Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1865-03-29

Ing arrested. 10 again slipped or bpi vas esee
more caught az he exeFoissd no shrewdness n bis
flight. Being tried and sentenced TO death, he was
! put into the condemned cell in the evening 10 be
shot the following morning. His boyish grief'
when told he was to die, was heartrending.
With unaffected naturalness he sObbed out MS Ia
meut over his own hard lot and for the dear ones 90
| home. "Me, so young, 10 go outside the breast
works and see the coffin and grave there, aud then
he shot | don't want TO be killed. Won't the
General parole me f' On being assured that his
execution was,a certainty, he urged the chaplain
not to let his friends know how he died, ior they
feel so bad about it," he said. al suppose II would
kill my father flor some reason his father seemed
closer TO his heart than hs mother), 'l suppose Il
would kill 'Sm all. They'd be thinking OF u nights
Don't tell 'em about it."
Once convinced that il was too late to obtain
rcprieyo-no official short Of the department. COM
mander having the power 10 grant 1t, aud there be-
ing no time 10 obtain it from him, and having cried
his cry Out-he quoted like weary child ana
listened to all the chaplain could say TO all M pre-
pairing him for the eternal future. kneeling
the soaked, swampy ground, under the dripping
roof OF that gloomy cabin, IN the dark and stormy
night, hc folded his fettered hands, anu meeky said
his little evening prayer, aud committed himself IN
seeming confidence to his Heavenly Fathers care.
lie could not read but he had been taught in one
OF the blessed mission schools OF New York, and
seemed to have simple, chlld-iike iaith IN GOd.-
Probably he had not been addicted TO vicious hab-
it's He said when asked about the way he spent
his evenings, that he ''alwayS worked In the fac
tory daytineS and when evening came he was tired,
and went to bed early" His father and mother
praved with him, and taught him To do right. All
your life should he spared" asked the chaplain,
''wOud you love God aud try to serve him p
"yhv, YES" he answered, ~ always did love
Him I" as though, in chidlIke trust, lie had
cause of enmity to the Father to whom he had been
drawn in grateful confidence. After his first hard
cry, the thought OF death did not seem to occupy
him.
He was too much of a child to fully realize it,
just before he went out to be shot, he turned to
the chaplain and asked, as in boyish curiosity "lf
/ die to-day, will my soul go right to heaven to-
day p Arriving at the field OF execution, he was
not at all disturbed 10y the terrific preparations
lie walked up to the open grave and looked mqu-
ringly into il without Shuddcr, and h0n he turn
ed to gaze at the firing party though he only
kindhearled comrades there. lie knecled again to
pray calmly il he were 10 lie down IN his own
little crib at hune. Just his arms Were being bound
a bird How by, aud he twisted his head around to
follow with his gaze the bird in its flight though
he should like 10 chase it ; then he looked back
again at the bright muSkcts with soft aud steady
eye As before. ''Let me kneel on the ground and
rest on the coffin" ne said they fixed him in po
SitiOn. ono, knee on the coffin was the order.
So kNeeug there he settled himself down into
weary, crouching posture, though he were TO
wait thus long aud tiresome tine, Tie had hardly
taken this place before he fell back dead with eve
ny bullet OF the firing platoon directly through his
chest-three through his heart. lle-uttered never
a grOan, nor did his frame qniver.
Even such boys as that are here shot 1t they de-
Sert But are they guilty above those who send
them here