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VOLUME III CAMDEN, SO. CA., F11IDAY. NOVEMBER 27, 1863. NUMBER 5
l)c Qifluibni it en t ci?cr lit f \
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No deduction made, except to our regular advertisin
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i i i j
.r. T. HEHSHMAN, Editor. I
The French Spy System,
Among tli<^ many families which rose into
O *
notice under the empire of the first Napoleon,
few held a more distinguished position in the
Parisian society of the day than that of the
Countess 1? . Iter house, at the period of
which we speak, was the rcndcavous of all the I
celebrities of the time?marshals of Franco,
statesmen, artist", men of letters, alike crowded
to her saloons. The Baron M was one ,
of her most frequent guest's und had the reputation
of being as witty and amusing a personage
as could be met with; in consequence, }
his company was very generally sought, even |
by the highest circles, in which, though but
little was known of his family or connection, he
'had found means to obtain ail excellent foot- .
ng.
One evening in tbe winter of 1805, a brilliant
party was assembled in the gay saloons
of the Countess of B , when a gentle- ,
man well known to all arrived in breathless ]
haste, and apparently much excited, lie made
his way as quickly as possible to the Countess, : ,
and all crowded around to bear what great |
piece of intelligence he had to communicate. i
"We arc all, 1 think,'' he said, "well acqnaiir |
toil with Baron M , who is so constant
a visitor here. I regret to say that I have ,
just, learned, in the most positive manner, that .
he is undoubtedly a spy; ho has, in fact, been ^
seen to enter and leave the cabinet of Monsieur
Fondio.''
Tiie assembled guests were thunderstruck at .
the unexpected announcement, each one en- ,
deavoring to recollect what indiscreet cxpres- .
sion might have passed his lips in the presence
/>r flin ti-inii-licfiMK Itm'iMi and all naturallv i
v" - 1 J t
enough, fouling extremely uneasy at the possi- t
bility of being called upon to answer for some
long-forgotten words spoken, as thought, in the
security of private society. The hostess, of j
course, was most indignant at the insult which v
had been put upon her, and conld hardly he- y
lievc in the truth of the accusation. I
However, something must he done; the Baron
was momentarily expected; and unless he v
were able to clear himself from this serions im- (
putation, lie must he at once expelled from the (
society. After some discussion, therefore, it |
was decided that, upon the arrival of Baron M j
, the Countess should request a few minutes
private conversation with him; that she
should take him into another room, and hav- j
jug told him of what he was accused, should (
task if he had any explanation to offer, as oth- j.
crwise she should be obliged to sigmfy to him ^
that he must discontinue his-visits.
^In the midst of the invectives which were |,
poured forth on the head of the unfortunate r
Baron, that worthy niado his appearance. Immediately
all was silent, and though he ad- v
yanccd to greet Iiie friends with Jus customary
easy assurance, lie evidently saw that- all was t
not right, as his most intimate associates of
yesterday, avoided speaking to him, or, at *
most, gave him the slightest possible saluta- ^
tion. q
Not being, however, very easily abashed, v
Baron M proceeded, as usual, to make his
bow to the hostess, who at once, as had been ^
J,
agreed, said to him : c,
"Monisieur lc Baron, may I request the favor
of a few words with you in private V* t
"Certainly, madamc," replied the Baron, of
feting hi* ann, which she declined to take, and
led the way to an ante-chamber.
The Countess, feeling naturally very nervous
at the part she had to perforin, at length said,
with some hesitation.
llI know not whether vou ate iruiltv. M. lo l?a
~ "" " J D / w
ron, of 1 lie serious accusation which hangs over
y.ou; ami which unless you can remove or explain
satisfactorily, must forever close my ?loors
against you." Tho Baron was all attention, as
the Countess continued : "I have Ween informed,
upon what appears to be undoubted authority,
that you are in the pay of Monsieur l'ouche j
?'that you arc, in shorV.a ?py?"
"Oh," replied the Baron, "is that all ? I
will not attempt to deny; lothing can l?e more
true; I am a spy."
"And how," exclaimed the lady, "have you
dared to insult me and my guests by presuming
to present yourself night after night at my
house in such an unworthy manner?"
41 repeat." said the Baron, with all possible
coolness, "that 1 am in the pay of Fouehe; that
1 am a spy, and in this capacity, upon some
subjects, I ain tolerably well informed, of which
Madame Ic Countesse, I will give you a proof.
Ou the last pay day, at Monsieur Fouchc's you
received your pay for tho information you had
brought him immediately alter I had received
mine."
"What!" cried the Countess; "dare you inunuate
anything so infamous ? 1 will have
you turned out of the house instantly."
"Softly, inadame," atiswctcd the Baron; "that
I am a spy, I have not attempted to deny; that
rou are likewise a spy, I have long known, and
uan readily prove. We are in the same boat
? we sink or swim together. If you proceed |
Lo deriouee mo, I shall denounce you ; and i
more is an emi ot noin ot us. n you upnom
ine, I will uphold you, and wo shall go oil as
before."
"Well," said the lady, considerably embarrassed
at finding that her secret was known
'what is to be done ? I am in a most dillieult
position.
".Not at all, niadamc," replied the llaron*
4 J will toll you what to do ; take my arm*
ind we will return together to the drawing00111,
where you will announce that my explanation
has been satisfactory."
The Countess, seeing that there was nothing
dse to be done, determined to make the best
>f it, and as she advanced into the room said,
vitli one of her sweetest smiles:
"1 am delighted to toll you that Monsieur le
daron has been able to give me an explanation
vhich, though I cannot divulge it i?^ in all repects
perfectly satisfactory to nie, and, tliercbie,
I am sure it will be so to you."
The guests were at once relieved from a
v'c'ght of anxiety, the evening passed off with
he utmost hilarity, ami the Huron regained
he good opinions he had lost. It. was not till
ong afterwards that the facts of this singular
listory became known.
- - -
Lkttkus uy Flag ok Tri ck.?For general
aformation, we publish the following regulaions
laid down by the Federal commander at
fortress Monroe, in regard to letters 'passing
o and from the South.
"First. No letters must exceed one page of a
utter sheet, or relate to other than purely donestic
matters.
"Second. Every letter must be signed by the
vr.iter's name in full.
"Third. All letters must be sent with fi\'c
cnts postage enclosed if to go to Richmond, and
en cents if beyond.
"Fourth. All letters must be enclosed to the
Commanding General of the Department of
/irginia and North Carolina, at Fortress Monoc,
marked on the outside " For Flag of
Cruce." No letters sent to any other address
nil be forwarded."
The same rules will be applied by Gen. J
I. Winder to all letters sent from the South
o Fortress Monroe for parties in the United
Itates.
All letters to go North should be addresse"
o Gen. Winder, at Richmond, Va., endorsed
Flag ofTrncc."
Tin- SirKC-Oiie llim<lrc<l un?l TliirlyFoui'lta
Pay.
The military operations on both sides continue
to increase in interest and importance.
At our last accounts ilie enemy was engaged in
a vigoious shelling of Fort Sumter, which ' has
since been kept up with but little intermission.
During Friday night one hundred twentylour
rilled shots were lired by Gregg, of which
forty-one passed over without exploding. Private
Thomas llornhucklc, Company C, 4J8d
Georgia, was killed Friday by the explosion of
i a shell. The other casualties were as follows:
Private C. Hanks, Company K, 17th S. C.
wounded slightly in the spine; Private W. P.
Grown, Mathews* Artillery, wounded in the
shoulder, severely ; Private A.Stewart, Company
1>, (5th Georgia, wounded in the scalp,
slight.
A limit Hvr* r?'??lf?i?L- '"i'ltni'.l.iv .. l.?v
.. . V v V..X/V.* .UlUIVKU I 11 VI II I IIV <1 UIUken
arch of tlic gorge wall was struck by a
Parrott shell, and fell in, killing two negroes
and wounding six ; also wounding Private C.
Bthcridge, Company K,0lh Georgia, fraeturep.
Privates James ami Cotte Thayer, Company
II, Oth Georgia, in spine, slight.
The number of rifled shots lircd at Sumter
Saturday from Gregg was twenty-throe, of
which seven missed; and the number of shells
from the mortar battery two handled and thirty-eight,
of which ninety-nine missed. Saturday
night one hundred and forty-nine rilled
shots were tired, forty live of which exploded
after passing the fort.
jMiring Saturday the enemy again opened
on the city, and threw ahout twelve shells. .Between
twelve and two o'clock Saturday the tiring
on the city was renewed, and eighteen
shells thrown, doing comparative little 'injury.
The. first and only victim of the Yankee bombardment,
thus far, w as an old negro woman
belonging to a Mr. Lindsay. She was killed
Saturday forenoon.
Battery Simkius Saturday night opened on
the gun bearing on the city, and it is reported
succeeded in silencing it. The shelling of the
city was not renewed Sunday, nor up to the
hour of closing our report.
There were no casualties in Fort Sumter Saturday,
nor any serious damage to the work.
a spintou uglit took place Sunday afternoon
between 1 d'egg and Wagner, on the enemy's
side, ami Forts Moultrie ami Johnson, wi/li
Batteries Bee and Simkius, on ours. Gregg
opened hcavily-on Moultrie, and Wagner on
Johnson and Simkins. Our batteries did some
remarkably accurate shooting, frequently compelling
the enemy to retreat under cover. The i
engagement lasted several hours and ceased at
dark. During the light the bomhuidincnt of
Sumter was discontinued.
There have been no further, indications of
an assault on the part of the enemy.?Mercury
of Monday.
A Warning.
ruder this head, the Augusta Constitution
alist relates, that a shoemaker in that city, convicted,
of charging more than 75 per cent., profit,
was taken as a conscript, and is now pegging
away at the Yankees at $11 per month.
In commenting on this paragraph the Petersburg
Register makes the following facctions
and pertinent remarks:
If that test was applied to other localities
that every body knows of, a very numerous
battalion would be soon under marching orders.
The son of St. Crispin would not monopolize
all the glory to themselves; but butch
ers would l>e slaughenng Yankees instead of
oxen ; dry goods dealers would handle a musket
instead of a yard stick, and tailors would have
their own measures taken for a suit of deathless
glory,in place of measuring their customers.!
How would some of our eating saloon keepers, I
who charge a soldier three dollars for two potatoes
and a stale mutton chop, like to he boarding
on " hard tack" with rusty bacon, and
short commons at that? If some of our flour
dealers had to charge the enemy instead of
their fellow-citizens, our country would be bet
tor off and tliey would have less cash but more
honor.
If the 7"> per cent., test was inflexibly enforced
druggists would have to use "mortars" filled
with compounds not in their phurroacopiav &ud
thus kill by wholesale instead of retail, as at
present, while brokers would be too busily engaged
in breaking the enemy s ranks to have
time to break down the currency. A battalion
of patriots, whose high aspirations made them
despise a profit of 75 per cent.,- would be an
over match, lor a brigade of Yankee pedlers;
and as volunteers, for a raid on a sutler's wagon
train, their services would be invaluable.
They might be organized as the " seventy-five
per cent., skinflints," and as such would render
themselves famous. We have no hesitation in
stating our conviction that if the gallant "ski 11- ^
flints" charged the enemy's lines of entrenchments
in the field, with the same spirit that
they charged in their line of business at home,tliat
Iloseerans would be driven out of Chattanooga,
and Meade would find Washingtou City
too hot for comfortable quarters.
*
I.OKigstrccl in l^ailTcnncsiev.
The Knoxville Register of Saturday morning
snvs:
The campaign of General Longstreet in East
Tennessee, thus far, justifies all the expectations
which have heen entertained of that (lashing
officer, and bids fair to add a sequee to the farfamed
Valley campaign of Stonewall Jackson
in the Old Dominion.
The down train this afternoon at o'clock
brought 130 Yankee prisoners, comprising a
pert of Burnside's rear guard. We have conversed
with some of them. They say that
Knoxville is another Harper's Ferry trap, and
that the stampede from East Tennessee must
he speedy, or their whole army will be bagged.
They represent that the condition of Burnside's
armv is critical.
We have also conversed with a person who
professes to have coine direct from Knoxville.
lie says that the enemy disappeared as our
cavalry charged through the streets. We cani
not vouch for the statement, but have no doubt
that the city is ours.
An officer who left London on the night of
Wednesday last, reports that the main body of
our armv has taken 1GOO prisoners, while the
captures of Wheeler's cavalry will exceed 600
more?making in all 2300. In their retreat
I froni Loudon, the Yankees abandoned great
j quantities of subsistence and munitions of war.
including the larger part of their transports- '
tion. They were panic stricken in the extreme.
The pontoon bridges over the Little Tennessee,
which lead into Blonnt county, arc being rapidly
repaired.
The country to which these pontoons lead
has been little desolated by foraging parties,
and will furnish considerable supplies for our
troops.
Hcwspapcm.
The Richmond and Petersburg papers keep
going up. The former are $10 for six months,
$8 for three months, and $3 for one month.
The Petersburg papers are $12 for six months,
$8 for three months, and $3 for one month, or
a good weekly paper at $3 per year.
\Yc sometimes hear complaints against the
increase in the price of newspapers. A few
men will grumble at paying 15 and 25 cents
per copy for a good daily paper, when they
buy their grog at 81 50 per drink, their cigars
at 25 cents apiece, or pay $500 for a cloth coat,
$120 for a pair of boots, or $3.50 per pound for
butter; 870 for a cotton hat, or $30 for a hickory
shirt; and that, too, when publishers of
newspapers are willing to pay them their own
price for old rags. Only think of it.
Some women paint their face and then weep
because it does not make them beautiful.
They raise a hue?and cry.