Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-08-28
their heads, and branded one of them

their heads, and branded one of then
who had a lover among our soldiers
with the letters ~. S." marked upol
her cheek with red-hot wire!
My blood boiled at the sight. M
anger, however, was as nothing com
pared with the fury that blanchet
Royals very lips, and transformed hin
into an avenging spirit.
For a moment his eyes blazed as ht
looked upon the cowardly miscreant
Senior Pedro, who, pinioned in the cor
ner, returned the gaze with one il
which was more Of demoniac hatred
and vlndictiveness than [ have ever be
held IN human countenance.
He glared and clenched his teeth as
he saw Royal turn to Coralie, and, lift
ing her tenderIy from the floor, held
her IN his arms, and speak words OF
soothing and tenderness. ff## r
Then he turned to me. ~. -~
You will stay here, G., and take
care of her, and of these poor creatures
Call Doctor Burns" he added: to one o.
the men; "and let him do what can be
done for the women. WE'LL" he con
tlnued, with s. sudden, irresistible burst
of fury, cit is enough to turn a mans
blood to liquid fire to look upon a thing
such as this! The cowardly, devilish
miscreants. But they shall pay for it,
and that quickly Come, my men
march those wretches through this door
way, out into the garden here, under
the China trees!"
You are not going to act rashly
Royal? You will not shoot them? 1t
might be dangerous for us as we are
now situated"
"Who cares for danger? I would
kill them, if | had to die for it the next
moment! Such beasts are not fit to
live! Shoot them? No, indeed-no
soldiers death for them! Bat, G., it
will be better, perhaps, to take her away
at once-also the other woman-le lest
they should suspect what is going on.
1t is not thing for women to see or
hear. All, there is the carriage at the
door! Put them in as quickly as posi-
BILE, and get them out Of the way. We
will overtake you in twenty minutes"
Glad to be spared the horror of the
coming scene, | eXerted myself to exc
cute his directions. But the doctor was
now hastily attending to the mutilated
women, and as this delayed us, [ caught
through the closed door the indistinct
sound of voices, struggles, curses, and |
shivered-I, who had never felt qualm
amid the horrors Of the battlefield.
was thankful that Coralie was spar
ed even suspicion of what was going
forward so near us.
An hour after, and we were all safe
out of Los Angeles, following rapidly
on the track of our comrades, with
whom we soon came up.
Only, just before leaving Don Man
uels house for the last time, he and |
had given one look into the garden,
where four quivering forms hung in
CHASTITY array from the branches of the
Pride-of-China trees under which my
friend and his betrothed had passed so
many happy hours. ..,.....
Some years after the conclusion OF
the war, | visited my friend on his plan
tation near New Orleans, and nowhere
have [ seen more happy and prosper
Gus family r.......U as.
His wife, at that time the mother OF
two lovely children, was more beautiful
than ever, it seemed to me, having
bloomed into the fullness Of perfec,
womanhood; and even her father, whose
chief pride and interest seemed to lie
in his grandchildren, expressed a per.
feet content in the new life that sur
rounded him. .