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Show A SPY'S CLOSE CALL. He Was Rescued From Impending Death by a Clever Newspaper Ruse. On the battlefield of Antietam Mr. Mo-Clure Mo-Clure met General William J. Palmer, then a captain, and strongly urged him not to continue his movements as a spy after Lee had crossed into Virginia, but the gallant young soldier gave no promise prom-ise as to what he would be likely to do, and the very first night after Lee crossed the Potomac he was again in Lee's camp and brought back important information to General McClellan. Again he returned and entered the Confederate lines, and when he did not report after a week it was assumed that he had been captured and would probably proba-bly be executed as a spy. He had been captured, was tried and condemned as a spy and sentenced to be executed, but he was saved by a clever newspaper device determined upon after a conference in this city between President J. Edgar Thomson of the Pennsylvania railroad, Colonel Soot, ciml Mr. ItLoGlnre. Thomson Thom-son took special interest in Palmer, as he had been his secretary, and was much attached at-tached to him. It was decided that Washington dispatches dis-patches should he prepared for all of the Philadelphia morning papers announcing announc-ing the arrival at the capital of Captain William J. Palmer, stating in what particular par-ticular lines of the enemy he had operated, oper-ated, and adding that he had brought much important information that could not be given to the public at the time. These dispatches appeared next morning in all the Philadelphia papers, promi-nentlv promi-nentlv disnlaved. and of course reached the southern lines within 48 hours. The result was that Captain Palmer'a identity was never established in Rich mond, and his execution was thus suspended. sus-pended. In a little while, when some prisoners had been exchanged, there was a vacancy made in the list of the exchanged men by death. Palmer's friends had him take the place and name of the dead soldier, and he thus escaped and returned to the service. Philadelphia Times. |