Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-04-23
within an Ace of Death->ome Extraordi-
nary Escapes.

Colonel Gilmor relating the story of
fight in which he figured, says in his -Four
Years in the Saddle"
Turning half-round in my saddle to call
on my men. received sudden shock and
felt deathly sick, and at the same instant
saw a man trail his gun and run off. |
killed him before he had gone three steps.
His ball had passed through two coats and
stuck in pack Of cards in my left side
pocket They were quite new, the wrapper
not even having been broken open. The
suits were each distinct. The bullet passed
through all, stopping at the last card, which
was the ace of spades.
Such another literal illustration of the
phrase ''Within an ace of death is not
upon record; but hair-breadth escapes are
common in war. At the battle of LaOn,
Steffens saw a shell strike the horse of
Prussian officer. Entering near the should
er, it caused the poor animal to make
convulsive spring and throw its rider, the
fragments of the shell being projected on
all sides while the rider jumped up from
the ground unhurt.
Amazingly nigh death, although in bliss
full ignorance of the fact, was the COnfed-
crate staff officer marked down by Nor
theners rifle, and only saved by the officer
commanding the platoon happening to re-
cognize in him a client of the insurance
office of which he was secretary, and strik-
ing up the leveled weapon with: ''Dont
shoot we've got a policy on him.
The sword of justice Is not always rightly
directed, and sometimes comes near perpe-
trating murder. A young New Yorker
named Wells. went one evening to Booths
Theatre. Taking with fit of coughing,
he left the theatre intending to go home:
but after going some little distance, it came
on showing SO fast that he retraced his
steps. As he strobe along, two men came
rushing down the street, one of them drop
ping gold watch and chain, which Wells
picked up, and then went after the loser,
running into the arms of a Policeman, who
marched him off TO the station TO explain
matters. Presently a messenger arrived in
hot haste, saving the thief was wanted At
the Fifth Avenue Hotel. Wells was taken
there, and brought face to face with man
living on lounge, covered with blood.
'sIs this the man who stabbed you 3"
asked the officer.
II i, sdlu lnc popI lciIO", lahhS udSh,
never to speak again.
Wells was tried for the murder, found
guilty, and sentenced to be hanged; and
hanged he would have been, if a fortnight
before the day fixed for his execution a
prisoner in Sing Sing had not confessed on
his death-bed that he had robbed the man of
his watch, then stabbed him and run of, !,
afterward dropped the watch as he ran.
Major Duncan vouches for the truth of
the following tale. In 1887 the Christine
general, Escalera, was murdered at Miranda
by the mutineering regiment of SegOvia.
About two months later, Espartero and his
army arrived at Miranda; and on the 3Oth
of October the whole force was paraded
outside the town, the regiment OF Segovia
being flanked by artillery and other regi-
ments. Accompanied by his staff, Espar-
tero rode up to it, and told the men he had
come to ask for his old friend and comman-
der, their chief, Escalsra-
''Where is hel' he cried Then, point
ing to the dead commanders resting-place
went on: ''He is there, foully murdered