Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-08-22

tie old hozse. oArbine sero>. ny
A.ees, and looke,i TITO the face 81 our
pms Ter. 1t came T. lie al at once that
!. xGs his face aAi >eeE n tie picture.
There Vas a great change II some par
tleulArs. anl vet ! confidently nquired:
Did you Lave your picture taken by
-. Of LyncLburg
Yes, be replied.
Was tie case & rel morocco:
"Itx.s
Then tie picture / lad found IL
camp must have been stolen fron his
house by iDragers and afterwards
thrown aWay. The man looked at me
a. If ready T. answer further questions,
but had none TO put Just then. l was
wondering al the curious coincidence,
when lie sat up on his bed aud looked
he square In the eye, and said
lam Dan Vernon, the buskwhacker-
! killed one of your men last night he
fore turning IN here =
Dan Vernon :! l repeated after
him.
Yes. II is a good joke on your
comrades, who took me for scrub
soldier -
| was so taken by surprise that
could not utter a word. He was as cool
as ice, however, and he continued
1T would give Sheridan great Joy to
string me up or see me shot, but my
time isn't come yet. shall be going
( pretty soon y
Now, that was pretty cool talk, con-
sideriug that l was there to guard him
and had my carbine ready for shot,
with fifty comrades within hail, but he
went on
II have my rifle under the straw,
and could have shot long ago. l didn't
want to, however; feel good-natured
this morning, and you need fear no
harm"
Zone cry from me will alarm the
whole post" managed to remark.
Pooh Let's hear you yell at
once p
Our eyes met. There was nothing
malicious in his. but they put strange
spell on me. His voice. too, had a
strange, tender influence, and when he
asked me to toss my canteen OF water
and haversack of food 1 o5eyed without
the least hesitation. He drank from
the canteen, and as he chewed away at
the food he remarked:
"Blaze away, but I tell you, you
can't hit me-
We looked at each other for half a
minute, and felt my carbine slipping
from my grasp to the ground outside.
My fingers had no strength to hold it.
Dan laughed and said:
80 Whv don't Won shoot ~
"You shall never leave this place
alive y said in answer, but hardly
recognized my own voice.
pooh p he carelessly replied, I" 1
am ready to leave now ! shall go out
of this door here, and you will sit right
here where you are y
I was looking full at him, and to save
my life 1 couldn't move hand or foot.
Each limb felt as numb as if asleep.
"Well, old boy, good-by to you. :"
said Dan, as he picked up his rifle from
the straw, and in another minute he was
out of sight. I was sitting there, mouth
open and eyes fixed on vacancy, when
comrade came down from the picket
post, shook me by the shoulder, and
cried:
"A!nice man you are asleep and your
prisoner gone"
Was asleep? No Was it dream?
No But the prisoner was gone. There
was talk of a couItmartial in my case,
but it never occurred, as my prisoner
was supposed to be only some Johnny
Reb." Had it been known that my man
was the famous bushwhacker should
have been taken out and shot for per-
hitting him to escape. I permitted
him, and yet didn't. I was as help
less as if without power or muscle.
That night when he crept in upon g
picket and stabbed him to the heart, l
wondered if the poor victim first saw
those wild magnetic eyes glazing into
his to deprive him of his power.