East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1863-11-11
THE DRAFT.

thousands of households. In the Ban
cor (Me.) Democrat, of a recent date,
we find the history of oase which is
calculated to arouse the sympathies Of
people whose hearts have not been
calloused by partizan malice. Its as
follows:
Joseph IL. Crommot, Of Enfield, III
this county, aged IS years, was draft
cd in this district last August. He is
a poor laboring man with a wife and
two children. He appeared before
the Examining Board in this city, and
there presented q certificate from his
physician, DIR. G. i. Hubbard, of Bur
lington, stating that he was an UNI
sound man and unfit for duty. He
had been sick for five years, and, du-
ring all that time had been unable TO
DO hard days work. The examining
surgeon, as we are informed, tossed
the certificate aside with a slurring re-
mark, and Mr.. Crommet was promptly
pronounced an able-bodicd man. lie
obtained Through for fifteen days
and returned home. He was unable
to raise three hundred dollars or pro-
cure substitute. The thought of
leaving his destitute little family de-
pendent on the cold charities of the
world, and the conviction that the Sc
verify Of military duty must soon ter
inmate his life, quickened the disease
which was already fastened upon him.
At the end OF his furlough he re-
ported himself to the Provost Marshal
hero for duty, sick, broken-hearted
man. lie was sent TO Portland two
weeks ago last Wednesday, and thence
to the conscripts camp on Maclie's Is
land. Here he became very sick, and
a kind hearted fellow conscIipt, al
though an entire stranger 20 Mr..
Crommett, seeing that he must die,
procured a topographic dispatch TO be
sent to Bangor, and thence to Enfield
informing his friends Of his condition.
Immediately Mr.. Freeman Crommet,
his brother, took the wife of the dying
man and proceeded to Portland where
he arrived on Monday evening. They
commandment of the post, for a pass tc
the Island. Major Whiting refused q
pass that evening, They told linn the
urgency of the case. He told them
to call at his Office the next morning
at 8 o'clock and he would give them
| an answer.
They returned to their lodgings
that night with heavy and solTowful
hearts, for they felt an oppressive pre-
monition that the spirit OF their hus-
band and brother was fast fading
away. Long before the hour named
the afflicted friends were at the Office
door of Major Whiting the next NOR
ming, Eight O'Clock came and he was
not there. An hour passed and still
he did not come. What to HIM was
the grief of the wife and brother of
the dying conscript. He had forgot
ten his promise. They then began to
search the city for him, and succeeded
in finding him at ii o'clock. The
Major then hcartlessly informed them
that he could not giye.them apass until
the next day-that he intended using
the boat plying between the city and
the camp himself.
AT three o'clock that afternoon Mr..
Crommett found on opportunity to
send letter to the Island informing
his brother that he and his wife wcro
near him and striving 10 reach his sick
bed; but when this letter came, the
eyes for which it had been intened
had been closed in death for hours
Such is the brief tale of Official cru
city. In the first instance it deprived
innocent little children of their feeble
but yet protecting shield; and in the
second it denied TO an ailoctionate wife
and a dear brother the poor boon of
receiving tho last tender words, and
closing the glazed eyes Of husband
and brother.