Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1867-08-23

In another minute we were riding full
gallop to his quarters.
He had the bullet,-a little bruised ana
singularly flattened and blunted al the
point,-it must have been just spent when
it struck.
then went to the sergeant who had
charge of the ningteen rounds OF ammu
milton that were found in Geralds pouch.
About midnight / contrived to find him,
and after some little delay got possession
of them.
I then returned to the doctor ana
we compared the nineteen bullets Win
the one found in the saddle. L then
ran to the telegraph clerk, reused MN
out of his bed, and told him to teie-
graph to the headquarters in Calcutta,
to my li3tenant in charge OF inc mas"
zines.
After an hours waiting, ringing at Inc
bell, an answer came that the night-Watch-
man would fetch the lieutenant L then
sent message No l.
"Examine the books, and see the date
on which the last ammunition was sent Tor
the use of the 40th Dragons; lind the
same parcel, and carefully remove one car
fridge from each of twenty packages Sc
lected at random; take out bullets and
remove plugs; and send No. in base of cup
of bullets.
The answer came back that he under
stood, and would rouse up the people to
do it.
After an hour and half the answer
came back
"All the bullets are numbered 5, with q
dot ON the right.
then sent message No. D.
"Examine what cartridges bear the
No. 2 with q dot on the left, and
report to whom issued, and when,-report
auickly,-a mans life depends on speed"
Again waited another hour. No an
Swer came.
1t was getting late,-half past two; at
four the parade would take place. | urged
more speed.
The reply camel
1--WE have ten men at work breaking
open barrels, and searching. No No. 2
yet found"
At last it CAME
cone barrel No. 2 in store; the rest of
the same shipment was damaged and USE
less, and sold in bulk to native dealers for
value as old metal at one of the clearance
sales some time ago"
/ had learnt all could / spurred back
to camp with the bullet from which had
never parted, in my pouch. | shall never
forget the scene.
In the middle of the camp the men were
drawn up in three sides of square; in
the centre of the square were the triangles
with Gerald dashed to them. saw them
as came down the hill take off his jacket
and lash his wrists. l sped on. | could
see the old colonel with the paper in his
hand, standing alone, and then | saw
nothing more, tor dip in the road con-
cealed them; as | rose again to the crest
at less than a quarter of a miles, l saw a
woman rush in from between the ranks
towards the triangles, holding something
in her hand l darted on and rushed into
the square, but just in time to seize the
farrier's arm as the lash was descending,
and to see that the woman was my sister,
and that she was being led away between
two sergeants
"Stop, colonel, for the love of God!" |
cried, with my hand still grasping The far
rier's arm; II have evidence to prove the
man not guilty"
then showed the colonel the bullet that
had come from the saddle and the others
from the pouch, and pointed out to him
that while one was marked No. 2, the
others were all marked No. 5, with dot.
1 assured him, on my honor as an officer
and gentleman, that it was almost i'm
possible that No. 2 bullet could by any
chance get into package of No. 5 bullets.
He was only too glad to hear me, and
agreed to postpone the execution of the
sentence till further orders from the gen.
eral of his division.
I've heard some shouts, and I've seen
some displays of enthusiasm in my time,
but shall never forget the shout that rose
the minute that the Colonel had pronounc-
ed that the execution of the sentence on
Corporal Ashton would be postponed I'M
til further orders.
The men had been standing at eaten
tion," many of them with the tears rolling
down their cheeks, but when they heard
postponed" they broke ranks, rushed up
to the triangles, cut the lashings, broke the
cat, screamed, shouted, danced like mad
men.
"Three cheers for Gentleman Jack
and his wife, Again! again, boys"
Officers and all joined in for few min
utes. There stood the old gray headed
Colonel in the midst of a scene that out
bedlamed Bedlam.
AS for me was like man in dream !;
I felt hundred hands grasping mine. l
had my sister sobbing in my arms, and
then heard the Colonel say to the bugler,
Sound the assembly"
What a change! in less than minute |
stood by the fallen triangles in the centre
of three lines of living statues. Not
sound; not movement.
Major jackson, reform your column and
break off the men," said the Colonel; and
then walked away with myself and my
sister.
"But what did your sister do there?"
Well, she had promised Gerald that he
should not suffer the disgrace of the lash {;
and had, during the hour I thought she
was fooling with the doctor, managed to
get hold of his bottle of prussic acid, and
had rushed out with half it for him and
half for herself; and her appearance had
so thoroughly surprised every one that she
had reached the triangles, and almost raised
it to his lips, when the doctor recognizing
his own blue bottle, struck her hand vio-
lent blow, and dashed it on to the ground,
besides disabling her from getting her own
share.
"And how did the affair end? was the
General of the division satisfied?"
I don't think he would have been with
that evidence alone, and so we went about
to hunt for more. begged that, as we had
found so much, Gerald might be permitted
to accompany a party of search, under a
guard, to find the missing tiger
We went there, Meggie insisted on join
ing us. All the officers off duty went, and
about half the men.
Gerald then pointed out the spot where
he had stood, and where he shot the tiger
ciy,or