The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1876-09-07

and had nothing to do with it rs
now remember. The man was tried,
found guilty, ndsentenced to be shot.
He confessed that after his escape in
May, 1864, he went down the Kama
wha to Ohio and became a bounty
jumper; that he had received boun.
ties Il number of times from different
localities and individuals, and after
ward deserted. He was prevented
from doing it on this occasion by n
recent order which required that re-
cruits should be receipted forat their
regiments before they were paid their
bounties. He had about S400 in
money, rcceivd for bounties which he
had jumped, and also two Watches
1 He had no family, or near relatives,
unless his mother was living, whom
he had seen for some years, aud whose
residence he could not tell.
After the trial, members of the
condemnation talking it over con
cluded that rs the money of the de-
serter had been received from local.,
ties or individuals to furnish a sol.
dier to the twenty-third regiment,
that it ought to be used to get anoth-
en- recruitfor the same regiment, and
that it should be delivered to the
proper officer for that purpose.
In all this concurred, and have
ALWAYS surpassed that this was accord.
ingly done with the money. i have
often told the story of this descrter, it
being interesting on account of its
coincidence, and have always spoken
Of The money found upon his person
as having been used to get 4 recruit
for the Twcnty-third regiment in
his place. The regiment received
many recruits after that time, and |
have always believed one of them
was obtained with this money.
Mr.. Harper says an orderly came
from me after him, and that at my
headquarters he gaveup the money
in the presence Of Colonel Comfy
We were then in the midst of the
busiest year Of the war, and just en-
tering upon one of the most exciting
campaigns-Shcridan's Shenandoah
/ Valley campaign, have no reason
to think that Mr.. Harper either kept,
used or in any way misapplicd this
money, but have no recollection of
ever having received it. | know !
never used or appropriated it to my
own use, If it was handed to me ii
was Immediately then and there turn
ed over to the proper officer toobtain
another man in the place Of the de-
scrtsr
Hayes picks up t bundle of letters
and opens one.
Major L. NJ Carey, formerly of the
2Sd regiment, now residing Mt Man
chester, Ohio, writes to me as follows:
My understanding at the time was
that the money found upon his per-
son the dcsertcr] was left in the
hands of the Judge advocate of the
court, and by him was to be turned
over to the quartcrmaster or provost
marshal for the recruiting purposes
However this may be, certain it is
| never kept or misappropriatcd this
money.
During the talk about this matter,
General Comfy was requested by n
reporter not togo away, as his knowl-
edge of the case would be asked flrif
he had no objection to making it
known. Business did call him away,
however, but he returned shortly be-
fore the reporter had completed ta-
king General Hayes. In reply to Il
question as to what General Comfy
had to say about the case, he submit,
ted his views in this way.
General COmly's Statement.
have listened carefully to The
statement of Chaplain Harper His
tapppcarance and manner convinced
me that he was telling a story accord.
ing to his recollection. | do not be-
lieve he appropriated that money TO
his own use. Yet without intending
to express any doubt as to anything
else than the accuracy of his rccollcc-
ton, | am compelled to differ with
him in my recollection as to material
points. The man who was shot was
a rebel spy first, and afterward Il de-
serter, an escaped prisoner, again a
spy, a bounty jumper, and the robbcr
| of his comrades in the regiment.
| The circumstances as TO the trial and
conviction, and the character of the
man, were known substantially to
the whole command. /. Chaplain
Harpcr's statement is, that the man
was shot along toward noon; my
recollection is that it was at sun
down or near dark. ,. The Chaplain
says he handed the roll of bills to
General Hayes about noon and in
broad daylight, within ten or fifteen
minutcs-not to exceed half an hour
after the execution of the spy; my
information is that it was so near
dark at the time of the execution,
that "thc guns made 4 flash" and
that the burial of the body immedi-
atcly aftcrward had to be done with
lighted lanterns. DR.. Barrett, who
had charge. so reDOrtS tor r. q Tho