Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1883-10-23

| army CORONER, "Dut always IN Dattt
1 never was so placed as to feel oblig'
ed 10 kill man in cold blood but
once. / never want to be placed in
such a position again" Show was
in" / asked. "Well," said the colo.
mel. signing. with unwilliDsuess to 60
back to that disagreeable day, "you
see / was one of the 100 Federal
prisoners brought down from Savan.
nah to Charleston To stop the shells
and balls from Gen. Rufus saxton's
batteries. You remember we were
stockaded there on space in front Of
Charleston as a sort.of target for the
Federal guns. Well, on the way
down from Savannah 10 Charleston
we were to escape. We planned il in
Savannah. The train, rambling,
stumbling affair, drawn by wheezy
old locomotive capable Of something
like ten miles an hour on dead level,
was to be guarded by old men and
young boys unfit for field duty. They
were armed, Of course; but we out
numbered them ten TO one. Every
man in the secret had his part 10 play
signal TO give, a guard to watch, a
gun 10 seize. Each >of US carried an
improvised weapon Of some sort. l
remember | picked up the bolt of an
old car coupling and hid IL under my
shirt, and ! suppose all the others had
arms of a similarly terrible descrip.
ton. My duty was to kill guard
who stood right in front Of me at the
end Of the car when the signal should
be given. II was an old passenger
car. l sat in the last seat facing the
wood box. and the guard stood by the
stove. Presently he came over and
stood by the wood box. And such a
guard A white-haired farmers boy
Of some seventeen years, 30 sleepy
with long duty that he could scarcely
keep his eyes open. He had a good
face, with a very innocent expression,
that refined the appearance of his
coarse clothes and dirty shoes. He
had an old-fashioned musket--a mu q
zle loader. with big percussion cap.
And this was my victiml looked
him all over and measured him care
fully. One blow Of my hard bolt on
that soft head would end him.
81 have no idea Of the scenery Of
that route. l saw but one thing all
that way-that boy. / watched him
as the hawk watches the little chick
en-. And as l watched him l pitied
him more and more. He was SO
young, so fair, 50 innocent / steeled
myself with the thought that he must
die il we would be free. At the
time, though, | was looking for some
way in which could do my duty and
yet save that boy. tell you it's q
terrible thing TO sit for hours opposite
q tow-headed boy measuring him Tor
q coffin. / don't know what fear is,
but l confess without hesitation TO a
tremor every time | thought of his
dying gasp. AS watched him (and
every body else in the car was watch
ing mel | wondered whether l could
not disable his gun and then content
myself with stunning. him when the
moment came. With such care as
you can scarcely conceive, ! reached
forward through those short legs for
the nipple of the musket. After sew.
eral trials / touched the gun, oh, SC
carefully, and in moment more had
the cap in my hand. l threw it out
of the window. Then the whole car
breathed freer. / know Ibid. The
guard still slept. | wondered wheth
er I couldn't get that musket away.
could try. did. with uncomfortable
patience and care. l slowly disengag'
ed the dangling legs; | carefully lift
ed the clasped fingers; put the
hauds in his lap; took the muskeI
slowly from between his legs, and
quietly pushed it under the seat on
which / sat. As l did so, he shook
himself, turned over with his head
against the wall, and went on with hi
nap. Now l was myself again. liz
was in my power, and no blood would
be shed. But just at that moment
word was passed to me that the plar
had failed. The coward who was 4
give the signal was afraid to give it
the point was passed; it was all over
the locomotive was whistling for thu
next town. Oh, how mad l wasl
could have killed that coward without
a culver. But there was no help fol
it. i slowly and carefully pulled on
the gun of the sleeping guard, put i