20 Southern Historical Society Papers.
in his attractive home, No. 203 East Franklin street, with the bal- ance of the last rebel reinforcement from the North.
I wish I had at hand the means of determining the exact dates of these occurrences, but can only say we arrived in Richmond some time before the battle of Bethel, my brother and I volunteering in what was called "Junior Company F," which was at that time recruiting and drilling in a basement room under the Spotswood Hotel, the drill master of our squad being the lamented John H. ( familiarly known as "Jock" Ellerson.
AN ADVENTURE.
A day or two after his arrival another unfortunate and most un- pleasant accident befel poor Beers. He had gone out alone after din- ner and did not return. He was not a man to be taken at a disad- vantage by an emergency, but the city was full of excitement and his position was a delicate one, and as time passed and the run- ners we had sent out in every direction failed to bring any news of him, we became anxious and apprehensive. At last, sometime after dark, we heard that he had been arrested as "a Yankee spy" and locked up in the negro jail. Two or three of us hurried to the spot to find the mortifying report only too true.
I can never forget the impression made upon me by the bearing of the noble fellow, as I attempted to express the pain and mortification I felt at the ignominious treatment he had received. He uttered not one word of complaint, but met me with a manly smile and hearty handshake, expressing mingled amusement and approbation, saying that while the charge was rather wide of the mark, yet the mistake was very natural; that there were probably plenty of such characters about, , and he was glad to see we were on the alert for them.
The most mortifying feature of the affair was that we were unable to secure his release that night. The evening was quite far advanced when we ascertained where he was, and it was deemed best to see Hon. Joseph Mayo, then mayor of the city, before resorting to habeas corpus proceedings. Mr. Mayo was found, as I now recol- lect, at the house of a friend, but he declined to interfere, insisting that the party should be brought regularly before the court in the morning; indeed, he made the impression upon me that he was originally responsible for the arrest, or, if not, that he willingly as- sumed responsibility for it and had no idea of approving any short
