National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-12-20

presence. Taking tho pitiful fellows to
the boundary of the camp they each re-
ceived kick in tho rear from the guards
and were sent on their way rejoicing,
Ina previous article alluded to the
execution Of man named Radcliffe, n
conscript from southwest Virginia. who
had been assigned to the LIST Virginia
battalion of infantry. He was noun
taineor with large family of children,
| aud
WAS ALWAYS PINrNa FOR HOME.
He was utterly worthless as soldier.
After deserving and being brought back
two or three times, no finally desperately
wounded guard who endeavored to balk
still another attempt to desert. He was
caeturod, court-martialed, and sentenced
to be shot, although tho court for
q long time hesitnted to pass sentence, as
some of the members believed the man to
be half-witted. Had not Radcliffe nearly
killed the onard he would have only boon
confined, as no lid not attempt TO desert
to the enemy but to go home, but the as
sault determined the minds of the court.
On being brought out for execution the
poor devil blasphemed and howled aud
struggled with the guards in a heart
rending manner, and it was not until
he saw that his prayers for mercy
were useless that he braced up like
a man, and quietly kneeling upon his
coffin received in his bosom the fatal
bullets. have ever thought, and think
still, that the execution Of this man was
u stain on the court that tried him, under
the circumstances. He was monomaniac
on tho subject of home. His captain
deemed him irresponsible, and the ma
jority of the officers Of tho battalion were
| OF the same opinion. l had been trans
ferred to this battalion at this time, and
i know that was in favor of locking
Radcliffe up instead of shooting him.
Speak ing OF punishments, don't know
that was more forcibly struck by any
thing l witnessed during tho struggle
than by tho following incident: In the
autumn Of 1864 Capt. Charles A. David
sons company list Va. battalion), in
which l was q lieutenant, was detached
from the command and ordered
to assist in dismounting tho heavy
artillery from tho Hewlett House
battery on the James river, and in re-
moving to and remounting them in the
new batteries which had been constructed
a mile or two up stream directly opposite
Dutch Gap. The company was assisted
in this heavy labor by the sailors of the
gunboats lying below and
THE ABLE-BoDIEp coNvIcTs
from the Richmond penitentiary, these
latter, however, doing separate work
from the soldiers and sailors. One day
Davidson and were passing along the
rifle pits, whore the convicts were digging
when one of them raised his finger to the
penitentiary guard and requested per
mission to speak. 1t was granted, and he
spoke to Davidson by namo. The latter
stopped, and, after looking earnestly al
the man. exclaimed: "My God What
are you doing here? / thought you had
been pardoned." The convict mournfully
shook his head. and when Davidson took
his hand burst into passion of tears.
us there anything l can do for you,
said Davidson.
mol" the poor wretch replied; ~ an
dead to my family and to the world, and
am In hell, Yet my body is alive, and
shudder to commit suicide"
In watching tho scene confess tear
came into my eyes. As learned after
ward, here was scion of one of tho most
prominent and respectable families of thu
Virginia valley, who had deliberately
f1ung himself to the bad Starting
out in the war as young lieu
tenant in q crack cavalry company, h,
had suffered his passion for women
liquor, and gambling to carry him from
shady act to act, until at last he com
mitted forgery, and wound up by steal
ing span of horses and carriage, in tn,
act of selling which he was arrested
Tried by court.martial he was cashieret
and turned over to the civil author
tiles, by whom he was sentenced
to five years term in the peni
tentiary. All his family influence coult
not save him abato une riyvr o
the sentence His offenses ware too pros
for clemenoy. After We had left hin
Davidson never went near him again
1t was too painful, but he managed t
obtain some abatement of the labor i'm
posed on the wretched man while tn,
convicts were stationed near our camp.
Thus have attempted to portray a
briefly as possible a phase of army lif
which is touched upon very lightly b,
, the histories. THos. j. MURRAY,