Northern Ohio journal. [volume] (Painesville, Ohio) 1872-1896, 1880-03-06

squads, began to go on extemporaneous
raids through the adjoining country,
robbing and plundering indiscriminate-
ly in every direction.
They seemed to have no idea that a
conquered and subdued people could
possibly have any rights that the con-
querors were bound to respect. But
such expeditions could not be permit
ted; indeed, the General was under
orders to treat the people kindly and
with the same punctiliousness with
which he exacted obedience from his
command. Therefore, the most rigor-
GUS and explicit orders were issued
against IS hawking" of every kind,
and the offenders were severely pun
ished. But the ordinary punishments
were found to be utterly inadequate.
The guard-house, police-duty, extra
duty, ETC., had lost their terrors. and
punishments had to be devised that
would reach a class of men and ohenses
unprovided for in the regulations"
Through the clemency of the men
whom they sought to destroy, there was
at least afforded, on certain conditions,
the opportunity to erase their names
from that black muster-roll, and secure
restoration to duty. Some quickly.
others reluctantly, but finally all availed
themselves of the absolution, except
one-the Sergeant, the leader, the
prime mover and champion of the af
fair.
He scorned forgiveness; it implied an
acknowledgement of guilt. He would
stand by the deed; whatever the law
called it, he held it just resistance to
tyranny. He had sought no mans life.
He had felt: "We cannot live together;
will mine;" and he had simply said so.
If that were crime, he could not help
it. No matter if a thousand men were
towards, he had not the blood of pol
treon in his veins. He should never
promise-touch his hat, and, bowling
low, beg to have his name blotted out
of that list. His soul revolted at it. He
would live and die by that solemn pro-
test against the authority of q domi-
neering coward and incompetent COM
mander.
So the law took him and tried him
before general court-martial, found
him guilty, and sentenced him &c to be
shot to death" The General approved
the finding and sentence of the court,
and the day and hour of the execution
were fixed in an order that was read,
on certain evening at dress-parade, to
each regiment of the division. And
| with the words of that order cloud
| fell on the whole command.
The law was inexorable, and the court
had no alternative. Being guilty, this
was the punishment prescribed, with
out that saving clause which puts the
offender at the mercy of the court" or
such other punishment as the court
may direct" But did he deserve deathP
Not a man in all the command believed
| it. The men knew it was the letter of
the law that was staying him; but how
to invoke its spirit, and whether the
spirit could save him if it would, sorely
puzzled them. They were satisfied
that he should be punished, but by
| something less severe and irrevocable
than death.
With what crushing weight the
thought came home to their hearts
that good soldier, true patriot, was
to be shot for technieality, at the end
of long war through which he had
faithfully served! How they talked
about that lonesome weary wife, and
her eager and expectant children, away
at the North, watching with bated
breath the opening of the mail that was
SO soon, if not to-day, to bring her the
news of the final discharge of the Sec
ond Cavalry! Who could hold pen to
write this other news in its steadP Who
/ could send home TO her the picture of
her own sweet face, with the curl of
baby's hair on the glass, as he had worn
it next his heart SO many years, through
all danger by flood and field, and write
4 kIo -
love, he bade me send yeu-his last re-
/ quest?"
Did ever the reluctant days drag a
man to such hopeless, bootless, doomp
If only he had fallen on some fierce
battle field, madly striking for his coun-
tryi If only he had been slain on the
picket lines, plotting the grand old
army to victory! If he could have died
in the hospital, slowly wasted away by
incurable wounds or diseased If only in
any way his blood might have been
reckoned as q part of the price paid for
liberty and free government
But no-none of these. The very
record of his devotion to his country's
cause, and of his faithful years of untir.
ing service was to be blotted out His
i memory was to be blackened forever,
and his name to become legacy OF
| shame to his children; and yet they
knew he was conscious of no crimei
4 Was it possible to save him in any
wayP Could he be pardoned. or his
sentence be commuted? Yes, but only
one man could do 1.-THE General
Would he do itP Only one man in al
the command could ask it and hope
to be heard-the Lieutenant Colonel
Would he do itP
/ The days of respite passed rapidly
and the anxiety and sympathy for the
doomed man constantly increased in 8
cumulative ratio. At last the indis
pensable man arrived at division head
quarters with IS Petition for Pardon, >
and asked the staff to sign it. Every
valid reason that could be found wa!
urged, and he went away with all oul
names. He Jared the same at the bri
gade headquarters; and by the time h
reached the commanders of regiments
who all signed it, the report had re
joiced the hearts of every tent-squad il
the whole division. They k,seso it woult
be granted-the General could no
avoid it; he wouldn't dare to shoot hin
in the face of that list of names. Their,
was threat of vengeance lurking il
every expression of joy. Of
sIf-.n
4 Armed with the petition the Lieuten
ant-Colonel went to the General, and
gathering up all the eloquence of al
the arguments, laid the case befor
, him. He would So consider the matter;'
and the Colonel was dismissed.
A day passed by without an answer
!, Another, and still no reply. The thir'
some anxiety was manifested. Th
fourth-the solicitude increased. d
the fifth day the old fear seized them
. The sixth-not word spoken-0o-mor
row, s'between the hours of ten an
twelve o'clock -.'' They Law il
squads, scattered through the camps
| talking until late into the night, nc
caring to sleep, and the reveslle SCENE
i to break in upon their first nap.
The morning wore away in the mids
of its usual duties.
J Seven o. o'clock-breakfast. There wa
: the usual hum throughout the camps
the neighing of the horses, and th
voices of the men calling back an
3 forth as they struggled in, each to hi
: own mess. Once more as they dram
: their coffee and ate their hard-brea
= and bacon, grumblingly denouncinp tb