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Show IS ci 'run u I i&2T r By ELMO SCOTT WATSON ELLE BOYD Is going iTA home back to her be-jj be-jj loved Valley of the Shen- ik anlonh. For nearly thirty ' f"la ( f years one of the most Byig famous spies in all Amer-JL4 Amer-JL4 A I'-'an history lias slept In -Tifl "'hat to her was alien TJtuSiK&rfh ground in a little cemetery ceme-tery near Kilbourn, Wis. Over her grave stood a simple stone upon which was this inscription: "Belle Boyd. Confederate spy. Born In Virginia. Died In Wisconsin. Erected by a comrade." But now plans are under un-der way to rebury her in the soil of her native state. In the South which she served so well. Belle Boyd's life span was a stormy half-century. The story of her girlhood girl-hood she tells In a book, "Belle Boyd In Camp and Prison," which she wrote while she was virtually an exile in England after the Civil war. She ays: There is perhaps no tract of country coun-try In the world more lovely than the Valley bf the Shenandoah. There Is, or rather I would say there was. ' no prettier or more peaceful village than Martinsburg, where I was born In 1844. . According to the cus- t form of my country, I was sent at twelve years of age to Mount Washington Wash-ington college, of which Mr. Staley, Of whom I cherish a most grateful ; recollection, was the principal. At six teen my education was supposed to be Completed and I made my entree into the world in Washington city with nil the high hopes and thoughtless joy natural to my time of life. Washington is so well known to English people that 1 will not pause to describe Its gayeties and pleasures. In the winter of 18C0-61, when I made my first acquaintance with P, the reason rea-son was pre-eminently brilliant. The congress halls were nightly dignified by the presence of our ablest orators end statesmen. The salons of the wealthy and the talented were filled to overflowing, the theaters were crowded crowd-ed to excess, and for the last time for many years to come the daughters of the North and the South commingled In sisterly love and friendship. Then she tells how Virginia replied to Lincoln's call for volunteers by a similar call for volunteers for Virginia. Vir-ginia. Both her mother's father and her own father immediately enlisted In the Confederate army, her father Joining the Second Virginia regiment. Says Belle: "It was armed and equipped with a subscription raised by myself and other ladies of the valley. val-ley. The corps was commanded by Colonel Nadenbush and belonged to that section of the Southern army, known as the 'Stonewall Brigude.'" Martinsburg being on the border line between the North and the South, It soon felt the ravages of war and Belle's first service for the South was as a nurse In a hospital for Confederate Confed-erate soldiers In her home town When the Northern forces entered that town Belle came Into Immediate prominence by defying a Union captain cap-tain who declared before leaving that she was an "independent rebel lady." Belle Saves Her Home Her attitude toward the invaders of Martinsburg resulted in the Federal troops determining to raise the St.irs and Stripes over the Boyd home. Belle's mother declared that every member of her family would die before be-fore they would permit that, whereupon where-upon a soldier, who Is said to have been intoxicated, struck her to the floor. He was promptly shot down by the daughter. In retaliation the soldiers sol-diers threatened to burn the house but Belle hastened to the Union commander com-mander and by his orders the home was saved. Soon afterwards Belle took advantage advan-tage of the opportunity presented by her position within the Federal lines to begin her activities as a spy. Her first attempt, however, was a failure. One day, after having exercised her charms to wheedle military Information Informa-tion from a Union officer, she en- ysT. vyvVV S f rK ? I V A " W ' ' - ' I !tV, HJt - ' trusted a message to an old negro mammy who was to carry it to the Confederates. The negress was captured cap-tured and the message she carried traced to Belle Boyd who was arrested ar-rested and taken before a Union colonel. That officer, probably impressed im-pressed by her charms no less than his subordinate, contented himself with reading her the articles of war about spies instead of shooting her. He released her, warning her, however, how-ever, that she would not escape so e.islly the next time. Undaunted by this experience Belle continued her work as a spy whenever when-ever the opportunity offered. She constantly furnished valuable information informa-tion to Gen. Stonewall Jackson and Gen. J. E. B. Stuart while they were operating In the Shenandoah Valley and in one instance she Is believed to have saved Jackson from a disastrous disas-trous defeat. Belle Is Found Guilty On one occasion she entrusted a message to a supposed Confederate soldier who turned out to be a Union spy and who took the message to General Shields. Belle was arrested, taken to Harpers Ferry and then to Washington where she was confined In the Old Capitol prison. She was tried by court martial, found guilty, but after an Imprisonment of several months was given her freedom through an exchange of prisoners. As a matter of fact, the record of her various arrests Is none too clear. And for some mysterious reason she was repeatedly re-peatedly released although she was known to be a dangerous spy. Some of her exploits verge upon the legendary legen-dary so that it Is impossible to set down any complete record of her life as a spy with any assurance that it Is accurate in every detail. About the only thing that is certain cer-tain is that her spirit was never broken brok-en by any of her experiences and that she did more first-class defying of her captors than any other spy on record. rec-ord. Perhaps the highest tribute that was ever paid to her was the order of Secretary Stanton when she was arrested in Martinsburg to which she had returned in 1SG3. "Don't let her get near enough to anyone to talk," he directed, "she'll charm the heart out of his body." Eventually she was Imprisoned in Carroll prison in Washington, again placed on trial and sentenced to hard labor in Fitchhurg prison. Later this sentence was commuted and she was released and sent South with orders never again to be found within the Federal lines. Some time later she took passage on a blockade runner bound for England. This ship was captured by a Union vessel and Belie Boyd was again a prisoner. However, she was treated more as a guest en the Union ship than as a prisoner. Here romance entered her life when she made the acquaintance of Lieut. Samuel Harding who fell in love with her. Belle reciprocated and after being be-ing sent to Canada, she made her way to England. Harding joined her there and they were married. When Harding Har-ding returned to the United States, he was arrested as a deserter and Imprisoned Im-prisoned for a time. There is some dispute as to the later lat-er life of Harding and his wife. According Ac-cording to one account, Belle rejoined him in this country after President Johnson's amnesty proclamation had freed him, but for some reason their happiness together was short-lived and she divorced him. Another account ac-count says nothing about a divorce but states that be joined her in England Eng-land after he was released and that he died there In 1SG9. Takes to the Stage At any rate the next that Is heard of Belle Boyd is her entrance upon a theatrical career and her becoming the leading lady at the Academy of Music in New Orleans. Soon afterwards after-wards she married Col. John Swain-ston Swain-ston Hammond, but they soon drifted apart and were divorced. She married a third time, her last husband being Nathaniel R High, son of a Toledo clergyman. High accompanied her upon her tours about the country as an actress and a lecturer and was with her when she came to Kilbourn, Wis., in 1000 to fill a theatrical engagement. en-gagement. She fell ill there and died on June 11. She was burled in the Spring Grove cemetery there asd for some time her grave was unmarked. Finally Final-ly two members of the Woman's Relief Re-lief corps In Kilbourn purchased a board on which was placed the following fol-lowing Inscription: "One Flag, One Country. Marie Isabel High, Belle Boyd, Confederate Spy. Born May 9, 1S43. Died June 11, 1900." Later a stone was purchased by W. A. Ever-man Ever-man of Greenville, Miss., and that Is the stone which now stands at the head of her grave. Each year at Memorial Me-morial day members of the G. A. R. and the Woman's Relief corps decorate deco-rate ihe grave as reverently as they do those of their own soldier dead. But if present plans are carried out that labor of love will no longer be necessary. For Belle Boyd is going home back to her. beloved Valley of the Shenandoah. And in the future her own people of the South will care for her grave and over It one day In each year will droop the Stars and Bars, which she served so well so ' many years ago. I |