Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1858-11-25


their tiny hands and curse me-. Tht
graves in yonder .chnrchyard,. woulG
shrink from my footsteps, and yonde
flag would stain baptism of blood up
on my heart. ''l''" t'-.- f-+''"* ~
F That was an awful death bed, The
minister has watched the ''last night,
with a hundred eunviets in their cell.
and yet ncver beheld scene as terrible
as this. .arr,.r -.t .-t-.- r..--.-s-.
Suddenly the dying man arose He
| tottereG along the floor With those
white fingers, whose nails are blue with
the death-chill, he threw open the va
lise.,r He showed his military coat trim
med with silver, an old parchment, a
piece OF cloth that looked like the wreck
Of battle flag.
look ye, priest, this faded coat is
spotted with my blood l''h he cried, as
old memories seemed stirring at his
heart. This is the last coat I wor,
when I planted the banner of the stars
on Ticonderoea. That bullet hole wa:
pierced in the fight at Quebec; now
am a--let me whisper in your ear"
Now, help me, priest" he said in a
voice growing suddenly tremulous :
ahelp me put on this coat Of blue anG
silver. For you see,", and a ghostly
smile came over his face, there is nc
one to wipe the cold drops from my
brow; no wife, no child-I must meet
death alone; but will meet him, as i
met him in battle, without fear
While he stood arraying himself in
that orm- eaten coat of blue and silver
the good preacher spoke to him of faith
in Jesus. Yes, of that great faith which
pierce the clouds Of human guilt, and
! rolls them back from the face of God
Faith = echoed the strange, man,
who stood there erect, with the death
| light in his eye s'Faith, can it give me
back my honor? Look yc, priest, there
over the waves, sits George Washing
ton, telling. to his comrades the pleasan
story of the eight years war--tbere In
his royal hall sits George Of England
bewailing in his idiotic voice the loss. OF
his colonies. And here am I--I-who
was the first to raise the flag ofircedom
the first to strike the blow against that
King-here am | dying like Il dog r.
The awe stricken preacher started
back from the look of the dying man
HulIe-lnrOD-ID IDFOu-tuTO the
death-watch in the shattered wall.
-s'Hash silence along the lines
there !" lie muttered in that wild, ab
sent tone, as thon gh speaking to the
dead; "sitehce along the lines .Hark.
you, Montgomery, we will meet tiltr,
in victory or death !! Hist silence,
nv men, not whisper, az you move up
those steep rocks! Now on my boys,
now on l.. Men Of the wilderness, We
will gain the town. NeW ap with the
banner iof;the-stars;7 up with the aas of
freedom. though the uight is dark and
the snow falls Now-now-'' shrek
ed the death stricken man, towering
there, in the blue uniform, with his
clenchcd hands waiving in the air
now, now One blow. and Quebec is
ours
And look. His eyes grew gIas.y.-
With that word on his lips. be stands
there-ah what a. hideous picture OF
despair, erect, livid. CHASTITY There
for u moment and then he falls He is
dead |! All hook at that proud fnrm,
throGn cold and stiT upon the damp
floor. In that CLASSY eye there fingers
even yet, horrible energy,a sublimity OF
despair. 80 H =
Who is this strange man, dying here
alone in this rude garnet, this man, who.
i'm all his crime, still treasured up his
blue uniform and faded flag?
Who is this being of terrible r.morse?
This man. whose memories link some
thing Of heaven and more of hell
Let US look at that parchment and
the flag.
The old minister unrolIs that faded
flag, it was a blue banner cleaning with
thirteen stars.
He unrolls that parchment. 1t is a
Coloners commission in the Continental
Army, addressed BENEDICT ARNOLD
And there, in that rude hut, while
the death watch throbbed like heart
in the shattered wall--unknown. un-
wept in all the bitterness of desolation
lag the corps of that patriot and traitor
o; that our own true Washington had
been there TO sever that good right arm
from the corpse. and while the dishon
ored Indy rotted into. dust, TO bring
home rhat good right arm and emha M
it among the ho!iest memories of the
past.
For that right arm had struck many
gallant blow for freedom, yonder n
Ticondero-a. at Qncbec, Chaupiaih
rnl Saratora-that arm yondsr, heneath
the snow white mountain, Gu the deep
silence of the dead, first raised into
sight the banner of the STARS.
1t was during the renowned expedi-
ton. throug'i the Wilderness to Qnebec
that Arnold encamped for Two or three
days beside the hiver nf the Dead. nesl
anow white monnt;,iu whj"h rose in
EovIy Graudnur over ~! othr npGn
tains. iutu The ,,utuinuri Ky = -jn4l,
/ ,nisi"r .arculled the mua4atfsn ~. Il il.
/ hope al buhoidin:. ifnui :; +lrsn:t Il.
rurk Is a'lf spires of '.lta',:'. Whom ii.
eanie down ArH"..i tnnk from his brea~t
where. farL inar DAYS IN privltion ans
dtn@er, he had carried it, blue banner
9lean.ing with thirteen stars He erais
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