The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-08-15

4 DOIUH, AIiu BUb ObllCIb ldGlAS LII W.
the right and left. About the center OF
the field a row of fourteen graves had
been dug in the frozen ground, and all
was ready for the execution.
"The day was the most depressing
1 that | have ever seen. just before, it
had showed to the depth of perhaps ff-
teen inches, and then during all the
night before slow, cold rain had steadi-
" fallen, and was still falling, which had
soaked the snow thoroughly without
melting it or softening the frozen ground
beneath. Some delay caused the troops
to stand in line in deathlike silence for
more than an hour before the weirdly
mournful music of the 'Adeste Fidelis'
was heard from the band, and soon after
the long column slowly filled out from
the dark pines over toward headquar-
tiers and approached the scene. Each
wagon contained two of the condemned
men, each sitting upon his own coffin,
and the cortege was composed OF the
guards, firing parties, and the provost
marshal and his aids. On arriving the
coffins were taken out and placed before
the row of graves, and the prisoners
with bound arms placed kneeling upon
them. Then came the weary reading
of the orders and the sentence in each
case, while the dull, gray clouds still
dropped the sullen rain, which made
the official witnesses In waiting feel as
though it was better to die on such a
day, because the regret at leaving life
was lessened.
"At last the firing parties, ten men
and a sergeant for each of the con-
demned, were ranged before each OF the
respective prisoners, who were made to
kneel on the collins, and soon came the
orders of the provost to fire. There
were few among the 5000 in that di-
vision that watched with open eyes the
volley, but as the smoke cleared away,
to the horror of all, several Of the men
still remained upright on the collins,
others were writhing and struggling or
screaming, and all but four or five, /
think it was, were still in death. The
men of the firing parties, in horror of
their stern duty, had fired high. 1t
was a sight so horrible that i cannot de-
scribe it, and one / shall never forget.
The rifles were hurriedly reloaded; this
time every one with ball cartridge, and
the parties whose victims were dead
withdrawn from the line. The wound
ed men were propped up agasast the
collins, and the second volley ran out
over the slope. This time fewer stray
bullets were heard whistling away alofk
through the air, but horror upon hor-
ror added-seven men were still alive,
although all were wounded. Murmurs
of pity and horror were heard all along
the lines, and many of the men of the
firing parties-grim, battle-worn veter-
ans-were in tears, while several were
entirely overcome. Hurriedly a third
volley was fired, and CONSERVATION was
upon all, for three yet lived. Now,
came the most agonizing part of the
whole thing.
'It became the duty of the provost
marshal to end the execution in person.
/ don't remember who he was, but he
was a captain of one of the infantry
regiments, and, I think, from the 7th
Connecticut. Terry's old regiment.
We had become almost unnamed BY
the terrible scenes we had already wit
messed, which were worse for him, as
we in the lines could not hear the groans
and supplications of the suffering
wretches. When he was directed to
complete the work, he went out-and-out
crazy. Ihad ar idea that he would
shoot himself. He tended his resigna-
ton at ICE it could not be accepted.
Place him in arrest or shoot him it
could net be done. He would not per-
form the duty. He must. Gen. Terry,
the kindest, most tender hearted man
that ever wore q saber, was in tears but
he was performing q stern, official duty.
he was ordered to see that the execution
was duly carried into effect, and the or
der must be obeyed.
Sharp, low-spoken words OF COM
mand kept quiet the men in the rank
who were almost mntinous from the
horror, and at last the poor provost mar
tial tottered forward, revolver In hand
toward the nearest of the still living vic
TINS. A brother officer summarized him
and n after the other of the writhing
men was put ont Of agony by a pistol
shot, the captain looking at each only
enough to direct his revolver, and COW
ering his face with his handkerchief at
each pull OF the trigger.
The lines were kept formed only
long enough to witness the hurried cof-
timing Of the dead victims Of stern mill
tary law, and Until the first hard rain
blackened clods fell in each grave, and
then, without the usual pomp Of music,
were hurriedly marched back to their
winter camping huts. IT was an awful
sight, that / can't describe. 1t was an
awful necessity; q terrible one, but no
more bounty Jumpers deserted to the
rebel lines from that command.
That is the reason told you Ididn't
want to see any more executions"