Weekly Calaveras chronicle. (Mokelumne Hill, Calaveras County, Cal.) 18??-1874, 1867-10-05

came back:
'All the bullets are number 5, with a
dot. on the right
| then sent message No. 2:
Examine what cartridges bear the
No. 2, with a. dot on the left, and re-
port to whom issued and when report
quickly mans life depends eli speed.
Again | waited an hour. No answer
came
It was getting lateAhalfpast two ;
at four the parade would take place. |
urged more speed.
The rep y came:
we have ten men at work breaking
open barrels and searching. No No. .
yet found
ct last it came:
'One barrel No. 2 in store the rest
of the same shipment was damaged and
useless, and sold in bulk to native deal
ers for value as old metal at one Of the
clearance sales some time ago
l had learnt all [ could. I spurred
back to camp with the bullets, 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 a
square; in the centre of the square
were the triangles, with Gerald dashed
to them. [ saw them as | came down
the hill take off bis jacket and lash his
wrists | sped on. I could see the
old Colonel, with the paper in his hand,
standing alone, and then | saw moth
ing more, for dip in the road conceal
ed them as | rose again to the crest
at less than a quarter of mile, | saw a
woman rush in from between the ranks
towards the triangles, holding some
thing in her hand. / 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
vas being lead away between two SER
geants.
Stop, Colonel, for the love Of God ?
| cried, with my hand still grasping the
farrier's arm 4 have evidence to
prove the man not guilty
l 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. | assured him on my hon
or as an officer and a gentleman, that it
was almost impossible that a No 2 bull
let could by any chance get into pack
ct of No. 5 bullets He was only too
glad to hear me, and agreed to postpone
the execution Of the sentence till fur
Their orders from the General of his
division.
1--WE heard some shouts, and I've
seen some displays of enthusiasm in my
time, but [ never shall forget the shout
that rose the minute that the Colonel
had pronounced that the execution of
the sentence on Corporal Ashton would
be postponed until further orders.
The men had been standing at 'atten-
tion,' many of them with the tears roll
ing down their cheeks, but when they
heard postponed they broke ranks,
rushed up to the triangles, cut the lash
ings, broke the cat, screamed, danced
like madmen. .
Three cheers for Gentleman jack
and his wife! Again again, boys.'
Officers and all joined in for few
minutes. There stood the old gray
headed Colonel in the midst Of a scene
that ut-bedlamed Bedlam.
As for me was like man in a
dream; felt hundred hands grasping
mine. | had my sister sobbing in my
arms, and then I heard the Colonel say
to the bugler, Sound the assembly,
What changel In less than min
ute | stood by the triangles in the CEN
ter of three lines of living statues. Not
a sound not Il 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 doc
tor, managed to get hold Of his bottle
of prussic acid, and had rushed out with
half of it for him and half for herself;
and her appearance had so thoroughly
surprised every one that she had reach
ed the triangles, and almost raised it to
his lips, when the doctor, recognizing
his own blue bottle, struck her hand
violent blow, and dashiDg it on the
ground, besides disabling her from get
ting her own share.
and how did the affair end? Was
the General Of the division satisfed?'
i don't think he would have been
with that evidence alone and so VIC went
about to hunt for more. | begged that
as we had found so much, Gerald might
be permitted to accompany party of
search, under guard, to find the miss
ing tiger.
We went there Meggie insisted on
joining 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 had
shot the tiger; and from that point we
started, crossing and recrossing, till
there could not have been anything
as large as halfcrown that could be
hidden