New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-04-19
MURDER ON THE oUTPosTs.
MYSTERY on THE Rebellion.

4
the first year of the war; i was a sergeant In an
;nfantry company which had been selected on ac-
.orn, of its fighting qualities to guard an impor-
tort noint on the limo of communications ino
eorth Branch rising considerable distances ao"'
Moo,.Geld winds along north until IL passes "oii'
nav and four miles beyond tnat hio"n' -
natural stronghol bends abruptly 10 .n0 49, -
A. wav to joD tho greater stream oi 'no o'v-~'
A. this bend tho turnpike-road connecting hon
nov wbcro the Union force was disposeo' WIN
cree, Springs Run, the depot OF suppheson nc
baltimore aud Ohio Railroad. crossed inc r'c' W
suspension bridge The written order TO our
saa.s;n commanded him to hold this bridge Ito the
last man. If necessary" And there we remained
mt, some weeks later when the Confederates
o.mnvred our entire force back 10 Its base on the
railroad .
The war had stripped this part OF Virginia OF
most of its people. Hillside and valley seemed 10
belong again TO the wild thiags OF nature inc
scream of an eagle soaring in the gray SKY "ouiu
call ont a perfect din of animal notes. Even inc
handful of soldiers prowled about as steaithiy as
the foxes themselves which now and again scam
srsa ont of the laurel bushes Graceful deer, with
spreading aDtlers, sometimes peered Out IRON unuei
the ferest growth One afternoon bear even
made hold 70 invade picket-post's cooking camp
kettle. licking the fat from the edge with great
relisb and contentedly iopug off before the startled
soldiers could realize the character OF the vstor
and fix their bayonets to turn him into Oeter meat
than mess pork Ii.
One evening. Just at 6, as the second relief
vras changing posts the sharp crack OF musket
.bot rang ont from down the river apparently
Itwas a dark night aud nothing could be seen AL
the shanties the poker-decks we're cast ASIDE ana
there was bustle for a moment, the rush OF 1eet'
tbe rattle of leather straps the put on their
nTa
his own musket. and then all was still again.
Cortr,dces were looked at, pieces cIutched and
balanced ia alf-jocose manner, as if to say the
"Johnpies would get more than they came 1or,
and all listened for the next shot, or volley and
the order to fall I'M!
We mad a captain and two lieutenants. but the
first lieutenant, crusty, good soldier, WHO was
killed the next year at Antletam. was serving his
turn on guard that day. Just before DUSK we
knew he had crossed the bridge with corporal
and private to go to the left along the river and
up the ravines TO see that all was IN order az the
posts for the night. Ten of the men also from the
shanties had been missing since early d the after
noon. and 1t was supposed they had lodged the
posts in order to ford the river, and had gone to
Int in one of the ravines where an old negro had
been smuggling whIskey for some time and selling
IL clandestinely to our soldiers The lieutenant
had intended visit the hut In quest oil the stray
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
seutiuel pacing his beat down tho road IN front of
the S rssr Who comes tsere
Ouick footsteps mp the road brought a messenger,
and the captain ordered me to take q squad TO the
puard-houso Down the steep road my squad and
went at the double-quick. The moon was rising
from behind the mountains toward Winchester,
throwing her white light through the graceful
A-.A and 9th hA anh
rippIes Of the river. J arranged my men at the
guard-house as ] had been ordered. and took my
bro sched Us from tho other side and as 1t neared
The centre, where the curving cables seemed al
most to touch it either flank. we could see was
formed by eight men bearing another wrapped IN
blanket on their shoulders, and that It was led by
the lieutenant of the guard. Behind. between two
guards with hIed esyene, reerSa by fsn
sharp voice of the officer ordering me to give him
men to relieve his Of their burden Ihs eight
men and their burden. and the drunken one who
followed were the ten straegers to the negro hut
The transfer was made and tho procession con;
timed ND he road to the shantes The intoxicated
man fell to the ground as he neared the guard
house with attack of mania pots. He was a
raw-boned generally well-behaved PennsyvaniaD
We carried him in and laid him on the hard bunk
made of pine-bark with a blanket spread on it,
The excitement of finding the dead body of Parr
who was well liked In the company, had sobcred all
made them cautious as 10 what they said that
could have any bearing on PARIS death. The body
when on the other side of the river the outlet
TO he ravlne. az be was returning from the negro
hut with tho mise scspegraees he had met there.
Before the body had been carried far, 1t had been
examined in the light OF picketybTe and no wound
or trace Of violence couId be found.
wa ns tPs aS fSs tine shot at
anything to do with It. moro than one shot would
have been heard for all the stragglers were armed
and, drunk as they NAV have been at the time,
rather because they drunk, there would have
been lively fusillade But all agreed that there
was but one shot
the bunk and held down by three or four
men. He appeared TO have no interest in anght
but the hobgoblins and creeping things that
assaiied him in his fancy. But no had semi
rational moments when he wOuld sit up and carry
on conversation with himself In muttered. in
coherent tenes net easy TO understand. And when
ever he spoke we listened, as If for revelation.
Our only light in the hut was from single candle
set INTO the socket Of bayonet stuck IN the
earthen floor. From time to time he would force
himself ont of the strong hands that holding
him. and. as he SWING his arms mournfullv about,
his shadow and ours would be thrown upon the
rude walls and cotton ceiling of the hut, making
absurd. yet, under the circumstances, frightfui
ssy snvth,na worth while Poor Parr, u but ="
blamei
could have been committed there, among comrades
whose lives were in constant peril for common
cause, even if done in drunken brawl. But there
certainty that all of the nine had been
much in liquor AS / scanned the faces of the
o'hsr stragglers was puzzled by one countenance,
that of little Welshman, weIlknit. about thirty
dark-complexioned. and having par of black
o es, which even on ordinary occasions were full
of fire. But now his ewes glowed like two burning
Goals and his cheeks were ashen white. HIS man
ner and voice were agitsted IN the extreme. and
t. every question bis answer varied but slightly
from: Look We. ah know nothin about it,"
The delirious fellows rawlings had seemed strange
but now suspicion was growing that the man who
did the murder IL murder was done, was this
Weshpan. whose violent temper and vIndictlve
nature we're known 20 US ALL
While the horrible thoughts suggested 70 nv
hv oil hat had I'll