a stupid sort of a way. I was looking out of the window on to a roof when the same officer said: “You may come forward and take this chair.” I stoqd like a stone, and he rose up, came oyer to me, and led me to a chair at the table. When I was seated one of the others remarked:

“Write your name, age, and last place of residence on a slip of paper.” That was trick number three, and it failed, as the others had done. By and by the marshal wrote on. a slip of paper: “Who are you, and where are you from ?” I wrote in reply: “I am Charles Jones, of Richmond.” “But you are a Union man,” suggested one of the officers aloud. I saw his lips move, - but he got no sign from me. The examination continued in this manner for a full hour, the men using every artifice to trap me, but they failed to score a single point. I knew they would reserve the sharpest point for the last, and was therefore nerved up for it. At length the marshal pushed back in his chair, pointed his finger at my breast and angrily exclaimed : “Where did that Confederate button come from ?” It was another failure. Then he turned to his companions and said: “Gentlemen, it’s no use. The man is certainly deaf and dumb, and a d—d fool besides. ” “We have wasted our'time,” replied a second. “He is not only what he claims to be, but may be of great service to us. Rd have the officer take him over to the Secretary of War.” “I guess I will,” said the officer, and he rang a bell, and I heard a door open. Then he turned, to me, careless as you please, and said: “Go with the officer." It was their last shot. I never moved a muscle until the officer approached and placed his hand on me. I was taken back to the guard-house and kept a prisoner for another week, and then the disgusted marshal turned me loose in the streets. —_