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W AR S' Thrilling- ? to ivies ol' < and Iiis Gralla Cot. li. li. Parrott, h Letters to the number of about a dozen a day, aud callers without num ber, arc claiming the attention of Cul. H. IL Parrott, of St. Louis, formerly a member of Colonel John Singleton Mosby's regiment of Partisan Han gers. The subject matter of ail the letters and the errand of all the callers is in quiry regarding the legacy of $2,000, 000 said to have been left by liaron von Massow of Germany to the surviv or? of thc- famous band of rangers, nf which Baron von Massow was a mem ber. Colonel Parrott rcplien to all in quiries that ho has no definite knowl nHf-<*nf?hnh-..?af I...? ?ha? he ha? set on feot investigations which he ex pects to soon reveal tho truth or falsi ty of the report. Colonel Parrott thinks there arc about 200 survivors of tho Mosby command, the most prominent of whom is Colonel Mosby himself, now general attorney for the Southern Pacific Railroad in San Francisco. There is a regularly organized associa tion of Mosby's men, with headquar ters ut lli?u?j?nd, and Colonel Parrott has written to President Ben Palmer of that city for any information ho may have on tho subject. Probably the story of the bequest is a fake. Mosby H regiment was known as thc Forty-third Virginia, although he was always irregular. While Mosby held a commission as Colonel from the (Jon federate States, the men under him did not receive pay from the Confed erate Government, and all their opera tiona were independent, being con ducted wholly within the enemy's lines, and almost wholly within the limits of Doudon, Fairfax and Fauquier Counties, Virginia. Colonel Parrott began his career with Mosby when ho was 14, and serv ed from the first year of the organiza tion of his rangers-at first number ing less than thirty men, and Mosby himself having only the title of Cap tain-until his capture on December 21, 1864, and he tells many interesting incidents of the Mosby campaigns. "They were raids rather than cam paigns," said Colonel Parrott. "In nearly every case they wero never prearranged. In the first place it must bo understood that thero was no snob thing as a Mo?by camp. When wo wero on the maroh, wo kept in our saddles; when tho maroh was ended we were scattered over a territory of from fifty to one hundred miles in ex tant. All of ?B had boarding places among the residents of the neighbor hood in which we operated, and wo lived like Kings. Two or three of us would board at the same place, and we were always strung up to the point of fighting, for we never knew at what time the Yankees would make their appearance. It was an unwritten law of the regi ment that when a Mosby man heard of Yankees in tho neighborhood he should immediately go after them, learn all that he could, report to sueh other of his comrades as ho could roach, and then start something. The priooiplo on which Mosby operated waa that the most vulnerable part of the enemy's line was his rear; and all the effortB of his command were devot* ed to harassing that rear. Detach ments of the regiment, numbering from two or three to eighty or 100 men would haag on tho encmy'n Hanks and rear from the time they got into our td ri tory until they (?ipi out or we had to get out, swoop down on any de tached party th*t wo might find, do muoh shouting, more Grieg, and most riding, dependent for suoeesB on the surprise of the enemy and the speed and horsemanship of the men making the attaok. We never stayed long. It waa a discovery, a quick gathering, an impatient waiting for tho opportuni ty, a mad dash, shouts until our throats were raw, shooting until our pistols were empty, tho grabbing of as many prisoners and horses as possi ble, and then thc quickest kind of a retreat. "I well remember tko first fight 1 was in. I was nothing but a boy, as many other Confederates wero, and I didn't knr r much about fighting. In fact? I dicn't know anything. Some of our men discovered a party of Fed erals marching through Fairfax Coun ty about the middle of August, 1863, and promptly reported. Twenty-six of us gathered quickly, and got on their trail. "We found them getting ready to go into camp in a valley; we were on the top of one of the smaller mountains Trbiou overlooked the oamp. Wo waited witt a great deal of impatience until the Boldiera picketed their horses, fed them, prepared their own meal, ate it, and stretohed ont on the ground for a siesta. When all was quiet in the Yankeo camp, we began eur descant. **We went carefully, of course, an?. TORIES. Ool. ?rolln S. IMosby nt Command, i SI. Louis lit'jmbHe. got close to the camp before the Fed | eral pickets beard the slightest sound j of our approach. Then we '.vere near j enough fur a dash, aud in we went. The Federals bad not had time to get up from their beds on thc ground be fore we were upon them, shooting, yelling and doing our best to catch prisoners and horses. "They were stampeded, of course. I remember that one of thc things which impressed mc most was tho be havior of ona of the Lii??diiQ?scst mest : dashiog cavalrymen I ever saw. He was a Mosby mau. Ile went in with tho rest of us, and the job ho under took was the capture of three officers. He was on them before thoy knew what was up. I think tbs attacker was the wortt rattled of the quartet; for the first thing he did was to shout : " 'Surrender, d-n you, and band over your pocketbooks !' "He demanded their pocketbooks before he even took their pistols, and had it not been that thc Yankees had lost their wits for tho time being, thc handsome Mosby man would never have got out alive. "Thero was no time for many inci dents. We were away again before the Yankees could recover from their surprise. There wcro enough of them to play the mischief with us if they had bceu at themselves, bat before they could rally we were a mile away, with twenty-eight prisoners, thirty horses and every one of our mon. "That was the way in whioh our raids were usually made, and they wero exciting and dangerous enough for anybody. For most of the time we were considered as outlaws. Nine of Mosby's mon were captured by tho Federals and hanged. Mosby prompt ly sent word to tho Federals that he would retaliato by hanging ten Feder als for every one of his men that had been hanged. This put us under the black flag, and nono of us ever thought we would meet any other fate than the noose if wo should bo captured. Therefore, wo were not anxious to try a prisoner's life. "It was a continual race with death for us. My experiences were no more thrilling than those of every other member of tho brigade, but I can as sure you that mine were enough to mako the hero of a blood-and-thunder melodrama think he had a tamo exist ence. Wc never knew what time we would bo swooped down on by Yan kees, or what time we would get some thing to eat when we did start out. Each of us kopt from, two to four horses, the very best stock we could find. We would take nothing else. In our raids wo always made for the horses the first thing, and we kept the best of them, tho others being sold to the Confederate Government. Why, it was ?eacssary for mn to have better horses than our enemy; the speed of our steeds was what always saved our hides. "Well, to take up tho thread of the story again: We always kept from ono to three horses under saddle, and hitohed where we could . get at them in the quiekest way-always one at the back of the house, frequently ooo at the front, and frequently an other one out in tho woods. If tho alarm came at any timo that the Yan kees wore eoming, we would make a dash for our horses. If the Yankees beat us te the beast in front, we made a dash for ?he ono in the rear. If we found that thia was in the hands of the enemy, we made a dash for the one ia the woods. Sometimes these alarms would come at the dead of night. Then it was a jump into the boots and pistols and a jump out of the hack window. On two occasions I had to make my dash for freedom in this way, and each time ladies of the house, in their night olothes, held the window open while I jumped out of it. "But tho most exciting events I ever experienced were these whioh led to my oapture, and which preor 'ed the wounding of Mosby and 1 s narrow esoape from ?oath. It was on tho 21st of December, 1864. I did not know that the Yankees or Mosby were any where in the neighborhood. Stockton Terry and I were staying at tho home of Mrs. Fitzhugh, some three miles from Salem. I had been granted leave to go home for Christmas and was go ing the next day. About 9 o'clock on that morning Stookton Terry and I were riding. I was on a speedy pieoo of horseflesh, but ono whioh would not jump-wouldn't jump over any thing, no matter what persuasion was uaed. It was a horse that I never rode when I thought thero wad any danger of a raid. "Stockton and I were jogging along when I saw a man up the road maning at the top of his speed. " 'Bot it's Yankees/ said I. " '?on't you want a sure thing?* oaked Stookton. "Yankees il was. Tho mau who w.i^ ru II II i tig enuc lo IM out of breath and t<>i(j us thrcu regiments of blue coat? were at Salem, lt was our duty then to go after them, aud (ind out where they were, how many there were, and what it looked like they were going to do. So we started out, still jogging along, and not having an idea that wo were close to a bad hz. I had my right leg thrown over thc pomme! of thc saddle, and was rest ing. "Suddenly thc advance guard of the Thirteenth New York cam'; into view around a turu in thc road. Thero were about twenty of them. There was nothing for us to do but start as much trouble as possible, ned then run for it. Both of us drew our pis tols aud began tiring and yelling as hard as possible, just as though tberc were as many behind us as in front of us. The Yankees were as badly sur prised as we were, and fell back be hind tho lui o iu the road. "Then wc turned, set spurs to our horries and started out as fast as we could go. My mount was speedy; she COUld outrun anything in that SCCliou of tho country, aad I felt secure on that point. But ho was good only on lovel ground. Stockton aod I raced along down tho road. Our pistole were empty, aod we had nothing to load them with. O.u only chance lay in flight. "But thoso Yankees had wonderful recuperative powers, and they also had some good horses; and it was not long before wo heard a score of them thun dering after us. They came hard, and fast. Out to tho right lay safety; bul I couldu't go that way, for the coun try was hilly aod rooky, and full ol creeks and underbrush, and a horst that wouldn't jump had no plaoe it there. Stockton kept with mc ay lour, as ho could, aod tuen yelled : " 'Bird, old mau, I am afraid I I have to leave you!' " ?Go on,' I yolled. 'That's al right. They can't catch me in a yea if they don't ruo me against a creek o a fence.' "Stockton dashed off toward th> right, and I kept on straight ahead, thought I knew every foot of the land and I was sure that I oouldn't b caught as long aa it was a straight-a way race with no hardies. I turne iuto tho village of lvectortown, am dashed through thc streets, thc Yan kees behind mo, firing as they ran, an running mighty fast. "I turned int ? an old field whic led to a clamp of woods that I ooul hido io. And the Yankees turned too. Their bullets whistled, but non hit we or my horse. I turned to se how much lead I had. A Yankee bu let cut a button c3 my coat. I didn' turo again. "In a moment my heart fell. I sa that I had got myself into a trap, had forgotten that a small oreek, nt more than five feet wide, but wit rather steep banks, lay at the back < the field. I kiew my horse wouldn jump it or go into it. But there wt nothing to do but try. So at it went. "The brate stopped short, reared u on his hind legs, balked, kioked, snor ed-but he wouldn't take that oreel I dug my spars into him until thought 1 should break them off; cussed, and I best. But aever a ott would he take down the bank of th; creek, and never an effort would 1 make to jump it. "The Yankees were right on me t this time. I oouldn't fight; I dido have anything to fight with. A y oui Major came dualling out from the rani of the pursuers, pointed a pistol at o and shouted to surrender. "Of course, I did BO. I knew I w going to be hanged in half an bou but, aetsrthslcss, ? didn't wast commit suioide. " 'Hand over your pistols!' shout the Major. And I did. 'What 001 mand do you belong to?' he asked. " 'Mosby's,' I answered. "The Major dropped his piowi surprise; the men behind him look startled. " 'You damned little fool,' said t Major, 'don't you know we are goi to hang you? Why didn't you a you belonged to some other co mand?' " 'I ?a a MGBby ranger,' I sa 'and you can htsg me if you want i But do you know that Mosby is hat ing ten Yankees for every one of I men that you hang?' "Then I reaohed down into my si die-bags, into which Miss Betty Fi hugh had that morning put two of I finest pippins you ever saw, and tc them out. " 'Major, have an apple,' I said, fcriog theta to him. "The Major laughed, took the i plo and laughed again. The opp wero good; and especially so to a n who had had such a ohase as the ? jor's. So pretty soon he was in a i tiing good humor and we were ? friends. "I was taken baok to the r?gi m with the parly thal had captured i As we rodo along the lines I he somebody call out: " 'Hells, S?-di' 'Bird' was nicknamo, ovo?, cd from my real na 'Parrot.' I thought ai first that voioe was that of a Virginian who joined th? Federal Army ?md waa most afraid tu look around. But my curiosity gut the better of me, aud I 1 loukcd. I was not alone in captivity; ! a dozen of my comrade* had been gathered in. Among them were Tiri Kemper, Hugh Mcllhenny, Dick Buck ner, Billy Flynn, a follow named Mas sey, another named Tongue and an other named Lake. And none of them looked to be in the best humor. "Wo were halted in the middle ol an apple orohard. You know how ac apple tree is built, and how gaunt anti ugly it looks in winter? Its long limbc haug out about eight feet from thc ground. "There were about 100 of those treci io sight, and each looked like a natur al gallows. There was a horrible sug gestiveness about them; and when ! looked I shuddered. The other men haviog got there first, had shudderei ahead of me. None of us expected anything but banging, and we dido' expect that to be long defcr-od. Pr?t ty soon we got used to it, and in tei minutes after I got in we were piokin out the limbs that we should soon b dangling from. It was, 'Tip, there i one just about tall enough for you and, Bird, you will make a good orna ment for that little fellow over there, Nobody but soldiers, and only soldier who had been leading the life that w had led, could have done such thing. "But, strange to say, they did nc hang us then. We took a little hopi but the postponement allowed some < the gayety to die out, and I don know whether we were any thehappn because of it. "The regiments were the Tbirtecnt and Sixteenth New York and tl Eighth Illinois, and soon they wei on the march again. We were closet the front with our captors; and prett soon wo heard that the advance guai had shot a Confederate Colonel. A of us became instantly alarmed. "V) feared it was Mosby; he was alwa; getting wounded. Soon our fea were confirmed, when Tom Love, close friend of Mosby, was brought i a prisoner. As he joined our erov he whispered to me : 'They htt'o sh Mosby, and I am afraid he is done fe But they don't know him. Th think he is Lieutenant Colonel Joh son of the Sixth Virginia.' Soon i of us knew it, and were prepared 1 what might happen. "Love told me the story of t .shooting of Mosby. Together th had gone to the house of Mrs. Lal and were eating dinner, when a pat of scouts fired on them, Mosby fe shot in the abdomen. He shouted Love to hold the door for a momei while he himself arose, held his ha to the wound and caught a handful blood. " *I am Lieutenant Colonel Jol son of the Sixth Virginia,' he whisp ed. "Just as tho Yankees broke into t room Mosby put the blood to mouth, fell to the floor and appea to be dying. He had the appearat of a man who had just had a viol hemorrhage from the lungs. " 'I surrender, gentlemen/ s Love. 'You have killed, Lieuteo Colonel Johnson of (he Sixth A ginia.' "There were some threats of sh< ing Mosby again, to make sure, bu surgeon deolared his wound was fi and that he would soon die. So wss left to die. The party failed take the horses that Mosby and L had ridden, and whioh were hitcher the front fence. The men passing ter them supposed the horses belon to officers who had stopped for din and did not interfere with them. 1 faot was Mosby's salvation. "As soon as the army had psi Mosby mounted one of the horses galloped across the country to Bli man, where he got an ambulance, within twenty-four hours he was in Confederate lines. He was bi /ounded, and for a long while it feared he would die. "Soon after thia a Federal begat havo doubts about the identity 'Lieutenant Colonel Johnson.' showed the cloak which Mosby worn to the prisoners and asked 'on tho honor sf soldiers,' if we \ whose it was. Ve examined it o! ly, and all of us said we thong looked like the cloak that had worn by Lieutenant Colonel Joh of the Sixth. "Then a guide named Davis, waa a Virginian, but, had joined Federal Army, saw the doak ant! dared that it belonged to Colonel by. "A detail was hurried baok to Lake's house, but Mosby . had < For a time it- looked as though should bo torn te pieces bcoaus the loss of the most-wanted m that section of the oountry; but storm passed, and we were tak Fairfax Court House and piso jail. "There is where Johnny Mm J who, I understand, afterwards ca I St. Louis, distinguished his Johnny had been saptured abes us, and by the time we got thor tired of jail life. So soon af ten he persuaded a guard to sell 1 plain bine blousa, pleading th wanted it to wear in the cell so he might save bis good coat. Th managed to get hold of % oigai ..." ; J.. ... .'? '\-.w- - ?? : whicii was lilied -.villi bright yellow pa per. From thin paper ho cut strips which he pasted ou the arm of his blue blouse and transformed it into the blouse of a Corporal of tho (Jok ed States cavalry: Ooo night when he ?as being marched with oi&ers to Jin ner he stepped quietly out of the ranks, saluted the Captain in com mand, received a salute in return and walked out of jail. He hasn't been back there since. "After a term in the Fairfax jail we were sent to Fort Warren, in Boston Harbor, where we were kept until af ter thc close of tho war, being released on June 15, 1865. We were welt treat ed and had all thc freedom we could expeot. But we did want to get baok to Virginia and into the old life of freedom, danger and glorious excite ment." tm . mn Legacy For Mosby'* Men. Word has just been reooived iu Bal timore that there is scarcely a doubt remaining of the truth of the rumor started about two weeks ago that Bar un Hubert Massow, of tho Prussian army, and a former member of Mos hy's command, has left $2,000,000 to be divided among the survivors of the command. The bar m's death, it is said, occurred reoently in Germany, and in addition to the generous gift mentioned he also set aside by will a large sum for building and maintain ing a home for the invalid and dis abled among his oldoomrades-at-arms. The home is to be erected at Chantilly, Fairfax county, Va., on the spot .vhero Barron von Mossow was wounded in an engagement between Mosby's nen and a California battalion of the Un ion army. . The Byron bad captured Captain Reid, of the California bat talion, and had ordered him to the rear with other prisoners, when Cap tain Reid turned and fired at his cap tor. Reid was immediately shot dead by Captain Samuel Chapmae, of Mos by's battalion, who is still alive and residing at Warrentoo, Va. Reid's pistol was preserved by Baron von Masoow as one of the most valued tro* piries of his experience during his American visit, and ae such was taken by him back to Germany, where it was found among his treasure at his death. Ou good authority the statement is made that all the surviving members of Mosby's command will shortly be notified to report to the German con sul in New York in regard to tho bar on's legaoy. Steps will also icmiedi ately be taken for the erection of the home, which will be one of the most beautiful and acc?s fi bio spots in Vir ginia, and amid associations fraught with historical interest. It will be built upon the former estate of David Stuart, one of the signers of the De claration of Independence, and in the neighborhood of the homes of Wash ington and Leo. aTb.e fi ci aries of the legacies now number scarcely a hundred, the majority of them resid ing in Virginia. Among the former members of the command in Balti more, are Dr. James G. Wiltshire, 212 West Madison street; Dr. John H. Williams, S07 North Charles etveet; Mr. Charles G -rogan and Colonel Mason C. Pendleton, of Berkeley Springs, who is spending the winter at the Howard House. Colonel Mosby is now en route for Baltimore from Cali fornia, and is expected here towards the end of this week.-Baltimore American. - A landslide occurred reoently is { Switzerland. An inn and its garden and outbuildings slid down a hillside a distance of 35 feet without being in the least injured. Two stately elm trees in the garden were also moved without injury. The Oldest and Best S. 8. 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