The Columbia Democrat. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1837-1850, 1839-04-06
THE FLOGGING.

with no trifing degree Of feeling. This
sketch is worth many pamphlets oil the sub
ject.
"PARADH, sir!--parade sir There's
parade this morning sir!'
With these words, grumbled out by the
unyielding lungs, Of my servant, was a.
wakened from an agreeable dream in my
barrack-room one morning, about quarter
before eight o'clock.
'Psrade!'-I reflected moment;--'yes,'
said l, "a punishment parade
proceeded to dress; and as ! looked out
Of my window saw that the morning was
as gloomy and disagreesble as the duty we
were about to perform. 'Curse the punish
mentl--curse the crinesr muttered I, to
myself.
was soon shaved, booted and belted.
The parade call was beaten, and in a mo-
ment was in the barrack yard.
The non.commissioned officers marching
their sqadS TO the grounds the officers like
myself, were turning out, the morning was
cold as we'll as foggy, and there was a sui
len melancholy expression upon every
mans countenaRcs indicative of disYelish
they had for punishment parade, the faces
Of the officers, as upon all such occasions,
were particularly serious; the women OI
the regiment were to be seen in silenI
groups a, The borrack-windows, in shor,
every thing around appealed to the heart
and made il sick. Two soldiers were &c
receive two hundred Iashes each. One o
them corporal, had preserved a good char
acter for many years in the regiments bu
he had been in the present instance seduceC
into the commission Of serious offences BY
an associate of very bad character Thei
crimes arising doubtless from habits Of in
tOxication, were disobedience of orders, in
science TO the sergeant on duty, and making
away with some Of their necessaries.
The regiment formed on the parade, ant
we marched in few minutes to the riding
houses, where the triangle was erected, a
bout which the men formed square will
the colonel, the adjutant, the surgeon, ant
and the drummer, in the centre.
Attention" roared out the colonel, tn,
word were il not have been used, for the at
tenton of all was most intense: and scarce
ly could the footsteps of the last men clio
sing in, be fairly said to have broken th'
gloomy silence of the riding house. Tht
two prisoners are now marched into III,
centre of the square, escorted by q cOrpO
raj and four men.
Attention. was again called, and the sd
jutant commanded to read the proceeding
of the court martial When he had conelu
ded, the colonel commanded the private tC
strip
The drummers now approached the tri'
angle, four IN number, and the SENIOR tool
up the 'cat,' in order to free the tails from
ENHANCEMENT with each other.
Strip, sir!' repeated the colonel, having
observed that the prisoner seemed reluctan
to obey the first order.
Colonel replied he, in a determined
tone, l volunteers
You'll volunteer, will you sir!'
Yes, sooner than I'll be foggsd.'
Il am not sorry for that. Such fellow,
as you can be OF no use to the service ex
cept in Africa. Take him back to tn,
guard house, and let the necessary paper
be made out for him Immediately
The latter part of the sentence was ad
dressed TO the corporal of the guard whc
escorted the prisoners; and accordingly the
man who volunteered was marched off 1
morose frown and contenptuous sneeI
strongly marked on his countenance.
The colonel now addressed the othel
prisoner.
*Men under sentence Of court MARTA
were allowed the option of either sufferin,
the sentence, or volunteering to serve OF