Litchfield enquirer., 1872-12-05

U rounds. Court-martial had declared him guilty, and the generals confirmation of tho sentence had just arrived. Fifty lashe6 in the camp square, and four years impisonment in the civil jail. Sentence to becarried out on the 18th. Everybody was sorry, but quite convinced he had tried to murder his superior officer. No ons cnuld understand with what mo tive
 did not know what to think; there was more evidence forthcoming in day or two, when we had the papers.
 His statement in defense was, that he had just been returning from guard, when he remembered that he had forgotten to bring in book one of the officers had asked him to bring in from the town, some three miles distant. Without stepping to think he walked of at once got the book and was within half a mile of the camp, when he fancied he saw tiger He got behind the bushes to watch, and saw one making for the distant camp. Anxious to secure the prize, he incau- tiously broke open one of his packages, and loaded, to have shot at it. He had covered the beast, and was firing at tic tiger, when he heard another report si- multaneously with that of his own car bine. He saw the tiger roll right over as if shot, and then bound away. In an- other instant the officer came round the slope bleeding. and ordered him into ar- rest He was quite sure that he hit the ti- ger. and equally sure that another rife was fired at the same moment that he pulled the trigger.
 Of course such lame statement had no effect. and he was sentenced.
 I Icould not help thinking that there was flaw in the evidence. How was it if there was, as agreed, Q loud report,- which meant full charge of powder, = that the bullet stopped at the saddle in stead of going through both saddle and horse. That was great discrepancy 8 full charge would have made loud re- port, and sent it right through any thing at distance of 200 yards. felt there was something wrong. and made up my mind to go on the spot. I had but six days days to go in, but mnch might be done. Margaret insisted on going with me in spite of all could do to keep her away.
 Have not done all you wished me to do since we have been out here? Do, for Heavens sake, let me have my way in this"
 Sowe went up the country ill post haste
 1 was. of course, as one of the staff, ad- mitted to see Gerald, whom found ter ribly cut up.
 '1 don't mind the imprisonment it is the disgrace The lashes shall kill myself directly get loose after it, I know I shall"
 'No. mo-" said Meggie don't for my sake. O Gerald if you knew how have suffered for weeks past, you would live for my sake. I do not care about the brand of the lashes. l know you are in- nocent, and that there has been some hor- rible blunder committed in this matter. o. Willie. dear, do think of something to save him."
 70, do, there's good fellow get me some stuff that will make an end of me.
 ''Don't talk like that, Gerald there's some internal mistake in it. Don't dis pair yet. Let's go over the ground again step by step" and made him tell me the whole story over again.
 ssIt seems to me, Gerald, we want not a few things to show you are not guilty. We want the tiger you shot at, and that we shan't get and we want the clew to the mystery of the other rifie" 70, I've thought of it all till I'm sick 1 don't care what happens now. I'll wait till the day before it's to come of, and then break my head against the walls"
 Don't be fool, Gerald! I'm sure you are innocent. So is Margaret.
 ''Yes so are hundred others; but it's all no use. In.three days am disgraced for life, if ive."
 ''Well, I must leave you now. and see what can do"
 ''Let me have five minutes with Meg gie, will you ?"
 I left them alone for some ten minutes, and then told Meggie she must go home with me.
 I was beaten I could not see how I could get any fresh evidence, and with out that reprieve-a postponement-wa impossible.
 went to the wounded officer, the cap- tain of his own company, and got him to tell his own story; it was just the same thing over again,-always the exceedingly loud report, and the fouled and still smoking carbine.
 'I would, said the captain, .'have giv- en the price of my command rather than have had had it happen. He's as fine a fellow as ever sat a..horse, brave, kind, and as thorough gentleman as the colonel himself always made him my orderly when, I could, so as to have company. I declare to you that did my best at the court martial for him, and got into dis grace with the general presiding for 'col- oring my statments'-that was his ex- pression-so as to favor the prisoner. I almost sniveled when when heard the sentence, as if he had been my own broth CT. The men are mad about it there has not been Q lash or public punishment of any kind in the regiment for the last twenty-five years"
 hardly knew how to pass the time tried to think, but my ideas only travel ed in the same old grooves egain.
 invited the assistant-surgeon to come up to my quarters, and introduced him to my sister. He was quite & young fel- low, and seemed quite fattered by my simple attention, for in the army they have not quite made up their minds wheth- CT medical officer should be treated as a gentleman but the strangest thing I ev- CT saw in my life was my sisters conduct. Of course speaking to you fellows shan t be misunderstood, and some of you have seen her. She laid herself out to please him to an extent never should have eAA016As AAy OO0A SAoNO XACSSA0 C0pSDAc of; l; sang to him, played to him, and made eyes at him till I thought her brain turn ed. She said she should so like to see his quarters, asked him to ask us to lunch, and shut me up like a rat trap when l ventured to hint that it might not be con. venient.
 We'll he went away at last as mad as she. spoke to her after he was gone, and she fell into my arms, sobbing as if her heart was breaking, and then, without a word of explanation, ran out of the room. Next day we went to his quarters, and nothing would satisfy her but that he he should mix up some medicine for he, out of the bottles of his little travelling case. There she was, handling, and sniff fng, and tasting every thing, like cbild of ten rather than girl of eighteen. She sent him about the room; made him bring books from the opposite side of it so that she might read about the properties o1 the drugs and in short, behaved so like lunatic that I thought the trouble about Gerald must have affected her mind. ] got her away at last, and intended to in aiak an rognainiuU in &ha ho1rSo and ~,y,&%; nc