Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1856-10-17
fiterarp 5elfftions.
THE DEsERTER.
BIZ sYLvAxus COBB, JR.

circumstance happened there which Is
worth relating. a friend, named Collins,
Was with me at dinner one afternoon. 1t
was n the sumner of 1913, and towards
the latter par Of the month of August,
if my memory serves me rightly. At
any rate the grapes were ripening and
we had sos6e noble ones upon our table.
As we arose from the board our host
asked us if we were going up to the bar
racks. We Informed him that We had
made no arrangement of that kind, and
asked him II there was to be any unusual
parade
Why, yes he answered, with that
peculiar Dagonian shrug of the should
ers and twist Of the features, = there is
to be something that we have not had be-
fore for more than a year. A deserter
Is to DC shot
Collins was sup and dressed" in a
twinkIing for going, but l had little in
cEinati0n that way. Only about month
before. L had seen three Bedouin Arabs
decapiGated At TripoI for the crime of
treason, and had no desire to see any
more blood she'd after such fashions, and
50 I told nine host, whom We always
called Old Joe-and that was the only
name i ever knew him to possess.
suppose now you would rather see
that desener escape, than not, eh: :" said
Joe, looking me IN the face sharply.
. II his only crime Is desertion, of
course should, said 1.
Wen, that is his only crime and
more stiIl-hi5 mother used to live over
towards Atalaya, on the southern coast,
and was sick. Philip wished to see her,
and they would not let him 60, so he
made his escape. This he has done
three times, and now he has been tried
and conlemned to be shot. The last
time they took him, they found hiui-by
his mothers bed. He had thrown of
his military garb, and had in its stead
assumed the dress of a common peas
anti
@It's rather hard to shoot a man for
such thing said I.
Az" returned Joe, with the old
slrus, know # :; but suppose soldiers
eoald be their own judges of when they
might Ieave-why, we shouldn't have a
soldier in month, you see, they must
stick up to the rules, and 50 poor Philip
Ce-vera must be shot. But I suppose
tliat You would ike 10 have him escape.
I assured lie host that l should. He
gazed very carefully about the room, and
then stepping close up to my side, he
said, in tone almost reduced 10 a whis-
per.
Then come up to the parade ground
Just come up and see that what you can
see. Come.
/ knew from the mans manner thai
something out Of the ordinary. course o.
such events vas going to happen, and
told Collins / would 90 with him. The
host was son ready, and We accompanied
hila 10 the barracks They are at the
upper end Of the town, at the Place d.
Armes, the buildings forming one bount
of the wide enclosure, while the othel
sides are BOUNDED by high, thick wall
As soon as We reached the place, W
found the regiment to which the deserte
belonged forming. Joe pointed out to u
the spot where the execution was to tax
place. and thither we bent our steps
This spot was close by the high wall upo
The east side Of the enclosure. A stak
was driven firmly into the ground With
a few feet of The wall, and half-doze
soldiers nith a corporal were on the sPc
to guard the premises.
Ere long the regiment was ready til
band struck up a mournful dirge, and th
Z procession commenced to move. Fir
rode the oEzcers Of the staff, then cam
the band. ard then most Of the regimei
: following. Behind these came the 81
men Nho were to shoot the deserter, an
next eane tie deserter himself. Z
walked between two sergents, with h
> bead bowed and his arms pinioned b
3 Lind him. following him we're fog
. men bearing = rough coffin and last
al came The company to which the 4
serter belonged. It was a mournf
scene. The soldiers walked with SD
and measured tread, and even the ve
3 horses seemed to have imbibed the ;
3 spirit Of tie occasion.
TIE procession marched wholly arou
lie pIaze, and as they approached I
= spct whezs We stood, the staff and ba
fled os ard the regiment was drawn
= sespieircular form before the stal
Ihen the deserter, his attendants and