Sharp County record., 1880-05-20
,,,p SERGEANTS STORY

III III
isa r0ID MILITARY POST
y ,ord in this Western wild,
y, tIEzn ,n,f ou' thing the dirts JlSt plleu
uS Asa salsptber promiscuous s0rd IoI. ot way
n top OF aI3,d s2IS think by that marble SHAFT;
ar' person u a., a ,,TaviII above the graft,
AM I1u' tbe How low, q anpral holds that TOMB
! That q MaJol, down there wore prlVates
plume
lon, Z. amber the day they sWore meaI t', thin in.
rene ,oie cOmplected, an ratner mn
b He We pau tbat they call a trampln peat,
He'd piI piiiIL.,I "I' fur want O. Sumtnln 10 eaI'
IA An ellllStS ellE,,S The case that new recrult.
W It's alWal ~ ticlIs from the older fruit:
c Is M ou,, ,I,, the bows tOrmented tne cuss
ers Ap ~ ~ G9wn wicked, an scahudlouo'
ut II, If all with a sickly smile, .u
Hetooih1 IA II If they'd wait till afterWhlle,
+ AQ' silu ~ - fni nm in some sort o trlnl,,
y TILL 20. 20. ~" bo baoIthv to fool with him!
o. mlgn,n nawpT ID by the look O the fellers eye
3 An IN hitU bo was backward, an rather sny-
y, 6Ssf hehirrd his skeleton SorI u i0"'''
IN heart like lions 1oulu i0'''
NJ ..b+ 90 the guard, at twelve o'clock,
~ Vne y illSItbe ~ a. sentinel over the STOCK,
OG lieiieN N,raI Cu seen a kind of glare
Ia me ~ IPy,,ard the officers quarters tnere!
f5 f5oin ,orn1 was raised, an the big gun ilreu
~ fbr soldiers, not more II nalL r.,.n,Ind
NJ <,n,,e a rlshn out on tLS ual 'oOh " hdS7,ndI
4 <51ah <519'eh wild an excited sort OF poullu'
c,,orops headquarters was all atlre;
sH1n5 dimes a-mOuntin' higher an hlgner!
~ an IN ,t With the wells O. men, an ShrlekS
Y Al an ~ y h"I offrers' wives, with their Whltlsh
Nd 49, tbr roar O. the flames, an. deyllsn hgnV
in,1nnminatin' nn the pitch-dark nlghI!
ilIull .llH,ti liob a siGht as I've often thought
1Mal M9iId 1,I soc in hell, when it's bilin hot!
"An 'iiTI Taionei "itI shouted: my God! Where's
"a -. itL" iso "rosnonded: She's in her bed! -.
4'en fplI 10 the ground like person ueau
III through the roof the liau laileo i0,,1 T1oSS
q Al the bindin' smoke Ill uciio0 Ai"''
poured ,- .;n .ho
h through every creVlce ah oi"0h' '--i
h nina .aGII above like death-black shroud!
mrf rnipht'n be out O place to state,
u tsTi1dpr accOuntin' fur this Meads 1ate-
M r6at Nell war an angel, ten year ola,
with q heart as pure as the virgin gOlu!
An; She had kind of an angel trlck
d of ,eadin', an sich like, to the sick;,
"A n ~ monv's the dainty her hand d bear
y froAIned' onetime, in the hospital thereD
lc y MvGod it was 'nOugh to raise the halr
10 m thp head of marble statue! Ihere
Sfood crowd of at least two hundred men,
None DARN to enter that hery pen
Men that war brave on an Injun trail,
j, whose courage was never known to fall
" Rnf 70 enter that buildin' was certain death;
l Sofbey stood there starin', an held their
Il breath.
- Then all at once, with an eager cry,
n AM a bulldog look in his t1ashin eye!
+. This Mead rushed up to the wailin band,
AMI a paper thrust in the COlOnePs hand,
\ NV mothers address, he said, an then
HesOrt O. smiled on the crowd O. men,
All list like flash O lightnin, shot
Thr0ugb the door right into the Seethin' pot!
- With yell of horror the crowd looked on,
Eur they felt with him it was goodbye
9& john
But half minute after the dash
.11tIp-Stairs window burst with crash!
XH there stood Mead, like smilin' saint,
The gal in his arms in death-like faint,
H8yelled fur a rope, an let her down,
YoferTd tlmy-W'ich means the grOun'!
uIhen he tied the rope to the winder sash
Fur to fOler dOwn-but there came crash,
AM the blazin' roof, with a fearful din,
Ihowed the boy to the ground as it tumbled
We carried him way from the fearful heat,
AhOpn the noble heart still beat;
But the old post surgeon shook his head,
An said, with a sigh, that Mead was dead!
N Nwasnt long afOre little Nell
Got over the shock, an as soon as well,
She circulated among the men,
Win sheet O paper, an ink an pen.
An aXed each one fur to give his mite,
Remembrance O. Mead's brave work that
night.
AM as the result this monument stands,
Among flowers planted by Nellie's handSP
:" An every evenin she walks up here,
The boys all say, fur to drop tear!
An I've seen her, too, on her knees right
there,
With her face turned upwards as if in
prayer!
Ioull see that line up above's to tell
AZ how the stone was Erected by Nell
an down at the bottom, there, you'll see
dome Bible quotn':
"'HE DIED FOR Me-"
:" wyoming Kit" in Detroit Free Press.