The National tribune., 1883-06-21

| far from its folds in this dark night of prison
| life-or of prison death-our little mess was
| suddenly ushered into a flood-light of sunshine
! 1t came about in this way. When Durham ran
away he left in divers care razor, a razor
| strop and a brush, and these treasures had been
sacredly guarded, in expectation of the owners
return. But now they We're all turned over to
| me to trade off to the guards for food
| One night I went down to the foot of the
ravine where the prison creek made its way
| through the stocllade and tried to make a bar
gain with rebel guard. My heart beat wildly
| when / crossed over the dead-line to offer my
kit of tools in barter for peck of meal Per-
haps 1 deserved to be shot, yet had worked
hard all day and spared no effort in trying to
make my razor cut a hair, but it was useless
| undertaking. How the time dragged as
stood leaning closely against the stocllade for
protection and listening for the click of the
musket of the guard above. was on forbid
den ground, and as | stood there my heart beat
off the minutes.
When the bargain had been concluded
bounded over the dead-line with peck of
meal, as the first rebel guard on the opposite
side of the steckade cried out:
Post No. 1 10 o'clock and all is WELL"
Decker at once borrowed kettle and filed
it with water, and started little fire from the
splinters of piece of wood that we had been
saving for long time. Oliver sat down and
tried to warm himself, while Decker and /
stood up and looked down into the pot to see if
it was ever going to boil.
In order that our corn meal should last q long
time we made our arrangement to cook only
four handfuls of it at one time, no matter
how full of water our kettle might be. On this
occasion our kettle was full of water, and we
seemed to care not so much about the quality
as we did about having good quantity.
AS soon as our cruel began to boil we could
wait no longer. We took it off the fire and
in little while it was all gone. Then Decker
started off to the spring for another kettle of
water and so we continued to cook and eat
cruel that blessed night, until we could eat no
more, and at last when we tried to lie down we
found that We could not bend over, and all of
us had to take exercise.
Oliver was SO moonblind that we had to lead
him around all night The cry of the prison
guards: Four O'Clock and all is well, is passed
from sentry box to sentry-box until the circuit
is completed, yet we continued our walk until
favorable symptoms SET in. Then we lay down,
exhausted.
The warm sun of April cheered the prisoners
up little, and divers attention was again
called to the favorable sign of the season
exchange" / thought if he were in our lines
again he might live for years ON pension, but
Decker and expected nothing from the Gov
eminent; Oliver was the great sufferer.
After Lee surrendered the prisoners in the
the Union lines, and on the 18th day of April,
Oliver leaning upon the shoulder of COM
rade, arrived in the Union lines at Jackson
vile. Plenty of food restored him in n consid-
cradle measure to health, and when we landed
at Annapolis he was feeling quite well.
After many years of separation, / began to
make further inquiries about my friend, who
was living somewhere among the mountains in
Fort Ann. From old acquaintance of his
/ learned that he was still in poor health but
was glad to hear that he had sent in an appli-
cation for pension.
How long divers application had been
pending l do not know; perhaps it makes no
difference, anyway, for one sad day the news
came home to him that his claim for pension
had been rejected and soonIafterwards heard
of his death, and that he had left little family,
but no pension, behind him.
My story is about ended. The old stockade
has tumbled down, the south gate opens and
shuts no more; the neshets have filled the
wells with sands
When Garfield died a generous Government
lent its hand and contributions from the peo-
pie were piled up on single altar IS a blessing
for a widow and her children. Why divers
family should have been left entirely uncared
for by such a great people was mystery to
me, until / learned that he had died of con-
sumption, and consequently the law did not
favor his claim. Consumption had never WIS.,
tied him in prison. 1t was scorbutic ulcers
that had troubled him there. He did not die
of them, or of the scnrvy, or of prison gangrene,
or of moonbindness, but passed quietly through
them all, and then tried to build himself up
again-but failed
AS the last tattoo was sounding and the
shadows began to fall, perhaps he thought he
heard once more rolling along the line of the
old stockade the moekery of his enemies: "All