The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1884-04-15
STORY OF A DESERTER.
His Round of Experience in Going
From the Frying Pan to the Fire
Alternately.

From the Frying ran 10 the fire
Alternately.
SIT ia the story of deserter, bu
ope woo exhibited more nerve in
desert;ng then thousands of good men
who served through the eotlre war
without thought OF iusubotdina-
tioD."
Let us have it, any way"
land bis experiences almost pass
belief
Never mind. Let's hear them"
tHe and l we're good friends in the
old times, and Wouldn't do him any
NJ m Tney can't arrest a volunteer
Idle j the Rebellion for dc;ertion,
an ey."
T reporter answered that be did
not believe a volunteer soldier could
now be arrested for desettion, and the
sturdy old man, VINO had been talk
ing, continued:
He was q Britisher born and
reared, and bad been in this time
sailor OF the sait seas, and a msn-of
wars man. He served calamity on
board ship of the Black Sea feet In
the Crimesn war, and was sorely
sounded st engagements about Sebas-
topool. Besides this, be had his little
story to tell of being shipwrecked in
the South Seas, and cast away upon
an Island inhabited by ga 7sges."
who are you taking about?"
my old comrade in the Rebellion.
He came to America soon after the
Crimesu war, settled In the Western
Reserve of Ohio, married. bought a
farm alongside me, and in the course
of few years we became the 6rmes.
of friends. We did not enlist until
the latter part of 1853, and were then
sept With our regiment to do garrison
duty on Johnson's leland, in Lake
Erie. of sandusky, where all the
,ebe officers we're imprisoned"
That was rather prosalc, wasn't
it9"
Eyes. but I Was we'll enough suited
not to be down at the front. But my
partner couldn't bear the quist. Be-
sides, he vas CALLED with the restraints
put upon hin as soldier. One day
ne was ordered to carry the rail Ior
petty disobedience OF orders, and this
made him raging. It's worse than
the CAT. o'-niue- tails be said TO me
next day, and I'm going to desert.
I reminded him of the military law
which shot a man for deserving, but
he only Shut his teeth hard together
and said, never mind, I'll not stay
mere Soon after this general order
was received from the War Depart
ment to the effect that all men who
might be DESTROYS of being exchanged
from the army to the navy would be
allowed to make the change. My
partner snapped at this chance. say-
ing that be had been there before and
navy discipline didn't compare in
severity with that of the army. Sew
eral others went fr,m the troops on
Jehnson's Island, and one day all Of
them boarded train for Cincinnati,
from where they we're to join the Mis-
sissippi squadron or go to the fleets on
the ocean,
but where does the desertion
come IMP"
''Don's get in hurry, my young
friend. 1t was several months before
| heard from him. When / did it
was by q letter forwarded from the
front in Virginia. and written on the
eve of since famous battle. And it
contained such information that [ at
once destroyed it. He said, here l
am again in the army, and in danger
of having nay precious head shot of,
for a hot engagement is anticipated
tomorrow. Luck is against me.
He then told the story OF how he
came to be where he was. Arrived
at Columbus with the rest of the sol
diers Gu route to be transferred to the
navy. be accidentally got on the
wrong train. and went to New York
instead of Oincinnatti. There, being
again fancy free, be took 500
bounty and second time entered the
service, bringing up at tbs front. from
which he wrote me"
"Thst was pretty interesting ex-
perience.
"But that isn't more than q fair
beginning. Another goodly length of
time elapsed before I heard any news
from my very strong-headed friend.
Then il was in a letter from my wife
containing a slip cut from Oleve-
land paper, which had q list of Con-
federate prisoners who had escaped
from their prison in Columbus, and
among them was the name OF my late
fellow-soldier. l thought that it
must certainly be some other person
OF the same name, but as the name
was not q common one, the matter
kept my mind busy. Soon after [ re-
ceived letter from my wife. ststipg
that he had been seen about town
and was in hiding in the vicinity, and
she was very anxious to know what
it sll meant. Some time later got
a ten days furlough snd went home
to my family. He heard of it and
sent me note from his hiding place.
went to fud him, met him in the
WOODS and heard the story of his ex-
periences. In the heat Uf the en-.