Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1882-11-25

There was one Russian fellow
who had a sand-pit all of his own,
right In front OF our trenches. Inev-
er saw anybody 80 persevering IA
that man was. Eatly In the morn
ing he'd he popping away, and there
he'd stay until nightfaIl, taking
his food with him into the pit. He
seemed to take a real pleasure In IL,
and as he was a very fine shot and
never let us get much OF chance at
him, he WAS not popular character
IN the advance trenches. Many q
good fellow he sent to glory. IL got
such a nuisance that we dropped
shells at him. now and again but no
minded them no more than II they
had been so many oranges. One
day i was down in the trenches
when Col. MancOr, of the Forty
eighth, splendid shot and a great
man for sport-came along. A
party with a sergeant were atwOfk,
and just as the colonel came up one
OF them dropped with a ball through
the head. "Deuced good shot
Who fired that 2" says the colonel,
putting on his eyeglass. "Man in
the rifle pit to the left, sir" answers
the seargeant. "Never saw nea-
ter shot," says the colonel. "He
only showed for moment, and
woudn,t have shown then only that
the edge Of the trench is bit worn
away" "Does he often shoot like
that?" "Terably dangerous rnan,"
replied the sergeant; I" kills more
than all the guns in the Redan."
"Now, MAJOR" says the colonel
turning to another officer who was
with him, "what's the odds against
my picking him off ?' 'In how
long ?' "Within ten minutes"
Two to one in ponies, I'll give
you," says the major. "Say three
and it's bargain" "Three TO one
in ponies, !" answered the major, and
the bet was made. He was a great
man for measuring his powder was
the colonel, aud always emptied
out cartridges and then filed IL up
again, according 10 his taste. He
took about half his time getting the
sergeant's gun loaded to please him.
At last he got it right, and the
glass screwed well into his eye.
"N0w, my lads" said he, s,hist
push poor Smith here up over the
trench. He's dead enough and an
other wound Will make little DIFF
ference to him." The men began
to hoist the body up, and the col
onel stood, may be twenty yards
off peering over the edge with eyes
like lynx. AS soon as the top of
Smiths shake appeared we saw the
barrel of the gun come SLOWLY out
of the sand pit, and when his poor
dead face looks over the edge whizz,
comes bullet right through, his
forehead. Tho Russian, he peeps
out of the pit to see the effect OF his
shot, and he never looks at any
thing again until he sees the ever
lasting river. The colonel fired
with sort of a chuckle, and the
ritieman sprang up In the air and
ran matter OF ten or twelve PAGES
toward us aud then down on his
face as dead as door nail. "Double
or quits on the man in the pit to
the right" says the colonel loading
up his gun again, but think the
major had dropped money enough
for one day over his shooting, for
he woudn't hear of another try.
BY the way, the money was handed
over to Smiths widow, for he was
a free-handed gentleman was the
colonel. '
.fss Father Ryan I'D 81,
Since my return from New Or
leans, have been informed that
some Catholics in and around Biloxi.
have originated and spread a runor
that was no longer possessed OF the
rights ofapriest; in fact that i was q
suspended priest, II is simply. a lie
and a caiumny, have all the fac-
ulties of the diocese of Mobile, Nat
chez and New Orleans, a privilege
that no pi lest know OF possesses.
Besides / have the special privilege
from my Bishop and the Bishop OF
this diocese to have a private chapel
in my own house, where say mass.
III do not be present in the church
at Biloxi, have my own reasons
for ii, Priests do not always agree.
1t is nobodys business. My house
hold, consisting OF fourteen souls,
five Of them adults, are my. only
charge, and they know thesecluded
dignity and worthiness Of my
priesthood. With some iu and
around Biloxi, there has been such
a mixture of blood that they are
very apt to mix things up that do
not concern them. 1 distinctly in
this card except the Irish Citholics
and Protestant people. They let
priests alone. When am to lee
ture in Catholic churches for the
benefit of the poor and The orphans,
etc., IL / find such calumny against
me as that / am silenced priest,
/ will trace IL to the parties, priest
or people, who assert II, and bring
them before the courts for defama-
tion of character. Only the vile
create, and the vile only believe,
what is an utter lie. ~ vf
.-ig. ar.g REV. A. j. RYAN, ...
... of the Diocese of Mobile.
Biloxi, Miss.
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