The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1885-11-27
around him in a dazed, bewildered

He Clasped his hands together, and
burst into tears. AS there was no
military execution after this at Har-
per's Ferry, l have no doubt that the
sentence of both was finally com
muted.
Powerfully as my feelings had been
stirred by this scene, | still suspected
that the despatch had in fact arrived
before the cOrtege left Harper's Ferry,
and that all that happened afterward
was planned and intended as aterrible
lesson to these culprits.
That afternoon | visited Gen. Stew
enson at his headquarters, and after
Acknowledgements, and r~eferringto the
mornings scene on Bolivar Heights,
| ventured frankly to state my sus-
picions, and ask il they were not we'll
founded.
"Not at ALL" he instantly replied.
'The men would have been dead had
that despatch reached me two min
utes later"
"Were you not expecting a reprieye,
general?"
II had some reason to expect it last
night; but as it did not come, and as
the line was reported down between
here and Baltimore this morning, |
had giver it up. Still, in order tOglve
the fellows every possible chance for
their lives, | left a mounted orderly at
the telegraph office, with orders to
ride at a gallOp if u message came for
me from Washington. 1t is we'll Ibid.
the preCautiOn saved their lives"
How the despatch came to Harper's
Ferry must be told in the words OF the
man who got it through.
THE TELEGRAPHER'S STORY.
On the morning of the oath of Feb
ruary, 1865, | was busy at my work
in the BaltimOrcT Telegraph Office, send
ing and receiving messages: At half
past ten o'clock,-for had occasion
to mark the hour,-the signal CA
L, several times repeated, caused me
to throw all else aside, and attend to
it.
That was the Geographic cipher Of
the War Department; and telegraph
ers, in those days, had instructions to
put that service above all others. A
message was quickly licked off from
the president to the commanding Of
ficer at Harper's Ferry, reprievlngt two
deserters who were to be shot at noon.
The message was dated the day be-
fore, but had in some way been de-
tanned or delayed between the depart
ment and the Washington office.
A few words to the Baltimore office,
which accompanied the despatch, ex-
planned that it had "stuck" at Balti-
more, that an officer direct from the
president was waiting at the Washing
ton office, anxious to hear that it had
reached Harper's Ferry, and that Bal
timore must send it on instantly.
Baltimore would have been very
glad to comply; but the line to Har-
per's Ferry had been interrupted since
daylight; nothing whatever had pass
ed. So explained to Washington.
The reply came back before my fin
gers had left the instrument. You
must get it through Do it, some way,
for Mr.. Lincoln. He is very anxious,
has lust sent another messenger to us.
l called the ofice.superintendent to
my table, and repeated these despatch
es to him. He looked at the clock.
almost eleven" he said. II see
Just one chance-a very slight one.
Send it to New York; ask them to get
it to Wheeling, and then it may get
| through by Cumberland and Martin
burg. Stick to EN-, and do what you
can"
By this time Ihad become thorough
ly aroused in the business, and | set
to work with a will. The despatch
with the explanation went to New
York-and promptly came the reply
that it was hopeless; the wires were
crowded, and nothing could be done
| till late in the afternoon, if then.
responded just as Washington had
replied to me. 1t must be done; it is
a case of life and death; do it for Mr..
Lincoln's sake, who is very anxious
about it. And | added for myself, by
way of emphasis-For Gods sake,
let's save these poor fellows!
And / got the New York people
thoroughly aroused as / was myself.
The answer came back, Will do what
we can"
1t was now ten minutes past eleven.
In ten minutes more, Iheard from New
York that the despatch had got asfar
as Buffalo, and could not 60 direct to
Wheeling; it must go on to Chicago.
INQUIRIES from Washington were re-
peated every five minutes, and | sent
what had reached me.
Half-past eleven, the despatch was
at Chicago, and they were working
their best to get it to Wheeling.
Something was the matter; the
Wheeling Office did not nswer
The next five minutes passed with
out a word; then-huzzal-New York
says the despatch has reached Wheel
| ing, and the operatorthere says he can
get it through to Harper's Ferry ir
time.
At this point the news stopped New
York could learn nothing further fol