Four Prominent Fort Dodge Society Girl's
Noted Woman Spy
Served Country Well
Miss ICllznboth L. Vail hew. the noted
union spy, wlin kept (loiioral (irant st
well posted during tin; war In regard to
I hi- movements and plans of the confojl
o rut oh, died at 1 a. in. September -Ti, after
an heroic struggle ot two yours against
Illness. Shu (llt'd at her quaint old man
sion on Church hill, Richmond, Va.
Miss Van hew was the daughter of John
Van Lew, a New Yorker of Dutch descent,
who married Kllzahoth Maker, a daughter
of Milliard llaker, mayor of Philadelphia,
who tiled In the yellow fever epidemic of
1 7!S. Her father prospered after locating
In Richmond. Ills family was received In
polite society and the wit anil heauty of
his eldest daughter made her a hullo even
in the cavalier society anil sentiment of
that time and place. Hut she never mar
ried. In the light of active events It might
not ho dlshelieved that some romance or
disappointment in earlier years embittered
her. Kor when the civil war commenced
she took a pronounced stand against the
south and the cause her Virginia compan
ions espoused. She remained in Richmond
and spied upon the confederacy and all Its
agents, civil and military, and such was
her lutulllgencu and acumen that shu
found means to communicate with tho
federal army during the years It thundered
at the Kates of thu confederate capital. In
this capacity she rendered the north serv
ices exceeding In value those of any wo
man In the south.
When Grant hovered about Richmond
.Miss Van Lew was in constant communi
cation with him. I'Mowers cut In her gar
den in the morning found their way to
('rant's taldo at City Point before night
fall. The Van hews owned a farm below
Richmond. Thither would go servants,
who, by reason of their humble station,
passed the guards unsuspected. Vet these
carried, usually in the soles of their shoes,
missives of great importance to the
eiu my.
During tiie war the old residence har
bored many a federal prisoner of war.
Allss Van hew was constantly In eoiiiinuni
catlon with hlbby prison and helped In
the escape of prisoners, hiding them, as
well as their horses, at her homo until
opportunity presented Itself for thcni to
get out of tho city. She aided in tho es
cape of Colonel Straight, the noted raider,
wlio, together witli l.SOO men. was cap
tured by Forrest and eonllued In hlbby
prison. Colonel Straight bored his way
out of the prison with Implements pro
vided for him by Miss Van hew. lie was
afterward concealed at her home until he
finally found a chance to get through the
confederate cordon.
The one Incident with which .Miss Van
how's name is most notably linked Is that
of tho removal of tho body of Colonel l'l
rlch Dalilgreu. a son of Admiral D.ihlgrcn.
who, while in command of a raiding party,
was killed in King and Queen county. Th"
body was brought to Richmond and wim
hurled In Oakwood cemetery In tho sec
tion sot apart as a burial place for federal
soldiers Admiral Dahlgron upon learning of
late of his sou unite to President Daw
Iroiu l'o ! I .Monroe begging tho return ot
tln body, tint when tho grave was opened
it was found tho body had boon removed
President Davis had to Inform Admiral
Dalilgreu of the disappearance. The ad
miral and his people, knowing tho Intense
fooling against his sou. did not believe
the body had over been burled, but had
boon oast into the river. A few weeks later
Miss Van how wrote him a letter that ex
plained the situation and relieved his
anxiety.
.Miss Van hew planned the enterprise
which resulted hi the removal of Dahl
grou's body, though It was not known till
the elose of tho war. Between the time of
burial and Admiral Dahlgreu's request the
body was taken from its resting place,
convoyed through the Duos and interred
near Hungary station.
When the war was over and (loneral
(rant had boon made president, one of Ills
llrst acts was to appoint Miss Van how
postmaster at Richmond March lit, lMl'f,
fifteen days after his inauguration. I'our
years later he reappointed her, but she
wont out of olllee at the end of her second
term. President Hayes, yielding to the Im
portunities of politicians, ami appointing
Colonel W. W. r'oibes. who succeeded her.
After remaining out of olllee for a while
Miss Van h-w secured a departmental ap
pointment at Washington, which she hold
until the lirst Cleveland administration,
when sl'o was reassigned. Tills caused her
to resign.
Afterward Miss Van how again made
her home in Richmond and. with her most
of the time, a niece, also named Kli.a
beth Van how, who died a few months ago
health is cMiaoi'dliiui ll good lutei ' ale
vor meager that the wile will gi an outing
until the last rites are said ovtt her body
This condition lias eliminated all thai is Im
plied by tho word homo."
Told Out of Court
The opinion in an early Maryland case
"acknowledges the corn" by saying thai
.something referred to was "at a former
sitting when the court was full.'
"I toll you, sir," explained the luwyei.
"1 losl thai case solely hoeause of the
despicable trick played on me by the op
posing counsel. Ho led mo lo believe he
was going to make a long-w Inded argu
ment, and after I bad talked for six hours
lie earned the eternal gratitude of the Jury
by idoslng with a llfleen-liilliule speech."
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The recent ease of Sklpwith against Hurl
was an action by a county Judge nil a
county treasurer's bond. The county ireaa
urer was Sklpwith, who skipped with tho
funds, and tho county Judge, who was Hurl,
brought tho action.
- -
This anecdote of the famous .helm Mar
tin (Jrover of tho Now York i onrl of ap
peals is related by Cam mid Comment
An attorney doliboralelv opining his tii'io
In tho coin t of appeals madt an iinusiinllv
lour, piua af'i i niiKiiiiii me, 'Inn ii wn
an apiieal from tin gi iieral term of He
i he Judges of w hit h
is very weak, whore
broke in and said
v our tli'Hi point seems
aptteal from tin
ilepal I lllellt .
were I hen regarded
upon Judge (inner
"Proceed, Mr.
lo be widl lahon."
Impressing his opinion of the court often
seems to give a defeated attorney perma
neiil relief. Some compliments to the
bench are given below. Due wrlles con
corning an adverse decision- 'The ease
is a legal curiosity, and seems to have
boon decided by main force." Another
wlio had boon overthrown in a highway
ease, wrlles of the court: "They do mil
know a highway oven when I hoy stumble
over II." Some ask us to overrule ami
ohnsllHO I ho eourl. Due wrlles. "II will
he of great beiiollt lo Iho profession thai
Ibis case he ihoinughly aired and the
fallacy and danger of II In its lar-reaching
results exposed." Another or prominent
lawyer says: "The opinion of our court
is a selu, ol hoy blunder, deserving of mil 1 1
lug but scathing rebuke, ami a review of
it should run in Unit line" Hut the most
seductive suggestion comes ill this form
"I should lie vcrv willing lii pay for silt
a i rune in of Hn deiiuui a is herein
nhnvi iiidliaietl by mi Tin recalls the
Quaki r i ha nig hi' liai n 'In wmd w ho
hired an un bin to ur a n
Star-Kyed Egyptians'
MISS AhICK BROOKS Ql'KKN 01 THU I'hOWKR P RADK AT LINCOLN Neb
Tiie condition of the women in lCgypt litis
greatly changed since the old days when
Cleopatra reigned supreme upon tho Nile
and had the whole world at her feel. Miss
Carrie Buchanan, a missionary of seven
years' experience, testifies that woman's lot
Is, perhaps, the most deplorable feature of
tho coiiulry. "They are rated below briito?,"
sin says. "A man might spiak of his do
nit stic animals, hut to mention his wife's
name in public is u breach of etiquette In Its
worst form. If It does happen that by a
slip of the tongue tho wife's name Is spoken
tho husband spits on the ground Immediately
afterward, to show his contempt anil idealise
his mouth.
"Most of tlu- people in Kgypt," says Mrs.
Buchanan, "are of the Mohammedan faith
and are yet controlled in a largo measure
by the ruling hand of the Turkish empire"
She hays It Is the religion that has caused
numerous uprisings In Kgypl and that the
spirit of the .Mohammedan faith Is rospniisl
bin for iho riotous and unruly "Boxer" elo
meiit In China.
"But Kgypt Is facing a brighter future
and with the Pit! schools nourishing, with
an eiiiollmoia of HO.OOO, 1.000 of which are
girls, there Is ample ground for encourage
inent. Many of tho wealthy ICgyptlans ami
those of higher classes are now desirous
of bringing their daughters up In the stylo
of tho American women nnd are sending
them to tho mission schools for American
education.
"One of the greatest hindrances the mis
sionaries experience Is tho lack of homo
life anil lnlliioncos, which form a foundation
on which to build character. When a woman
enters Into the matrimonial contract under
tho Mohammedan law she practically enters
upon a life's Imprisonment. A small per
eentago of tho population that Is not
Mohaniineilan Is less strict In Imposing
matrimonial obligations, and a wife may
leave tho house five years after the mar
rlago ceremony, providing there has been
no death in the family. Kach death adds
one year to a wife's exclusive domestic tin
ties, ami so many members of the same
family live under the same ioof that unless
miss it in m ku qi i:i:s
Photo by O Recti
OK FLOW hR ( RNIV L MIS.SDl III hhl la-
