The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-08-21
MURDER ON THE oUTposTs.

eT VA xNAAIAb VNs Ax1G OU TX OSlOs
It was in Virginia during the autumn
OF 1861, the first year of the war.
was q sergeant in an infantry company
which had been selected on account Of
its fighting qualities to guard an i'm
portant point on the line of commune
cations. The South Branch, rising
e considerable distance above Moor
field, winds along north until it reaches
Romney, and four miles beyond that
monntain-locked natural stronghold
bends abruptly TO the east, on its way
to join the greater streams of the Poto-
mac. At this bend the turnpike road
connecting Romney, where the Union
force was disposed, with Green Springs
Run, The depot supplies on the Balti-
more and Ohio Railroad, crossed the
river by a suspension bridge. The
written order to our captain COM
Eanded him to hold this bridge 'to
the last man, if necessary" And
there W. remained until some weeks
later, when the Confcderates aneuv
cred II entire force back to its base
on the railroad.
The war had stripped this part of
Virginia of most of its people. Hill
side aud valley seemed to belong again
to the wild things of nature. The
scream of an eagle soaring in the gray
sky would call out a perfect din Of
animal notes. Even the handful of
soldiers prowled about as stealthily as
the foxes themselves which now and
again scampered out of the laurel
bushes. Graceful deer, with spreading
antlers, sometimes peered out from
under the forest growth. One after
noon o bear even made bold to invade
. picket-post's cooking camp-kettle,
licking the fat from the edge with great
relish and contedly Looping off before
the startled soldiers could realize the
character of the visitor and fix their
bayonets to turn him Into better meat
than mess pork.
One evening, just at s, as the second
relief was changing posts, the sharp
crack of a musket shot rang out, from
down the river apparently. 1t was a
dark night and nothing could be seen.
At the shanties the poker-decks were
bast aside and there was hustle for q
moment, the rush of feet, the rattle OF
leather straps as the men put on their
harness, a curse or two as some one
tailed to find his own mnsket, and then
all was still again. Cartridges were
looked at, pieces clutched and bal
anced in a half-jocose manner, as if to
say the Johnnies'' would get more than
they came for, and all listened for the
next shot, or a yolley, and the order
to .fall in!''
We had a captain and two lieuten.
ants. But the First Lieutenant, a
crusty, good sailor, who was killed the
next year at Antietam, was serving his
turn on guard that day. just before
dusk we knew he had crossed the
bridge with a corporal and private to
go to the left, along the river and up
the rayines, to see that all was in order
at the posts for the night. Ten of the
men also from the shanties had been
missing since early in the afternoon,
audit was supposed they had lodged
the posts in order to ford the river,
and had gone to a hut IN Ii of the
~ravines where an old negro had been
smuggling whisky for some time and
selling it clandcstinely to our
soldiers. The Lieutenant had in
tended to visit the hut in quest Of the
stragglers.
Minutes passed, and though we stood
about at the shanties with arms in hand
no sound came but the murmur OF the
river eddying along under the bridge,
the signing of the trees and the cough
OF q sentinel pacing his beat down the
road in front of the guard house. Sud-
denly there was a challenge across the
river. Halt! Who ome thereo ''
Quick footsteps up the road brought a
messenger and the captain ordered me
to take a squad to the guard house.
Down the steep road my squad and 1
went at the double-quick. The moon
was rising from behind the mountains
toward Winchester, throwing her white
light through the graceful wires of the
bridge and athwart tho trembling rip.
pies of the river. l arranged my men
at tho guard house as / had been or
dered, and took my stand near the
Dentinel. A little procession approach
ed us from the other side, and as it
neared the center, where the curying
cables seemed almost to touch it on
either flank, we could see it was form
ed by eight men bearing another
wrapped in a blanket on their shout
ders, and that it was led by the Lieu
tenant of tho guard. Behind, between
two guards with fixed bayonets, reel
ed q drunken soldier. 1 was called
from my establishment by the sharp
voice of the officer ordering me to
give him men to relieve his Of their
burden, and the drunken one who
followed, were the ten stragglers to
the negro hut.
The transfer vas made and the pro.
cession continued up the road to the
shantics. The intoxicated man fell tic
the ground as he heard the guard
house with an attack OF mania a potu.
He wal Q raw-boned, generally we'll
behaved Pensylvanian. We carried him
in and laid hIm on the hard bunk,
made Of pine bark with blanket spread
On it. The excitement of finding the
dead body Of Parr, who was we'll likco
in the company, had sobered all Of the
stragglers bnt the Pensylranian, AM
had made them cautious as to VIVA,
they said that could have any bearing
on PARIS death. The body had beer
stumbled on in the dark by the lieu
tenant when on the other side Of til.
river near the outlet of the ravine, a,
be was returning from the negro hui
with the nine scapegraces he had me
there. Before the body had been car
ried far, it had been examined in til,
light Of q picket fire and no wound OF
trace OF violence could DO found.
What was the connection between
the shot at 6 o'clock and Parr' 3 death
Had the enemy had anything to d.
with it, more than one shot would hay,
been heard, for all the stragglers wer.
armed, and, drunk as they may hav,
been at the time, rather because
they we're drunk, there would hay.
been d lively fusillade. But all agre,
that there was but one shot.
sCtn panav1vauian wr;thed n hin 10