Between the Lines Part 29

Lieut. H. B. Smith, 5th N. Y. H. Arty. and Commanding Detectives, Middle Department, 8th Army Corps, with one man, Lucius Babc.o.c.k, of his force, will proceed to New York City, on special government business. After transacting same, he will at once return to these headquarters.

Quartermasters will furnish transportation.

By command of Bvt. Brigadier General Morris.

WM. H. WIEGEL, Capt. & Actg. Provost Marshal.

The following refers to my seeking extended territory:

Headquarters, Middle Department, 8th Army Corps.

Baltimore, Feby. 21, 1865.

Unofficial.

Captain:

General Morris desires you to write a letter about Lieut.

Smith, asking such an appointment as will suit him. Address it to the Adjutant General and send it to me and I will get the General to put an endors.e.m.e.nt on and forward it.

Don't you think you could take it to the Secretary and accomplish something?

Yours truly, SAMUEL B. LAWRENCE, a.s.sistant Adjutant General.

To Capt. Wiegel.

Pending the issuance of a commission which was to give me an independent command, to operate in the Shenandoah Valley, and also south of the lower Potomac, I had been striving to get authority to extend our operations to the Rappahannock, to avail ourselves of the valuable data we had acc.u.mulated.

Captain Wiegel and I went to Was.h.i.+ngton, as suggested by Colonel Lawrence, to see Secretary Stanton. When we arrived at Mr. Stanton's door I discovered the mental makeup and character of Wiegel. Mr.

Stanton, in manner, was not pleasant to interview. He was brusque, rough, and appeared to think the world was made for him. Wiegel had much avoirdupois, but not deep brain convolutions. He had been on General Butler's staff in New Orleans. He was full of egotism, but when he approached Mr. Stanton's door he wilted, and asked me to do the talking, while he listened.

Mr. Stanton did not eat me, and on March 20th our request was granted. I have always found it pleasanter to do business with the proprietor than with the man that sweeps out.

There is no doubt but that Secretary Stanton made many critics by his brusque manner. One did not need to waste words with him, but if a communication was couched in terse language it pleased him. He disliked a cringing interviewer. I did not dislike to have business with him, nor have I ever with men similarly const.i.tuted.

Wiegel was a domineering bl.u.s.terer to his subordinates, but a cringing sycophant to those over him. Stanton's office was not a congenial climate for him.

Secretary Dana was a most agreeable gentleman and no less an executive than Stanton.

FILE x.x.xVI.

Paine, who was afterwards one of the conspirators in the a.s.sa.s.sinators'

plot, in my custody--Miss Branson appeared to plead for him--Paine released on parole, lacking evidence to prove him a spy.

I will now introduce the material from which was builded an actor. Lewis Paine, who brutally hacked at Secretary Seward while Booth was a.s.sa.s.sinating the President. He was one of the characters produced for the closing scene in that greatest tragedy.

Headquarters, Middle Department, 8th Army Corps.

Baltimore, Mch. 12, 1865.

Major Wm. H. Wiegel, Actg. Provost Marshal.

Major.--I have the honor to report the arrest of Lewis Paine, a refugee from Fauquier County, Va.

He was arrested at the house of Miss Maggie Branson, No. 16 North Eutaw Street. She is a noted Rebel.

I was promised evidence to prove that he had been in Baltimore before, but the witnesses are not forthcoming, and I believe him innocent of that charge, but I think it would be well to remove him from that family. I would respectfully recommend his release.

Very respy. your obdt. servt., H. B. SMITH.

Lt. & Chief.

When I entered my office on Friday morning March 10, 1865, Captain Webb, my clerk, was trying to obtain from Paine some part of his pedigree, but was baffled by the prisoner's dumbness. Then I tried with the result as follows:

Baltimore, Md., March 10, 1865

Lewis Paine, refugee from Fauquier County, Virginia, my parents reside near Orleans, in that County. I am eighteen and a half years old. I have not been out of Virginia since the war commenced, until this time.

I was never in the Rebel army. Mosby used to stay at the house of Joe Blackwell, until his house was burned.

Willie Tung, of Warrenton.

Daniel Moffit, of Fauquier County, members of Mosby's command.

Miss Maggie Branson, with whom I was stopping, is related to me by marriage.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LEWIS PAINE]

I bought the coat and vest of grey cloth in this city, since I came here; my pants of grey I bought in Was.h.i.+ngton.

I don't remember of hearing any disloyal remarks from any of the boarders at the house No. 16 North Eutaw Street. I whipped a colored woman at that house on Monday last, because she insulted me; her name is Annie.

(Signed) L. PAINE.

Sworn and subscribed to, before me, this 10th day of March, 1865.

H. B. SMITH, Lt. & Chief.

Paine was a sullen, dumb looking, overgrown young person. To get anything out of him I alternately prodded and fondled; he was a cross between a big b.o.o.by and a sullen animal.

His statement is disjointed. Between the joints you must imagine my questions, eliciting his words; for instance, "I am eighteen and a half years old," was in reply to my query about his pretensions to never having been in the army. To my remarks about his new grey clothes, certainly pointing their use, where grey was worn, he tried to explain his innocence, etc, etc.