hought "a bird in hand worth two in the
bush," and I held him.

Upon his person I found his authority from the New York "Tribune" to
collect news at the front. This authority had been his open sesame
through our lines. I came to New York and saw Mr. Sidney B. Gay, of the
"Tribune"; he informed me that he remembered such a person, that he came
to him highly recommended; that he gave him the authority but had never
heard from him. I learned later that the powerful interests that were
working on me to compel his release were the same that had highly
recommended him to the "Tribune." He was a very successful and dangerous
spy until I interfered.

I will not tell you who the powerful interests were; suffice it to say
they were Confederates, doing good work for the Confederacy all the
while. Yet they had the entree of the departments at Washington, having
very powerful influence there. There were no other parties in the United
States so strongly allied. Through their medium many strange things were
manipulated. I will not mention their names, for they are all dead now.
I consider Langley's arrest one of the most important.

Of all the newspapers the "Tribune" was the very best to conjure with.
Any person who could show credentials from that paper would undoubtedly
be welcome anywhere on our lines.

Langley knew that I would visit the "Tribune," hence his efforts in his
statement to account for why he had not served them.

FILE XXIX.

Patrick Scally, an honest deserter from the Confederate service--A sketch
of the defences of Richmond.

The following statement is interesting as showing how a poor, ignorant,
drunken man was hurried off with Gilmor and Bradley T. Johnson, in July,
'64, when they retreated from north of Baltimore.

I feel sure the whiskey was paid for by Judge Grason, or Mr. Cockey, or
some of the other disloyals spoken of in Mr. Kremer's and my own former
reports. They undoubtedly gave him the horse, also:

Baltimore, Md.,
Dec. 23, 1864.

Statement of Patrick Scally:

"I was born in Ireland. I lived in Texas, Baltimore County,
for five years before I went South; my father and mother live
there. I am a laborer.

I went South on the tenth of last July, that is, I joined
Gilmor's command at Texas. I joined Company C, Second Maryland
Battalion. They gave me a horse, carbine and sabre. The
second day after I joined them I was in the fight in