The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1870-12-08

out fire. In half an hour the officer
; whose names appeared on that fatal lis
were deprived of their swords. and the
catastrophe was no longer to be avoided
Blood was in the eyes of the soldiers, and
none in the cheeks of the officers ven.
geance was in the hearts of the men, and
fear in the souls of the commanders
There was quick roll of the drum-a
few explosive, orders-a sudden rush--a
sort of dizzy whirl; the Lieutenant.
Colonel narrowly escaped and. by a
quick movement of the guard, Sergeant
and several men, whose names were on
! the paper, were arrested and lodged in
the guard house. A double force was
posted to prevent the rescue .sof the
prisoners-and the immediate danger
was over. 4i
After the storm, the calm. The anxiety
of some men to get into trouble is only
exceeded by their solicitude to get out Of
it. It happened so with these The
violence and headlong haste Of the action
was eclipsed only by that Of the reaction
To the swordIe officers musing in their
separate tents, and the imprisoned
soldiers, discussing the affair behind their
bars, there came, in due time, repentance
and regret
Through the clemency of the man
whom they sought to destroy, there was
al last afforded, on certain conditions,
the opportunity to erase their names from
that black musterroll, and secure restora
tionto duty. Some quickly, others reluc-
family, but finally all, availed themselves
of the absolution--except one, the Ser
geant, the leader the prime mover and
champion the affair Hssa &
He scorned forgiveness; it implied an
acknowledgment of guilt. He would
stand by the deed; whatever the law
called it, he held it just resistance to ty
ranny. He had sought no mans life
He had felt" We cannot live together ;
therefore do thou go thy way, and will
mine and he had simply said So If
that were crime, he could not help it,
No matter if thousand men were COW
ards, he had not the blood of a poltroon
in his veins. He should never promise
touch his hat, and, bowling low, beg to
have his name bIotted out of this list
His soul reyolted at 1t. He would live
and die by that solemn protest against
the authority Of a domineerjng coward
and incompetent commander. auA7
So the law took him and tried him
before General Court Martial, found
him Guilty, and sentenced him tslro DC
shot to DEATH" The General approved
the finding and sentence of the court !;
and the hour of the execution was fixed
In an order that was read, on certain
evening at dress parade, to each regiment
ri hn nd ho dc Of
that order, cloud fell on the whole COM
manG. aR41 *
| The law was memorable, Being guilty,
this was the punishment prescribed,
without that saving clause which puts
the offender at the mercy of the court
COR such other punishment as the court
may direct" But did he deserve death /?
N OF II man mall the command believed it!
The men knew it was the letter Of the
law that was slaying> him; but how to
invoke its spirit, and whether the spirit
could save him if it would, sorey puzzled
them. They were satisfied that he should
be punished, but by something less severe
and irevocable than dtath.
With what crushing weight the thought
came home to tueir hearts, that good
soldier, true patriot, Was to be shot for
a technlcallty at the end of long war
through which he had faithfully served
How they talked about that lonesome,
weary wife, and her eager and expectant
children, away at the North, watching
with bated breath the opening of the
mall that was so soon, if not to-day, to
bring her the news of the final discharge
of the Second Cavalry Who could hold
a pen t. write this other news in its stead?
Who could send home to her the picture
OF her own sweet face, with the curl of
baby's hair IN the glass, as he had worn
1t next to his heart SO many years, through
all danger by flood and field, and write
the words" This, with his undying love,
he babe me send to youths last request"
Did ever the reluctant days drag a man
to such hopeless, bootless doom?
If only he had fallen in some fierce bat
tle-feld, madly striking for his country
IT only he had been slain on the picket.
line, plotting the grand old army to vic.
tory? If he could have died in the hos
pital. slowly wasted away by incurable
wounds or disease, or been sacrificed in a
Southern prison, enduring outrage and
starvation with the fortitude born of hon.
or and patriotism! 1t only in any way
his blood might be reckoned as part of
the price for'Ilberty and free government
But no-none of these The very rec
ord OF his devotion to his country's cause
and of his faithful years of antiring ser,
vice, was to be blotted out His memory
was to be black ened forever, and his
name to become legacy of shame to his
children land yet they knew he was
conscious of no crime
Was it possible to save him in any way
Gould he be pardoned, or his sentence be
commutsd? Yes. but only one man could