Author Unknown
Eighteen year old Joshua Davis was squirrel hunting one day near his parents' home near Atlanta, Georgia during the Civil War. Suddenly he found himself surrounded by Union soldiers. Davis was deaf but he could tell that they were shouting at him. The soldiers were members of General Sherman's army which was marching to the sea destroying everything in its path. Davis pointed to his ears and gestured that he was deaf but the soldiers did not believe him.
They suspected that he was a spy and was trying to fool them by pretending to be deaf. They shoved and pushed him to a nearby house where a couple standing in front informed them that the youth was their son and that he was, indeed, deaf. The captors did not believe them either and they were looking for a rope to hang young Davis as a spy, when a mounted officer rode up. The officer was informed that they had caught a spy who was "playing deaf." The officer rode over to the youth and fingerspelled to him: "Are you deaf?" The youth responded in signs, "Yes." The officer asked "Where were you educated?" and the young man told him at the school for the deaf in Cave Spring. With that information, the officer ordered the youth's release and the family's house spared. Greatly relieved at the unexpected turn of events, the family invited the officer to eat with them.
During the meal the officer and Joshua Davis conversed in sign language. The family learned that the officer had a deaf brother in Illinois who had taught him to sign. Joshua Davis later moved to Texas, became a farmer and raised a family of seven. Five of his children were deaf and one was hard of hearing. He lived to the age of 84, never forgetting how close he came to being hanged when he was only 18..
They suspected that he was a spy and was trying to fool them by pretending to be deaf. They shoved and pushed him to a nearby house where a couple standing in front informed them that the youth was their son and that he was, indeed, deaf. The captors did not believe them either and they were looking for a rope to hang young Davis as a spy, when a mounted officer rode up. The officer was informed that they had caught a spy who was "playing deaf." The officer rode over to the youth and fingerspelled to him: "Are you deaf?" The youth responded in signs, "Yes." The officer asked "Where were you educated?" and the young man told him at the school for the deaf in Cave Spring. With that information, the officer ordered the youth's release and the family's house spared. Greatly relieved at the unexpected turn of events, the family invited the officer to eat with them.
During the meal the officer and Joshua Davis conversed in sign language. The family learned that the officer had a deaf brother in Illinois who had taught him to sign. Joshua Davis later moved to Texas, became a farmer and raised a family of seven. Five of his children were deaf and one was hard of hearing. He lived to the age of 84, never forgetting how close he came to being hanged when he was only 18..