News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1883-10-11

OF the six officers of the regular army
who found themselves in Libby Prison
in 1864, one was a fine-lOoking colonel
from Indiana big bodied, big Drained,
big hearted fellow, chOckful of energy.
After two or three of his attempts to get
out of Libby had failed, a Washington
correspondent says, he began. to suspect
that his failures were the result of
treachery in the prisoners camp. The
Colonel, after thinking each failure over,
came to the conclusion that somebody
was selling his manhood for a mess of
pottage-currying the favor which would
exchange" him to his home by betrav-
ing the plans of his companions-in-ar arms
to the enemy. He looked about him for
the man. Cautious inquiries at length
gave him such information as prompted
him to say to each of the other five regu-
lar army officers: -"Meet me at such a
spot at midnight. [ have found the
traitor. We Will court-martial him to-
night. At midnight the six men met
in dark corner, and in whispering
voices organized a drum-head cOurt-mar-
tlaI. The Colonel presented the name
OF the suspects, and then his proofs. In
the ballot which followed each of the six
voted ''guilty." "Now," said the Colonel
''this is not farce. We must vote
sentence and then we must execute if.
every well, " said the next man. 'Well. ="
said the Colonel, 81 vote for Death. The
wretch deserves it. so do l." said
the next, and so on down to the sixth
a Pennsylvania major. He knew the
culprit, Pennsylvania like himself,
better than the rest. He knew that he
was quite capable of the crime charged
against him He had no doubt of his
guilt. He wanted to see him punished
He said all this to the other members of
the court, and then he added: "But we
can't kill him" Suddenly interrupt
ing himself, he said, Colonel, what
that in your hand ?" ''The rope" said
the Colonel, grimly; GIVE been plating
1t as we talked, and he passed it around
He had taken an old shirt, torn it into
narrow strips and woven it into some
thing that looked like a rope. "Now,
Major" he said, when it was handed
back to him, ''what you have said is all
very well. 1t does credit to your heart
as we'll as to your head. But you're
outvoted; and the majority is against
YOU. The sentence of the court is that
the scoundrel shall die, and die he will
this minute, for I'll kill him myself.
Come, captain, " he said to the brawny
Irishman next to him, you and I will
settle the rascal ''Why, you wouldn't
strangIe him in his sleep, would you ?"
asked the Major, also on his feet as the
others moved toward the sleeping form
of the traitor. "Certainly," whispered
the Colonel, ''why not He can't pray,
and we can't have any noise" "You
never will, said the Major, firmly get
ting in front of the Colonel; 81 won't let
you-you'll have to kill me frst-I won't
stand by and see you stain your honest
hands with his dishonest blood in such
a way as that. Why, man, it would be
You would be a murderer. [
won't permit it.. Gliding softly before
the rest he reached the sleeping man and
sat down beside bis head. There he sat
till the gray morning came stealing in
the chilly atmosphere. Long
before that time the Colonel and his
batfled and disgusted, had
stolen away to their sleeping places,
carrying the plated rope with them.
As soon as the Major could see the
traitors face in the dim light of the
dawn he walked him and told him all
that had occurred. CHOW, sir" he said
sternly, 81 saved your life last night, al
though believe you worthy of death.
[ won't do it again. [ saved your life
for my sake, not for yours. My advice
to you is, as soon as the guard comes in
for roll call you get out of Libby, and
as soon as you get to Washington get
out of the Army. If you're in the army
when [ get out I'll prefercharges against
yo11, and # I meet you I'll xiii you
Trembling with excitement the wretch,
without a word of denial or paIlation,
got up, and, as soon as the guard came
Ill, got out. The stalwart six forwarded
charges against him from Libby. When
they got out of prison they found him
out of the army, so they dropped the
matter The traitor is III the army now,
reinstated by act of Congress, [ believe;
but the Major, who promised to kill him
on sight, is under the green sod of the
prairie.