Only one month after I made it the snow finally melted enough for me
to place it. Not that I couldn't have placed it during the snow but.

Knights of Colombo, Please up date the Doubtful Guests' website and
send the URL to the VA webmaster. Thanks

Scarab of the Doubtful Guests

Fort Marcy
Fairfax County
Northern Virginia
Nearby town withheld
Placed by Scarab of the Doubtful Guests
March 13, 2003
Dogs ok.
Tools required: flashlight; long, untwisted wire coat hanger.

This is not particularly a mystery letterbox but then again Call it
a small mystery. As always, please do not root around cluelessly in
the underbrush disturbing the flora and fauna. When you figure it
out it will be pretty obvious. Please be discrete as this is out in
the open somewhat and replace it carefully with its black camoflage
cover.


"Easy fella. Now what's happening at the bridge? Could they
have heard about my troubles in Washington already?"
Harrison Raines slowed his horse and looked ahead at the
soldiers guarding the bridge to Virginia.
Son of a southern plantation owner, now Washington resident,
horse trader and sometime reluctant spy for the Union, Harry was
fleeing the city once again followed by the suspicions and
misunderstandings of lower level Washington authorities. Pinkerton
and Lincoln himself had recruited Harry to work for the Union cause,
and the suspicions of local Union authorities only made Harry even
more useful for secret enquiry's in the South. Unfortunately, it was
often very inconvenient.
"Halt!"
Earlier that morning across the river and high on the hill at
Fort Marcy there was no traffic in sight, "Men, this morning we will
conduct some range tests on the bridge down there. If we're to
defend the Capital, we have to be ready to shoot rapidly and
accurately. Damn the quartermasters for not supplying enough powder
and shot for drills but I'll pay for it myself if I have to. Ready
your cannon to fire alongside the bridge and be sure you don't hit it
this time. Sargent, send word to the sentries to halt any traffic
until we give the all clear signal."
"Yes Sir."
Harry sauntered his horse up to the sentry post trying to
look as nonchalant as he didn't feel.
Boom!
"Heeyah!"
The horse bolted.
"Hey, stop! Wait."
Harry used the excuse to charge past the sentries and gallop onto the
bridge.
Boom! "Good Lord they're firing on us!"
The artillery man's accuracy was misinterpreted as damn close
near misses.
"Cease firing! What's that idiot doing down there! Sargent
get down there and arrest that man!"
"Bugler, sound arrest and detain", shouted the Sargent
running for his horse. Instantly the bugler sounded the company's
code followed by the practiced signal code.
Harry didn't know the bugle code he heard as he galloped over
the Potomac below but they weren't firing cannon at him anymore and
that he liked. He didn't like the look of the sentry's eyes nor
their fixed bayonets lowered in his direction.
"Good morning gentlemen."
"We ain' no genelmen and you ain' goin' nowhere neither `til
the Sargent comes."
The Sargent led Harry up the hill escorted by two bored and
trigger happy looking sentries.
After much suspicious interrogation, Fort Marcy's Commander
was surprised to find the bridge fool to be an apparent southern
gentleman albeit a little down on his luck. "I am sorry we startled
your horse and were obliged to detain you, but tell me again what
brings a horse trader from Washington across the river?"
"I moved my operations into town but I still own land and
horses northwest of here. If I don't visit it I'm afraid of what
might become of it."
"I believe you're who you say you are but only because I've
heard of a horse of yours in some relation to a questionable game of
cards," the Commander said with some amusement, "I don't suppose you
know anything about that?"
"I try to sell my horses, not lose them."
"Well you don't look shifty enough or prosperous enough to be one of
those broken down horse dealers cheating the Union Army. The Sargent
will see you on your way. Be careful and stop next time."
"Thank you Sir," thinking this must be the only time losing a
horse at cards saved his neck, Harry replied, "I shall be."
"Men, clean your cannon well. We're done for the day."

Harrison Raines is a fictional character created by Michael Kilian in
his Civil War mystery novels: Murder at Manassas and A Killing at
Balls Bluff. Please replace the letterbox carefully camoflaged by
its black cover. If you find this letterbox, missing, damaged or
puzzling write theDoubtfulGuests@yahoo.com.