The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1885-11-03

began to draw a crowd. In five min
utes there were fifty men around us,
and pretty o an officer comes up,
and separates us and asks:
"What is this row about?"
Il caught that chap stealing" sings
out my opponent.
"He lies !"
"Who are you?" asks the officer.
Private George Smith, of the Sixth
Maine"
"Where's your r~egiment?"
Don't know, sir. 1 was captured
by the rebs,' got away and am looking
for my regiment"
when did you come in
'Last night"
"How did you pass all the outposts
and sentinels ?"
He had me there. I had as good as
betrayed myself by that one answer.
'lll see to your case !" he growled,
and he called the guard and had me
marched off. The guard-house was a
log stable, and as soon as he reached
it 1 was stripped and searched. The
next move was to hunt up the Sixth
Maine and discover that 1 did not be-
long to that regiment. I was then
taken to corps headquarters and ques-
toned.
changed my line of defense, claim
ing to be 4 deserter from the One
Hundred and Twenty-fourth New
York, who was voluntarily coming back
to his regiment, but the next day the
Colonel of that regiment came to look
at me. and pronounced me a liar and
an impostor.
Next day, when a court martial
was convened, I had no defense to
offer. They tried me as a spy, and
while nothing could be proved, I was
condemned and sentenced to be shot.
l was given TO understand that, but I
reckoned that some of the officers
were not quite satisfied. Instead of
carrying out the sentence right away,
the findings were SEM to a higher
court for approval.
What 1 am telling you in a minute
consumed about two weeks. l was
pretty comfortably fixed in the barn,
but so %zenlously guarded that there was
no possible show for escape. The pa
pers had been sent off, and I was daily
expecting to hear their approval,
when, n night just before dusk, the
chaplain Of a Pennsylvania regiment
came in to console me. He was about
my size and age with the same colored
hair, and the mint l saw him I grasped
at a plan. When we had talked a little
I asked him:
How did you get in 4"
"Why, I showed my pass to the
guard" he answered.
That was all I desired to know. He
talked for about an hour, and 1 made
him promise to come and see me the
next evening at tho same hour. He ad-
vised me to give up all hope and make
my peace with God, and 1 gave him to
understand that I might be more con-
trite on his next visit.
I tell you, that next day seemed a
week long. I had a plan, and it prom
ised success. When the day did begin
to fade away I was SO nervous and ex-
cited that I could not keep still. The
chaplain came in just. at dark, and, as
he graspe': my hand, he said:
Tile papers have come back, and
you must prepare to die !"
Pray for me !" says !.
He knelt right down, and he had
skeercely uttered a word when l had
him by the th,oat. 1t was 80 sudden,
and I had sich a grip CT him, that he
s'seercely kicked. I didn't want to
kill him, but 1 choked him until he
was like a rag. Then ! off with his
coat. vest and pants, and was into EN-
before he showed SIGNS Of coming to.
It was too o to 60 out, and 1 choked
him some more.
Poor man I felt sorry to do him
SIGH injury. but my life was at stake.
In about twenty minutes I felt it was
safe to 60 out. / dragged him into a
corner. sat him up on end. and then
knocked on the door. It was opened
at once, and a. I squeezed out the