The World's Greatest Military Spies and Secret Service AgentsBarton, George
History
The World's Greatest Military Spies and Secret Service Agents
Barton, George
Secret service; Spies
He died at twelve o’clock that night and after the involuntary nurse
had wrapped the form of her late patient in his winding sheet she laid
down in a corner of the room and slept soundly until six o’clock in the
morning. It was a curious situation, but it did not seem to affect the
nerve of this remarkable woman. She cut a lock of hair from the head of
the dead man, took the watch and a small package of letters from his
pocket and left the house.
On examining the basket in which she had found the tea she discovered
a number of articles which assisted her in assuming a more perfect
disguise. There was mustard, pepper, an old pair of green spectacles
and a bottle of red ink. Of the mustard she made a strong plaster about
the size of a silver dollar and tied it on one side of her face until
it blistered thoroughly.
She then removed the blister and put on a large patch of black court
plaster. After giving her pale complexion a deep tinge with some ochre
which she found in a closet, she put on her green glasses and Irish
hat. She had previously made a tour of the house to find the fixings
which an Irish woman would be supposed to carry with her in such
an emergency, for she fully expected to be searched before she was
admitted through the lines.
She followed the Richmond road about five miles before meeting any one.
At length she saw a sentinel in the distance, but before he observed
her she sat down to rest and prepare her mind for the coming interview.
While thus waiting to have her courage reënforced, she took from her
basket the black pepper and sprinkled a little of it on her pocket
handkerchief, and then applied the moisture to her eyes. The effect of
it was all that could be desired, for taking a view of her face in a
small mirror which she always carried, she perceived that her eyes had
a fine tender expression which added very much to their beauty. She now
resumed her journey and displayed a flag of truce, a window curtain
which she had brought from the house where she had stopped over night.
As she came nearer, the sentinel signaled for her to advance, which she
did as fast as she could under the circumstances. He cross questioned
her at some length and then permitted her to pass along the road,
saying that she might go wherever she pleased.
After thanking the man for his kindness, she went her way toward the
Confederate camp. She had not gone far when he called her back and
advised her not to stay in the camp over night, adding:
“One of our spies has just come in and reported that the Yankees have
finished the bridges across the Chickahominy and intend to attack us
either to-day or to-night, but Jackson and Lee are ready for them. We
have masked batteries in all parts of the road. There is one over there
that’ll give them fits, if they come this way.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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