The Portland daily press., 1862-12-17
Execution of a Maine Soldier.

Albert w. Lunt, a private in the Maine 9th
regiment, was executed by shooting, at Hilton
Head Dec. /. His offence was desertion, and
the betrayal, or attempted betrayal, of his fell
low soldiers into the hands of the enemy. His
age was %, and though said to be respectfully
born, he appears to have been a hardened
wretch, capable of the commission of any
crime in the calendar. His conduct with the
rebels was so offensive that they returned him
to his regiment to be dealt with.
The account of his execution is after the
usual style. The place of execution was
spacious field outside the line of entrench-
ments, whittier he was conveyed in an ambu-
lance, sitting upon his coffin. Previous to this
he had protested to have some religious expe-
riences, and on the field warned his comrades
to take warning from his fate. He denied
however, that he was guilty Of the crime for
which he was TO suffer; which denial, in the
face of the positive proof of his guilt, affords
sad commentary upon the genuineness of
his religious professions.
After his brief speech, his oyercoat was TAX
en- off, and obeying Major Van Brunt's direc-
ton, he knelt upon his coffin. In this posi-
ton a bandage was fastened over his eyes, and
at the same moment squad of twelve men
were silently motioned to post themselves in
front Of him, at distance of fifteen PAGES
While the attention OF the culprit was en-
gagged by the Chaplain in brief prayer, the
moment was seized for cooking the muskets,
the loud clicking of which was probably I'M
heard by the poor fellow, whose last words
were an expression of perfect resignation to
his fate.
In the language of a newspaper correspond
ent:
Major Van Brunt then shakes the prison
er's hand, and steps back. Capt. Eddy, by
wave of his sword, brings his men to the posi-
ton of "ready aim" The spectators feel
thrill of agony. The Maior now drops his
pocket handkerchief THE signal to flre) and
that word-the only verbal order given-is
promptly uttered by Capt. Eddy. Then
loud report-an instant's prise of the kneeling
figure on the coffin-a flashing as if by magi-
cal power of six or eight dark blotches upon
the body-and the offender lies liieless upon
the ground. There is no need of the reserve
of twelve men, who, with loaded muskets,
take the places vacated by those who have just
fired. The surgeons examine the body, and
pronounce life to be extinct Eight balls
passed entirely through the body. There is
no doubt OF the instantaneous death of the
condemned. He was killed by the shock upon
his nervous system. The body was ut once
placed in the coffin, and removed to the grave
yard, under the charge Of six soldiers, the us
ual funeral honors being withheld and the
barbarous custom of allowing the corpse to
lie where it fell until the entire command
should march by, being also dispensed with.
This is the second execution which has taken
place under such circumstances since the
commencement of the war = the first being
Johnson's cavalry soldier attached to the Aa-
my OF the Potomac.
Another correspondence show the deprav-
ity to which the victim had sunken, says that
on various parts of his body were obscene pic
lures, in India ink, of the most revolving and
disgusting characters