Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1863-10-01
From the London Court Journal.
THE D<serter.

twelfth regiment of The line then quartered in Sras
burg He was native Of that halfsavago. ha[ciTiL
izcd part Of burgundy, known under the 2 OF Nor,
van and ha comrades spoke Of him 50 " tong n
customer Always the first and last 10 ire, be had
tue reputation Of Hiking but two thugs IN the world
the smell o powder and the whs'lpg Of bullets.
Now ona day our friend Pierre took 1t into his head
70 eIIrfe letter 70 his joInHc IL whic, be applied
Tor leave Of absence @ a1d see lis accd mother, who
was dangerously I'll. He added that his nther being
seventy eight years Of eye, and suffering under a
paralvtic election, could not be o. any in nurse
icin the poor Wona, and he pie dyed himself to re-
turn the health Of bis mother should be
stored.
The Co'one.s reply 10 Pjerrcs application WAS that,
as the regiment might at any momgnt be ordered to
take field, no leave OF &bzencc could be obtained"
Hi57re fitois submitted fortnight elapsed and
then second Litter received By the Colonel in
which Pierre informed him that hi7 mother had died
Nihu. tie consolation Of giving her last blessing to
lcr Only child, and which he again solicited leave Of
absence saying that he could not etate bis :or
this rqrtst-it was family secret ;" but carE,s,!y
im2loTng the Coi,nc not to deny him this favor.
PivTre's second letter was - little slccss.u! IS Inc
first TIE poor fellows Captain merely said e.:
Pierre, The CooaCi has received your letter La is
sorry for the death Ct your old o,tGcf, but he cannot
grant the kaEc Of absence you require, IS TIC 70, ont
leaves r'71sbus.t tC-mgrrOW'
Al nc regiment leaves S.ra53urg ara f,r what
T.lce. HAY / Gsk you - said i'nrCe.
For AUSTRIA replied lis officer q We are to see
Nte-ua, NY brave Pltois; are TO fight the Aus
t.I4aa - that rot good news for y,,u Yen will he
n v,ur clement Hir hl5a"
Pierre Poi5 made reply he acaracd lost in sep
,ho1gbt The captain ccrgtt lis hand AID shaking il
heartily, lie said
Why do yen not sDc-k m1n? Axe you deaf to-
day? en- telling thai il less than 4 week. you are e
have tie pieasuge OF a sst-tC With tie Austra9s ard
Won have not word Of thanks for the GOOD nae nav
verify believe sou have meyer heard r7a -
Ipic,G Clntaia have La.TI rylrv y,3,3 and
thank you with ell uy heart Tor y II re ~ which
consider very good"
= +---71 r.,7S T'-- +E.y,~
Put, Captain is tLugc 10 chance Of obtaining TIE
leave Of obscacc ?"
Are va na:! p was tac reply. " Leave OF ai-
-.nag the very day before taking the field!
.l never thought Of Tat" said Pierre. We are
then on the r9;ut Of taking the field and ut such
time e..,,rn-.. Law. IS never s,;v.. zH
&c l. is Iey-r t.yen asked"
II is quite r.iltif is ncvc; even asked i u;ci,i8
have the appearance Of cowariice Well then. | will
not pres II ANY more: will try ard ret on without
H."
And you will 10 we'll" replied the Captain
the vt day jhe twelfth regiment entered Germany
ana the next Pierre EI,U.s u, serted
Three mc after when Tie tHelilh regiment having
reapld in tie -I Of battle abundant harvest Of elo
~ was making ita triumpha entry INTO Strasburg
Pierre pi0is was ANONYMOUSLY dragged back to bis
corps bv a bGigaGc Of gc1S deIIqee 4 court martial
IS Immediately called. Pierre Ptois is accused ofhav
ing deserted at the very moment WREN bis regiment
was TO meet the enemy face face. On the one stood
forth the Gccuser, who cried;
Pierre ptois you enc of the brayest man in the ar
my you, whose breast the str Of honor yet euters
yon who never incurred either punishment or even
'0h7ue from your CisGEs' -" co'l0 oJ nave Hlitted
your r&m,nt-qHtted IL almost on the eve OF battieI
without some powerful motive 10 lmpei! Tins mo-
ave it court ihGS O. 9oH iof II would gladly nave
IL al us power. j mol 10 alIlI E1u-Etnch II ought
NOT Ieftht Gliser 10 40 or "tse-2t least 10 recon-
memo you 10 iie Emperor mercy
On tA@ c'he' sue $1,000 me accused "io answered:
nave ,"seTI1' "Iu''U- any reason without any
Ho'i1e, "o I'' i!Ei'" II II we're 70 90 again,
Nou'u 60 II again. uesct y dtath-pass sentence.
And thrn same some Witnesses who dep0sed
fIeg't hons Is de7er-2F. We Know It Is tact,
iui We not believe Il,
Anh "iHe!, aFSFfa@: |
i'EEe mos is ma; 'ata court cannot condemn
Il l!u'I' nc must - Sn-ene'i' ''n' not 10 DEATH
has 10 'i'i I"hGti' as nm.
rms alternative A'd very nearly "scn gdoptcd, tor
mere was l'' one person N tle court VINO CD not con
Sd,f t'1 'Fuoh 90 ere flto5 as one OF those SIN
guar occurrences beyond Inc range OF human posaip
Nus "n'' WINE t' one Is forced 70 admit as Tact
no one t"i 'CI''ut io' u SJ-pE1ehG. me accused
"'"t''' t"'', - -, lU9i't'S y '''u vas nISt
~ ms Ii';,I' -! 'e J"7 Ponalty % me
"A" 10 o1 lit''' Oh .'4. ne 50 ooH!y ana le;tieSsy
$500 - 49, ~ ,i J * l'.5 t-,'I iI ,l-u n1'
3 - ~ -, 49, = . - ~ lS 90 3 tC C'A
n'''I Vi " oi''ac' ANA llIt 10 room ior ceheocy-
p;rr - I.;t (JI , Va 'o,Cgc
dleFtt i'os h1';,n rs sentence read |ljh tne most
uac,cin2 81 E ra5 y @y urged nh. 10 PLEAD ioE
ntrCl' Jul hl iIlseH As every one guessed that al
the bottom 81 tI5 ar there vas SOM strange my
Terry 1t was determined that tie execution OF Pierre
should be delayed.
He was carried back 70 The military prison and ii
was announced to him that as mark of special favor
he had ~. ff.4~r In IL