The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1870-07-22
A WEST POINT DIN, re ROMANCE.
How IL Began and How it Came to 4
Brought Dcsolation to Household
Married Twice and Shot Dead at
Par00e. ln lra., tiiE-- = 70 1... II

| I ~
Horrible End - An Ambition that
Brought Dcsolation to Household
Married Twice and Shot Dead at
Parade. 1a i,a.' riEi 10 27e. ,-is
West Point Correspondence N. Y. Herald
In company with ali aOflcer'I took
farewell stroll to-day in the, cemetery
where, SO many of the graduates OF
West Point sleep the sleep that knows
no waking. We walked from tomb to
tomb, reading the inscriptions that
have read time and time again, and
finally sat down on a little mound of
earth to rest under the shade of o huge
tree. edo you see that spot there ?'
inquired my companion, as he pointed
with his cane to a part of the ground
over which the grass had not as yet
well grown. "That was intended for
the last resting place of q graduate of
'6S, but a revelation that was made af-
ter his death prevented the body from
being brought here. Would you like
to hear the story ?n l expressed my
willingness, and the story was told. 1t
was in substance as follows: hsl'sT. 81
WEST POINT APPOINTMENT. 81,
In the early summer of 1854, there
was a cadet vacancy in one of the New
YOrd city Congressional districts.
When the War Department informed
the Congressman of the district of the
vacancy, and that it should be filled
before the following September, that
gentleman took it into his head to de-
part from the ways of his predecessors,
and give the appointment to whatever
scholar i'm the Free Academy, or who
had passed through the Academy, who
would pass the best examination. A
day was appointed for The test, and the
successful competitor, few days after
ward, was sent to West Point. He
was found fully competent, and at once
took high position in the class. He
looked rather more manly than the
rest of his class-in fact, older than
most boys who were at the time ad-
mitted under twenty-one-bu no sus-
picion that he was really older than he
had represented himself to be, ever en-
tered the minds of the faculty. Three
years passed by, and he became Sc
cond class man., During that time he
made the acquaintance of young la
dy risiding on Fifth avenue. She was
young, beautiful, of good family, and
had plenty of money, and this combi-
nation of attractions fascinated the ca
det. He used to pay her frequent visits
at the hotel when she came up here to
remain during the June "gala days."
and after she had left for New York he
kept up the pleasant intimacy by fire.
quent correspondence. In the matter
of this correspondence he seemed to be
very anxious that the letters should not
miscarry, and under the pretence that
he believed the postoffice folks here had
a habit of opening cadets letters, he Of
ten had them sent over the river to be
posted from GarrisOil's Landing. Mean
while he studied hard and still MAIN
tanned good position in his class. He
finally became first class man in '67.
He was busily engaged in his room one
| day, after he had become q first class
man, in boring" when the officer of
the day entered and told him the su-
perintendent wanted to see him at his |
office. He Immediately repaired to the |
office, and after the usual salutations
had been 'ihterchanged between him |
and his superior, the superintendent |
took from bundle of papers on his |
desk, letter, which he read to him.
1t was addressed to the superintendent,
and charged that the cadet was 80
A MARRIED MAN
before he had entered the institution,
| and that his wife was still living. The |
letter was not signed. "What have
you got to say to that, sir 2" asked the |
superintendent, laying down the letter. |
The cadet had not changed counten-
ance during the reading of the note, and
when the question was put to him he |
drew himself up to his full height, and,
with flush as of indignation over
spreading his face, he replied, That is
an anonymous communication, and |
should not have received a gentleman's |
attention, sir. Every word of it is
false. The writer is evidently some
enemy of mine who seeks in this way
to injure me-" Then the interview
ended, and the superintendent threw
the letter into the waste-basket. The
cadet went back to his room and re-
sumed his studies. The night that fol-
lowed the day of this inter\iew was a
bitter cold one. 1t was dark as pitch,
and the snow fell heavily. A keen
nor'easter swept over the post, and the
sentinel in the woods near the barracks
drew his cloak more closely about him
as gust after whirled with shrek
down from the mountain tops. He
had been Oh guard many nights before,
| when the cold had made his teeth chat
ter and his limbs ache with numbness,
but the like of this night he had never
witnessed before. Thus he thought as
he laid his rifle against tree and
stopped to gather handful of snow to
rub his half frozen face with. AS he
did SO keener blast of wind than ever
tore through the leafless tnees, making
hn nld 8 |
| ready to break. In second he was
ciutched in his hand. His face was
pale as death, and the rifle shook with.
in his grasp, but not from cold. He
bent his head forward as if to peer
through the darkness and the binding
sleet. The wind had lulled for Sc
| cOnd, and nothing but the low wall of
storm in the distant wood awoke the
stiffness of the night. Still he stood
with his rifle trembling in his hands.
The wind again swept down from the
InOuntain-tOp, and, as it struck the
trees near him, whizzed by again with
a screech; but far above it there came
shrek of human voice so terrible,
so shrill, so fearful to be heard in that
lonely place, that the sentinel involun-
tarily took step backyard as if ex-
pecting
SOME UNEARTHLY THING
so swOOp down upon him. 1t was this
tame shrek that had startled him. He
had mistrusted his hearing before, but
now he was certain that the cry that
rang out upon the wind a minute or SO
previous was not of his imagining
Clutching his rifle in his right hand he
felt his way carefully though the un-
derbrush with which the woods were
strewn, and slowly advanced i'm the di-
rection whence the cries had come
Every gust of wind brought the Shrek,
more and more piercing, to him, and
made him stride on all the more quick
ly; for he felt that there was somebody
in distress. He finally reached little
clearing in the woods, and through the
darkness, which was becoming less and
less obscure as the storm spent its
strength, he beheld, coming toward
him, a figure in white, with its arms
wildly beating the air about, and ev-
cry once in while giving vent to
that awful cry which had so startled
him at first. He brought his rifle to
position and gave the challenge. The
only answer he received was the blood
curdling shrek, and the figure came
nearer and nearer. The soldier put his
piece to the ground and grasped the
form by the shoulder. 1t made no re-
sistance, and keeping fast his hold on