A Spy named NORTON.

[SSlater]

Just because your name is NORTON, and the screen is rather quiet, I will give you a spy story about a NORTON, THAT WILL BE NEWS TO THE WORLD.

When Thomas Nelson Conrad operated his spy ring in Washington, he "got made" by Lafayette Baker and had to vacate D.C. -pronto. He was warned of the impending arrest by HIS SPY that was working in the front office of the U.S. Secret Service. His name was ANDREW A. NORTON. Conrad has bragged over the years about his man in hiding, but he couldn't remember his name. Yeah! That was a convenient lapse of memory. I'm sure that Andrew thanked him for dis-remembering. Conrad left him in charge of the Washington operation and set off for King George County. He set up a new camp on the Boyd's Hole Farm, that he called "Eagle's Nest". (Today, the farm is part of the Caledon Park) The farm was owned by Fannie B. Dade. Her maiden name was Frances Byrd Turner and she was the widow of Lucian Dade. It so happens that she was an agent for the North. She was the northern end of the "Crazy Liz" spy ring that operated in Richmond. (Elizabeth Van Lew) "Liz" would help Union Officers to escape from Libby Prison, and other charming "Hell Holes". She would put them on the train North, that got them to Hamilton's Crossing -just short of Fredericksburg, VA but- across the Rappahannock River from another of Fannie Dade's farms, Spring Hill Farm.

By the way, the superintendent of the RR was Samuel Ruth - a Union Agent. They were safe on his train, and he got them across the Rappahannock to Spring Hill, and Fannie would get them across King George to the Potomac (Boyd's Hole Farm). and Fannie either put them on a gunboat or into Maryland and freedom.

Conrad was lonely and Fannie was a widow - so, they became an Item, hereabouts, until Conrad uncovered Fannie and had her arrested.

Fannie was in a panic. In an effort to save her own skin, she went to Richmond and spilled the beans on the Van Lew operation. That's OK, because her testimony was unacceptable, because the Judge ruled that "she was nothing but a common camp follower". The case was thrown out and everybody went back to spying.

After the war, Samuel Ruth, submitted his exspence account, his "Cheat Sheet", for his costs of doing business as a spy and he included the money spent to bribe the judge, and got paid.

Remember the Wistar Raid, and the Dahlgren Raid? Both of these raids failed, because the South knew they were coming. Both of the raids included the 1st District of Columbia Cavalry, headed by Lafayette Baker.
The plans for the raids were developed in the Secret Service Office and were copied down very neatly by our buddy NORTON, and passed South by Conrad.

NORTON was never found, so he never stood trial.

Every word of this is true. Much of it is given in Conrad's books - but not the part that he "forgot".

P.S. After all got quiet and reconstruction began, Fannie married Andrew A. Norton. It didn't last long, so there were no children.

This story could have easily been a book. There are more details that I have left out, but I didn't want to bore you.