The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-12-26


raised IN the town where he resided.
Glow in Gods name is this, Tom? I
thought you were lieutenant in the Twelfth
Iowa.
$50 was. But have been in trouble
since. l want you to listen to me for
few minutes, for l have something of i'm
portance to tell you"
sat down on the edge of his blanket,
ano then Tom proceeded to unfold his
secret
l knew that he was very devoted to a
quite pretty girl at home, and, as l sup
posed, they were to be married She was
giddy young woman, very fond of a fiirta-
ton, and anxious to carry as many lovers
scalps at her belt as she could secure
l learned from Tom that when he left as
lieutenant of the Twelfth, they were en-
gagged At Shiloh, the regiment was cap
tured almost tG MAJ, and himself among
the others. He had been taken south but
four or five months later he had made his
escape and returned north. He reached
home full of eager anticipatiOns, and dis
covered that his ffancee, accepting a re-
port of his death, had buried his memory.
and was now on the eve of marriage with
a prominent citizen of the town.
Broken down by the shock to his hopes,
Tom went on prolonged spree, and had
his commission taken from him. had final
ly run away and enlisted as a private in n
cavalry regiment, from which he had been
selected to serve as Steele's body guard
As Tom concluded his narration, he hesi-
tated moment to regain his composure.
He was very much broken Gown by dis
ease, or dissipation, and seemed in the last
stage of decline.
''What I wish particularly of you,'' he
resumed in little while, is this Il have
presentment that l shall be killed in the
coming fight. l have a photograph and
some letters from Laura, and 1 wish you
to take charge of them, and carry them to
her with the assurance that ] died loving
her. and that she is responsible for my
DEATH
tried to rally him on the absurdity of
presentments, but it was all useless. He
knew he should be killed, and when I fur
ther attempted to argue with him he final
- SSS'otb ~ 4ISISli anu SGGI4Cu buried III Il
profound and painful memory. Giving up
the attempt to convince him as being fu-
tile, | took the small package, shook
hands with him, and returned to the after
cabin.
The battle of Chickasaw Bayou occurred
on the second or third day after. Steele's
forces occupied the extreme left, and labor
ed gallantly but uselessly all that bloody
day 10 secure the position on the bluffs oc-
cupied by the confederates.
Near midnight l was standing on the
deck of steamer on which were being
brought such of the wounded as could be
reached under the confederate guns
Among others who were carried on board
l recognized, in a mass of blood. dirt and
torn uniform, the face of Tom S. He was
laid on the cabin floor; but when attempt
ed to attract his attention l found that he
was unconscious. His face was deadly
white, save where Streaked with blood
His eyes we're fixed, his under jaw had fal-
len, and he seemed already in ertremis.
Hunting up an assistant surgeon, Sc
cured an examination of the wounded
man. His breast was barred and revealed
three terrible wounds, about which the
blood had coagulated, and around which
there were great patches of red.
''He has been shot through the body in
three places, and the chances are that he
will not live twenty minutes, certainly not
two hours
Such was the report of the surgeon.
Soon after went on another boat, and
few days later 1 came up to Memphis
with my accounts eff the battle. From
thence 1 mailed to Laura -, circum-
stantial account of my interview with Tom,
his wounding and death, had the letters
and photographs which he had committed
to my care.
In the fall of the following year left |
the army and located in the Garden city.
Years passed, but I never could quite
forget poor Tom, his prostration when l |
first net him, on the night of the battle. |
The thing haunted me like a painful men, !
ory in my own life, and was one of the few |
recollections of the war which time would |
neither obliterate nor soften.
On last Christmas eve 1 remained late t
down town in order to smuggle home the |
knick knacks intended for the morrow's |
breakfast table. The streets were almost |
deserted As turned the corner of Dear
borne and Washington, found myself |
under gas-lamP, and face to face with
pedestrian. l glanced into his face, and, |
with thrill of astonishment, not unmixed !
with horror, recognized the unmistakable
lineaments of-Tom S.
In the action of a second I recollected it
was Christmas eve, and the eighth anniver-
sary of our meeting in the cabin, and of
his presentiment of his death. My senses
were frozen with horror, for single pulsa-
ton, and then l said
'In Gods name, Tom, is that You -
The apparition gazed at me with a seri-
Yoai,, for r1omaCt