The National tribune., 1879-09-01
How Policeman Wooed and Won His Bride in
Days of Yore.

Well, boys, don't exactly know have right to
show up mans private affairs in this way but, it
yarn of the war that more than one OF You can appreciate
from actual experience will give it to you To begin
with, don't think there's one here but what has heard
of the Thirty sixth Illinois vounteershat good old Ieg
ment which has lost soldiers in battle and less from
disease than any other regiment in the service. WE'LL
along in the last days of 1862 the Thrtysxth found it.
self q part and parcel of the fight at Stone river
w don't think, by the way, that any event of the
war contained discomfort, hardship and loss than
that same fight On the third day after skrmshng had
begun boys lay right alongside the Forty In
diana in which command friend Blank there yonder
had warm personal friend When got TO the front
the bullets began whistle and the guns bang the
Thrtysxth moved out of the way to give
Phil. Sheridan chance As they went tearing along
through the smoke and the rain Of lead Blank chanced
his Hoosier friend fiat the ground gaspng his last
''He got out of the ranks and stopped moment, My
dear boy, he said, can do anything for you2 No.
came the feeble reply I've got my route for the other
shore Yet if you'd take my trinkets and send the
Of my death to the dear at home you'd make dy
ing mans mind more at rest than it now is
so there. that awful battlefield Blank knelt down.
took the address of sister, mumured short prayer and
before arising closed his comrades eyes death Then he
in again savage than ever and no in the
army experienced ercer delight than he when the bat
tered Confederates fled the field
''We he wrote that sister and detailed the story of
her brothers death reply reached him. and regular
correspondence followed But you know the ups and
downs of soldiers life In the Fall, September, think,
the Chickamauga affair The Thirty sixth went in
with flag inscribed Pea Ridge, PeIryvile, Stone River,
and they brought ont riddled with bullets and haoed
with glory They had inspiration for fighting too, that
day Sheridan was there. ana McCook, ana Lytle who
was killed and who by the way wrote that stirring po-
about Cleopatra which begins
am dying Egypt dying
Well Blank happened to be among the unlucky ones; ball
laid him fiat, and when he came to he prisoner You
can get him talk much about it, but during the six
teen months Andersonvlle he suffered all that
can suffer and live His friends thought him dead the
lady whom he had been writing thought him dead too
when he exchanged and got a furlough he con
cuded to keep up the deluson little longer He went
over Indiana to th quiet place where his dead friends
sister lived and day called incognto at her fathers
residence other lie usheTed into
waiting for the old gentleman to appear Soon the girl
looked at him cuously then she sprang to her feet and
cried You can't deceive me. We thought you dead
but I'm you the friend who with my brother
in his hour You his style of writing and king
about the same and it gave him away In due time
they were engaged and after the war; married So there
YOU have a bit of the life of a Chicago policeman"
And lighting cigar, the detective walked away t.
bed.