The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1879-08-26
ELI ICE,
The Union soldier Who Is Now in Prison
for Life at MOundsviIIe-A Detailed
History OF the Case.

mates that q true statement OF the facts @
the case Of Ell Ice, now confined in III
Moundsville penitentiary, would be &c
ceptable, and inasmuch as the name @
this unfortunate individual Is consptcu
ously before the public and the papers ar,
teeming with various statements, all con
ficting and each purporting to be true,
have, with no. little trouble, CLEANED tn,
following facts in relation to this unfortu
nate affair, which are, as I believe, thu
only truthful statements yet placed betorI
the public:
In the month OF April, 1868, Eli Ice, o
Company "B," Fifth West Virginia Cav
airy, came TO his home near Little
ton, Wetzel county, W. Va, on a furlough
1t is remembered by a goodly number o
US who composed the West Virginia Mil
ttia that about that time Fairmont had
been shelled and the bridges blown VI
and burned by the rebel Jenkins
At this time there was a notorious rebel
who was a terror to all the neighborhood,
and who continually threatened the lives
and property Of the Union people in that
section. (His name was Uriah Wade
And that some one had informed the
rebel Jenkins Of the defenseless condition
Of Fairmont and the surrounding country
was certain, and suspicion at once pointed
to Uriah Wade, who had more than once
made his boast that he never had and
never would take the id irou.clad
oath, as he called it, and he had made
for himself q walking stick, on which be
carved a copperhead snake, which, up to
this time, he would defantly show, and
say that was the emblem under which he
would fight.
Fairmont had suffered, and railroad
travel being for the time INSTRUCTED, the
citizens felt somewhat sore toward any
and all persons who had secession pro
clivities, and Colonel Shinn ordered the
arrest OF Uriah Wade, saving that he must
take the aforesaid oath or suffer the con.
seQuences-that is, jail or Camp Chase,
or possibly the Athennum at Wheeling,
and Eli Ice was delegated to make the al.
rest and bring him before the proper au.
thorities for this purpose.
He accordingly went to the house oil
one Abram Hess, and there found Wade,
armed to the teeth, and who seemed to
have been warned OF the intentions OF the
authorities. II was late in the afternoon,
and Ice parleyed andargued with him un.
til it became dark, when he, with a desire
to conciliate and accommodate as much
as possible his views OF the trouble
with those of Wade, agreed to suspend
proceedings until the next day or some
future time and advised Wade to 90 to his
home, it now being quite dark. Wade
promised Ice that he would go home and
in a perfectly friendly spirit, the parties
separated and each started toward his
home. Ice having quite a distance to 90
stopped at house to obtain a light, it be-
ing very dark, and to his establishment
there found Wade, who had violated his
promise to him and who seemed startled
and confused at being surprised SO unex.
pectedly by Ice. This aroused the suspi.
cions Of Ice who now believed that treach-
cry was intended by Wade and he now
again insisted on Wade going to his home
in accordance with his first promise
to which Wade with some reluctance al
last consented, when both parties started
together, Wade being some ten or twelve
PAGES in advance, which distance was
maintained until they reached a meeting
house, when Wade suddenly turned
towards Ice, who heard the click peculiar
to the cooking OF a revolver. It must be
remembered that it was very dark, and Ice
could not see his prisoner distinctly, and
he guessed at his position by the sound Of
his footsteps, the altered sound Of his pace,
and the Aforesaid click, more than con.
firmed his suspicious that Wade's inten.
tons BODIED him no good. Ice cooked his
musket and said to Wade: "Put up your
pistol or I'll shoot you;" when Wade
replied: "Eli, you would not shoot
me, would your" Ice replied, "No;
if you will put up your pistol, and
will 60 to your home as you promised
me-" With this both parties resumed the
march some distance further, when Wade
suddenly turned upon Ice, who again
heard the click OF his pistol and could up.
mistakably tell by the altered sound OF his
footsteps that he had stopped and was
turned or was turning towards him with
hostile intentions. At thistime 1t was that
Ice fired, guessing at the mark, aiming as
low down as possible from the nature Of
the ground and surroundings, intending
only to cripple or main Wade. At Ices
FIRE Wade fell, when Ice went to him and
found him with pistol in hand, showing
plainly what his intention had been. The
ball or charge from the gun OF Ice had
struck Wade above and IN front OF the left
hip and came out above and behind the
right hip, showing plainly his position
when struck, that he was turning or had
turned towards Ice, and was about to fire
at Ice when he fired at him.
The shooting happened about a quarter
OF a mile from the house Of Samuel Rob.
inson, to which place Ice repaired and re,
ported what he had done and asked fol
them to go with him to where the wound.
ed man lay and take care OF him, which
they did.
The next morning after the shooting
Ice reported the matter substantially a
herein stated, to the authorities and he
was placedin Fairmont jail, and while
there, his turlough having expired, he wa.
waited upon by his Captain, who askeG
him il he would rather be tried by thu
military or civil authorities. He chose the
former for obvious reasons and was senttC
his regiment.
GASSNS A. HAAAAA1 Va G4hl . q GQuEt lldE
tiGl convened at Weston, ". Va, Gen
Ayerill was Judge Advocate; George R
Latham, Howard Martin, Capt. FfanI
Mathus, and others were Associate Judges
and among the many things which thi
court disposed OF was the case OF Eli Ice
which matter was thoroughly siited, AMI
he was not onlyacquitted and DISCHARGED
with not even avote o. censure against him
He rejoined his regiment, and servet
with honor and distinction until the ex
p~iration Of his time, when he enlisted ii
the l05th Pennsylvania Regiment.
Wade lived about eight daysaiterh he wa
hotaud before he died he was asked b,
his friends what would they have don
with Ice, and he said "Don't bother him
he was doing his duty" ~
The labors Of the Court Martial, whicl
tried the matter OF Eli Ice, were brough
to q sudden and unexpected Termination
by the threatened invasion OF Penn
~sylvania by General Lee, and the officer
Rnmnhgin0 this tribunal xpara ur5jnn