Between the Lines: Secret Service Stories Told Fifty Years After

Part 1

+--------------------------------------------------------+ | Transcriber's Note: | | | | Inconsistent hyphenation in the original document has | | been preserved. | | | | Obvious typographical errors have been corrected. For | | a complete list, please see the end of this document. | | | | A list of illustrations is provided for the reader's | | benefit. | | | +--------------------------------------------------------+

BETWEEN THE LINES

Secret Service Stories Told Fifty Years After

BVT. MAJOR H. B. SMITH

Chief of Detectives and Assistant Provost Marshal General with Major General Lew Wallace Civil War

Booz Brothers 114 West Fifty-Third Street New York

Copyright, 1911, by Henry Bascom Smith

Press of J. J. Little & Ives Co. New York

DEDICATED TO SAMUEL GRAHAM BOOZ

TO WHOSE PERSISTENCY IN THUMPING OUT ON HIS TYPEWRITER THE WORDS HEREIN HAS RENDERED IT POSSIBLE FOR ME TO INFLICT MY FIFTY-YEAR-OLD STORIES ON MY FRIENDS

CONTENTS PAGE

APOLOGY 17

FILE I

The Harry Gilmor Sword--General Wallace's Comments 21

FILE II

1861-1862 New York Harbor--Fort Schuyler--Fort Marshal--Aunt Mag 25

FILE III

1862-1863 Fort McHenry--General Morris--Colonel Peter A. Porter-- Harper's Ferry--Halltown--Trip to Johnson's Island--Lieutenant-General Pemberton and other Confederate Officers--Ohio Copperheads--Incident of York, Pa., Copperheads--Dramatic incident on July 4th, 1863, at Fort McHenry 30

FILE IV

A taste of the Draft Riots, July 13th, 1863, when conveying wounded Confederates from Gettysburg to David's Island, New York Harbor-- Governor Seymour's questionable conduct--A mysterious Mr. Andrews of Virginia--"Knights of the Golden Circle"--"Sons of Liberty" and a North Western Confederacy--Uncle Burdette--The Laurel incident 37

FILE V

Appointed Assistant Provost Marshal at Fort McHenry, where I began my first experience in detective work--Somewhat a history of my early life--Ordered to execute Gordon by shooting 50

FILE VI

Detective work required an extension of territory--A flattering endorsement by Colonel Porter--Introducing Christian Emmerich and incidentally Charles E. Langley, a noted Confederate spy 57

FILE VII

Investigator's education--I branded E. W. Andrews, adjutant-general to General Morris, a traitor to the Colors 63

FILE VIII

Initial trip down Chesapeake Bay after blockade runners and contraband dealers and goods, incidentally introducing Terrence R. Quinn, George G. Nellis and E. W. Andrews, Jr.--A description of a storm on the Chesapeake 66

Part 2

FILE IX

General Wallace assumes command of the Middle Department--General Schenck's comments on Maryland--Colonel Woolley 79

FILE X

Here begins my service as an Assistant Provost Marshal of the Department and Chief of the Secret Service--Confederate General Winder's detectives--E. H. Smith, special officer, War Department --Mrs. Mary E. Sawyer, Confederate mail carrier--W. V. Kremer's report on the "Disloyals" north of Baltimore 83

FILE XI

Mrs. Key Howard, a lineal descendant of the author of "The Star Spangled Banner," forgetting her honor, prepared to carry a Confederate mail to "Dixie"--Miss Martha Dungan--Trip on the steam tug "Ella"--Schooner "W. H. Travers" and cargo captured--James A. Winn, a spy--Trip to Frederick, Maryland 92

FILE XII

F. M. Ellis, Chief Detective U. S. Sanitary Commission--Arrest of W. W. Shore, of the New York "World"--John Gillock from Richmond 100

FILE XIII

Ordered to seize all copies of the New York "World," bringing in one of the great war episodes, the Bogus Presidential Proclamation-- Governor Seymour's queer vigor appears 103

FILE XIV

Arrest of F. W. Farlin and A. H. Covert--The Pulpit not loyal, reports on Rev. Mr. Harrison and Rev. Mr. Poisal--Comical reports on a religious conference and a camp meeting--Seizure of Kelly & Piet store with its contraband kindergarten contents--Sloop "R. B. Tennis" one of my fleet, and an account of a capture of tobacco, etc.--Arrest of Frederick Smith, Powell Harrison and Robert Alexander--Harry Brogden 109

FILE XV

General pass for Schooner "W. H. Travers"--Trip down the Bay after blockade runners and mail carriers--Gillock and Lewis, two of my officers captured by Union pickets--Commodore Foxhall A. Parker-- Potomac flotilla--Arrest of J. B. McWilliams--My watch gone to the mermaids--The ignorance of "poor white trash" 121

FILE XVI

Captain Bailey makes a capture--Sinclair introduces me (as Shaffer) to Mr. Pyle 132

FILE XVII

A Confederate letter 136

FILE XVIII

Confederate army invades Maryland in 1864--General Wallace's masterly defence of Washington--Trip outside our pickets--Confederate General Bradley Johnson and Colonel Harry Gilmor--The Ishmael Day episode-- Uncle Zoe--Arrest of Judge Richard Grason--Report on certain "Disloyals" 138

FILE XIX

Trip to New York regarding one Thomas H. Gordon 149

FILE XX

Thomas Bennett, a U. S. mail carrier, disloyal--Samuel Miles, a prominent Baltimore merchant, a blockade runner--A laughable letter about an overdraft of whiskey--Dr. E. Powell, of Richmond 151

FILE XXI

Terrence R. Quinn 155

FILE XXII

The Great Fraud attempted in the Presidential Election of 1864, wherein the misplacing of a single letter led to its detection and may be said to have saved our Nation from disruption--Involving Governor Seymour and Adjutant General Andrews--Arrest of Ferry, Donohue and Newcomb, one of the most successful kidnappings on record 159

Part 3

FILE XXIII

John Deegan, a forger, captured--A report that led to a historic raid by Colonel Baker on the Bounty Jumpers and Bounty Brokers of New York 175

FILE XXIV

General Wallace's letter to Secretary of War, Charles A. Dana (afterwards editor of the New York "Sun") asking for an extension of territory for my work, incidentally introducing Colonel John S. Mosby, giving a list of his men and their home addresses--A train robbery, paymasters robbed--I recapture part of the money--Commissions in promotion declined 184

FILE XXV

Capture of Confederate bonds and scrip--Arrest of Pittman, Brewer and Fowler; Lieut. Smith, alias I. K. Shaffer, alias George Comings, led them, victims, into a maze, to their undoing 193

FILE XXVI

Arrest of T. A. Menzier and exposé of a prominent railroad official --Arrest of Barton R. Zantzinger, involving Milnor Jones--Arrest of John Henry Skinner Quinn, alias J. Y. Plater, alias Simpson, a spy-- Arrest of E. R. Rich, a spy 200

FILE XXVII

Statement of Illinois Crothers, giving valuable and reliable information, implicating Mr. William Mitchell and a Mrs. Keenan of Winchester, Virginia--Report on Daniel W. Jones, and Joseph Bratton --Am given unlimited access to prisoners in Baltimore City jail 205

FILE XXVIII

Statements of Jeremiah Artis, a real deserter from the Confederates --William J. Bradley, an honest refugee--Charles E. Langley, an official Confederate spy--Langley personating a correspondent of the "New York Tribune," was a most successful and dangerous spy 210

FILE XXIX

Patrick Scally, an honest deserter from the Confederate service--A sketch of the defences of Richmond 222

FILE XXX

Confederate Colonel Harry Gilmor, the raider, telling how he did not "come back" as a conquering hero; of the sword he never received; of his capture, etc.--The arrest and conviction of the fair donor 227

FILE XXXI

Steam tug "Grace Titus"--Statement of George Carlton, containing valuable confirmatory information 236

FILE XXXII

The pungy "Trifle" (one of the captures)--Colonel McPhail---Major Blumenburg and his corrupted office--"Boney" Lee, Bob Miller, and other thugs 243

FILE XXXIII

Statement of James Briers, Bollman, McGuarty and Welsh--United States marine corps 246

FILE XXXIV

General W. W. Morris in command in General Wallace's absence--General Sheridan's order to arrest E. W. Andrews, formerly adjutant general to General Morris 250

FILE XXXV

Ordered to New York--Interviewed Secretary of War Stanton relative to an independent command and extension of our territory--Major Wiegel's weakness exposed 252

FILE XXXVI

Paine, who was afterwards one of the conspirators in the assassinators' plot, in my custody--Miss Branson appeared to plead for him--Paine released on parole, lacking evidence to prove him a spy 255

Part 4

FILE XXXVII

Missionary E. Martin, an agent of the Confederate Treasury Department, arrested, his big tobacco smuggling scheme exposed--Kidnapped him from General Dix's department--Manahan involved 259

FILE XXXVIII

Secretary of War consulted about the extension of our territory to include the district between the Rappahannock and the Potomac Rivers --Robert Loudan, alias Charles Veal, a boat-burner and spy--A kidnapped colored boy 271

FILE XXXIX

The chase after the steamer "Harriet Deford," which was captured by pirates, supposedly to supply a means of escape to Jefferson Davis from the crumbling Confederacy--Captain Fitzhugh 275

FILE XL

Ordered to Northern Neck of Virginia the day before President Lincoln's assassination--Martin Van Buren Morgan's statement, and order for his disposal 281

FILE XLI

I am introduced to General Grant--The assassination--Capture of Samuel B. Arnold, one of the conspirators, sent to Dry Tortugas--Arrested the Bransons and their household, uncovering Paine's pedigree; thereafter he was Lewis Paine Powell--Paine had my parole on his person when arrested--Paine hung 290

FILE XLII

Richmond had fallen--Class of detective work entirely changed-- Counterfeiters--Secretary McCullogh--Go to steamboat of the Leary Line and capture a youthful murderer--Arrest of Mrs. Beverly Tucker 312

FILE XLIII

Camp Carroll rioting--Troops being mustered out 317

FILE XLIV

Indicted for assault with intent to kill, the only clash between the Military and Civil Authorities during General Wallace's administration 322

FILE XLV

Trip to Norfolk and Richmond--Ralph Abercrombie--Miss Elizabeth L. Van Lew 324

FILE XLVI

My muster out--Reëmployment as a civilian--Ordered to Philadelphia-- Twice ordered to Washington with horse-thieves 327

FILE XLVII

Captain Beckwith convicted--Gambling--Order to take Beckwith to Albany penitentiary 331

FILE XLVIII

Trip to Carlisle, Illinois, to unravel a fraudulent claim--John H. Ing 335

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