Grand Rapids morning telegram., 1884-11-27

IPntsbargh LeadG.l


Narrative Of Fact
Pittsburgh Lesd9.l
Quite recently a gentleman living In
Pittsburgh received letter from bis son,
who resides In the State Of Missouri, moth
flying him Of the death OF q lady coansc-
tion or the family, named Mrs Wilson.
whose demise occurred near the town OF
Mexico, Mo .'Her death recalls one Of
those incidents OF the war which read
more like a romance than the narration Of
a sober fact" remarked the recipient of
the letter 10 a Ledger reporter. "Some
time about the period OF the war young
Missourian, who had been married bat
few months, feeling that the demands Of
his country were stronger than those OF
home. bid farewell TO his lovely wife and
enlisted in the army of the north. But
short time after his enlistment letter an-
nounced the arrival OF a young stranger in
the family circle, and the soldier applied
for permission TO 90 home on a furiough
TO sec his offspring. The permission was
granted a month or two later, and, filled
with joyful anticipation of the glad meet
ing that would hail his return, he started
rom Virginia for his home. Missouri at
this time was overrun with a set of men,
who pursued q regular guerrilla war
| fare, and were called bushwhackers
From the bushes that hedged the roadsides
| they sent their murderous bullets 10 the
hearts OF unsuspecting travellers who
passed their place of ooncealmenf, and
| many are the tales of how they rode up
at night, firing through the windows of
humble dwellings,, killed the innocent men
who were sitting at the freside surround
| ed by their little ones. Our soldier had
arrived within three miles ofhis home one
| dark night, when he was seized by one OF
these bands of guerillas as he was riding
along lonely road, and by them strung
up to tree. His body was cut down the
next day by his friends and inferred in
the village churchyard As the years
rolled by time softened the sorrow of his
widow, so that when her hand was sought
by a wealthy neighbor. whose name was
| Wilson, she consented TO the marriage.
| Time sped along on rapid wing. The war
had been ended, and only the reunions Of
| veterans and the stories of battle-scarred
| men kept the Genes of the conflict vividly
in the mind. Ever since the close of the
rebellion 1t has been the custom of body
of men styling themselves Members of
the Lost Cause to meet at stated periods
| in various sections of the country. Will
| son was a member of this organization,
| and in the course of events his house was
selected as the place of their reunion. On
the evening when they met there, Wilson
and several of the men were chatting to-
gether in one room, recalling the esca.
4 boA in
ally during the war, while his wife was in
| an adjoining room, engaged in some
household work. During the conversation
Wilson remarked to one Of the men: Il
have always felt sorry that we did not let
that young man fellow go home and see
hs wife and child, as he begged so hard to
be allowed to do before we hung him up
| At that moment Mrs. Wilson appeared in
| the room with her face blancbed to the
whiteness of snow, and in hurried words
asked: wilson, were you one of the men
who helped to hang that manY He replied
| that he was. Then, said she, we must
separate. l can never forgive you. That
man was my husband.' So they parted.
On his d athbed Wilson bequeathei TO her
and the daughter she hal borne him a
large estate. Her son by her first husband
was delicate lad, and Inherited from his
father handsome competency. Before
he attained his majority he died from con-
sumption. Just before his death he held a
conversation with his mother, during
which he said he didn't believe the crime
of the father should be made burden on
the shoulders of his step-sister, and asked
his mother If she had any O lection TO his
L l., --I-<
Wilson. She replied that she didn't care
what disposition he made of il, and he be-
queathed it to MS step-sister. His mother
only survived him lew weeks, as her
affection seemed to have been wrapped up
in him, and the letter announces her death
so runs the world away