The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-11-20

A week elasped, ana mad recovered from
my wound. The chief Of the party who had
/ captured me offered me my liberty on con
J, dition that gave my parole not to bear
arms against the rebels again during twelve
months This had sworn never to do in
the event Of my becoming prisoner to the
confederate army. was equally resolved
now to adhere to my oath.
From that moment was closely guarded,
with the vigilance known but to angry foe.
No sleepy sentinel ever lounged with heavy
limb and weary eye, in mock watchfulness,
near the rugged c,uch whereon Hay. But,
sleeping or waking, some hawk. g, ed watch
er kept guard by my side, marking all my
outgoings and incomings.
In that camp was anotho, prisoner besides
myself-a miserable creature, apparently
only waiting the certain death that the
caprice of mcrceiless band would, in some
unexpected moment, hurl upon his head, and
whom nothing bat the same caprice permit
ted still to move upon the earth living thing.
This wretch had been captured some days
after had, in the act of robbing the dead af-
ter skirmish. His crime. in the eye Of the
soldie-, is deadly sin. He is the pariah of
his class. vulture'to foul for an honest
shot, from whose blood the bright steel would
receive a disgrace deeper than its stain.
A thing too WORTHLESS to hang; one whose
loathesome life should be crushed out sud.
denly, with stone or club, as reptile should
and the contaminated weapon then flung
from the hand forever.
He cringed to his captors, and they drove
him from them with curses and kicks, and
when he fawned, they spat upon him.
! AN ESCAPE.
| One night, after unwearied watchfulness
and ceaseless planning, broke from the
bondage that held me- The night was clou-
dy and threatened rain. had heard enough
| from my captors to know that detat tchment
of Northern troops was encamped to the
eastward, within five miles of US. This de-
tachment resolved to reach or die. From
what had heard among the guerillas, I felt
assured I could with little difficulty find the
encampment. After crouching my way
through and along the outskirts Of thicket
(that grew by the side Of road, old and
grass grown, running nearly east and west)
for at least two miles, merged from it into
the read, sweating and bleeding; hatless,
my clothes, torn to fragments, painting and
wearied. had taken my bearings from the
few stars that gli,nmered through the clouds
in the unobscured spots of the heavens, and
was about to start along the road in the cas-
terly direction, when man leaped from the
thicket-and the thiefof the battle field the
plundcrer Of the dead, stood by my side-
"On, on !" he exclaimed, in hoarse and ex-
cited tones, pointing along the road in the
direction was about to take, "they'rc fol-
lowing" He shook with fear, and pitied
him. Disgust at his presence, too, was les
soned by sense Of the comming danger
Before could speak he dashed past me
along the road followed, and thus we
fed for more than twenty minutes; he a
little ahead Of me during the whole time
We reached narrow, unfinished bridge,
stretching from high banks across stream.
We began to it, but our progress
was much impeded and even endangered,
as our only stepping points were from beam
to beam, and plank to plank, most Of them
loose and rotten and at uneven distances
The bridge was supported by huge piles set
in the river, whose sullen waters we were
able to distinguish rushing far beneath Us.
Yet it seemed shallow there, for white
breakers curling round the rocks we could
detect also. Onward we went I was now
in advance some dozen yards IAN before us
twenty feet, was lost in the gloom; behind,
the same darkness, impenetrable at the same
distance. Yet on we pressed from one rot
ten, shaking timber to another. Suddenly
loud shouts in the rear proclaimed the pur.
suing foe. These were followed by the
sharp ring Of rifles, and fearful shrek
from my companion. stepped and turn
ed. He called on me for the ''love of Heav-
en- to help him." returned some little dis
tance, and found him clinping about couple
of feet above the cross pieces to narrow
iron bar that ran from one Of the piles to an.
other. He was struggling wildly. "How is
its" asked, as stopped to aid him. But
discovered my assistance to be valueless,
unless could place my feet on the bar, and
leaning with my breast upon one of the tim.
bers, reach over both hands and grasp him
by the collar. AS was making this essay
the moon broke fully upon, and I met his
upturned face. His teeth was set. Hi,
bloodless lips drawn from them with = rigi.
dity that left them completely bare. His
eyes were starting from their sockets, his
form trembled SO as to shake the last hold
to which he clunS. a's
son. of their bullets" he hissed between
his teeth, "has smashed my ankle. am
going" HIS hold relaxed, another terrible
|shriek rang through the night air, and he
fell crashing among the jutting rocks below;
his blood minelipg with the pure elemen,
that eddied round them.
again pursued my way along the bridgs
alone. Many bullet whistled past me from
my ineterate but bewildered foes, and many
narrow escape ran Of being hurled into
the dark river, or Of implement upon it,
| IL loI d.