The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1875-02-03
~ ARMY OFFICERS CAREER.
, Story OF ELoPEMENr, MARRIAGE AND
SHAME.


Tile doors of the Albany peniten-
tiary yesterday closed upon q man
whose brief history is indeed sad
one His name is Virgil S. Eggle-
ston and he fell from Que of the most
responsible and honored positions in
the army of the United States
Born of greatly respected parents in
the village of Palmyra, in thit State,
he received o good education and
was prepared to discharge with cred
it and intelligence the duties of a
worthy, if not a prominent member
of society. lie possessed influential
friends, who scored for him o posi-
ton id the Paymaster Generals De-
partment ofthe army.
While residing in Washington and
performing with fidelity the duties of
clerk in the employ of government,
he became acquainted with the
daughter of Henry Wilson's landlady
and eloped with her. They were
married and returned to the maternal
domiciI. Mr.. Wilson now interested
himself in the young man, whose
chaeacter was excellent, morals I'M
exceptional and intelligence superior.
, With the assistance of other friends,
Mr.. Wilson procured for young Eg-
gleston the position of paymaster in
the regular army with the rank OF
major His appointment was one OF
the last acts of Andrew Johnson's
administration.
The fact that he had been taken
from civil life and given position
in the army which so many lieuten.
ants and captains coveted, caused
Eggleston to be regarded with jeal.
Gus eye, and from the start he was
unpopular in the service. However
he was sent to Oregon, and went
thither, taking with him his young
wife, giddy, thoughtless creature
over whose shameless career subse
quently we will draw the vail of 81
lence. Major Eggleston was in the
Modoc war, and was one of the first
to enter the lava beds after the crue
murder of General Candy. His he
roism gsined him some favor with
the officers, and his military career
now became more promising.
The subsequent discovery of hi;
wife's bad conduct made hun dies
perate, and for the first time in hi:
life he became reckless and engaged
in life of wild disorder and dissipa
ton. The more he tried to do TO
her the worse she grew. Debts null
tiplied, and sorrows filed his cup tt
overlooking. At last he began to ust
the public money to meet his owl
and wife's extravaganza. The sun
of $4,000 had been embezzled ant
squandered, when he was arrested
tried by court martial, and sentenced
to be casniered, and imprisoned il
the Albany pcnitentiary for the peri
cd of FIVE years, and to remain in con
finement until the amount of none,
embezzled was restored to the Gov
eminent, which practically amounted
to life sentence. President Gran
approved the proceedings of tn
court, but, with generous endorse
ment regarding Eggleston's Drawer.
in the Modoc war, fixed the limit o
the Imprisonment at ten years.
Yesterday, Colonel John Green, @
the regular army, and Captain NJ. c
Wilkinson, Of General Howard staff
committed Major Eggleston to th
tender mercy Or General Pillsbury
His history is sad one, and there i
great sympathy felt for him by
wide circle of friends. Considerin:
that the amount of money embezzle'
by him was only $4,000, his sen
tence seems largely disproportionat
to that inflicted upon Hodge, broth
er paymaster, who stole nearly $500,
200, and was sent to prison for onl,
five years, and was then pardonet
out at the end of eleven months
-[Troy Times.