The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1885-04-21

orders to take the stragglefs TO the shan
! ties, MI but the Pennsylyanion, who coulI
not be removed.
In hollow place behind the shantiei
: burned the great fire where the company
cooking was done. Its glare was bidder
from distant observers, and the wind KEEP
: off by the shanties In front and the ridge
which rose steeply behind, and at eact
end was shaded BY screens OF laurel bushet
interlaced with pine branches. In the
. open space before the bright embers thai
, sparkled against a huge backlog, the mel
gathered to while away the long evening:
until the hour came 10 turn in" for sleep
Many OF the soldiers were striplings, moi
|, vet out OF their teens. But there were
some there in the groups that used TO
stretch their feet into the ashes before
that fire who could no doubt haye told
stranger tales than any they. told, had they
been so inclined; half.grizzled walls
from various parts OF the world ;
veterans Of European, Asian and African
wars; sailors who had sailed in all the
known seas-one OF these had made sew
eral slave voyages, another had been an
accomplice in a famous mutiny where the
crew Killed its master and mates and were
running the ship to turn her into a pirate
when overtaken and captured bya an Amer
lean man.of.war. There were tho iag-
ends OF humanity enlisted for peli and
from hatred OF work, and associated with
honest and patriotic men. Like the cru
saders OF old they were fighting for meat
and drink, and pay, in glorions cause:
Yet nercenaries as many OF these men
were, and frankly acknowledging them:
selves to be, they were mostly brave and
were loyal to the flag they had chosen to
follow. And over US all was captain
who was an earnest man in the cause Of
the Union, gallant and skilful soldier.
very pious withal, and q great hater Of in
toxtcating drinks.
In front OF the fire, within semi.circle
formed by all OF us at the shanties, lay
PARIS body, decently stretched out on the
blanket In which he had been brought
across the bridge. Fifty faces looked
down upon their dead comrades rugged
face. Parr was tincly.shaped man with
strong but good features, and, In sailor
fashion, for he had been a man.o'- war d
man, he wore a thick beard encircling his
throat from ear to ear, the rest OF his face
being shaved smooth. There was no sign
about him that We could see Of a violent
death. He was scarcely even paler than
usual. The captain ordered the stra glers
placed in the front rank OF the semi. circle,
and his indignation burst inlo scatliing
harangue against drinking.
Tho Welshman, however, drewthe COW
ert scrutiny of all by his behavior. lie
shook violently as his eyes searched all
the faces about the ring, and 1t was no.
ticed that never once did he let his turn
toward PARIS body. But while the cap
tain was at the height Of his eloquence,
pointing 10 the lesson Of total abstinence
to be drawns from tho trag.cal incident,
one OF the stragglers, very loquacious
fellow, of an enVious mind and bitter dis.
likes, had been uneasily watching the
Welshman. Suddenly, as II by an in
stinct, lie rushed over to the body, and,
kneeling down beside US, called the first
lieutenants attention to something under |
Parr'S beard. 1t was q. three-cUrpere
cash sinking deep into the throat. Attic
exposure OF the wound, now for the first
time observed, another one OF the strag-
glers, usually the sprightliest young fellow
in the company, fell In faint across the
corpse. The captain ceascd bis sermon
and q whispered conference took place
among the officers.
Tho stragglers werc ordered 10 give over
their muskets for inspection. All were
found 10 be loaded, as was usual at such |
an outpost, and none bad bsen recently |
fired oil. Barrels, and bayonets too, shone
like silver, without stain, or rust, or flaw, |
on stock or lock. The bayonet-scabbardsl
too might have been examined, but some
how in the excitement this was over. look
ed. The delirious fellows arms at the
guard house bore the search equally well. /
1t was certainly mysterious. The eight
sober stragglers allagreed about one thing,
or seemed to agree about it, that they had
drunk liquor freely at the negro hut and
had then broken up into small parties
with no show Of ill-will 60 far, but none
appeared TO fecollect who constituted the
several parties, or when or how Parr be-
came separated from the rest, or who had
been last seen in bis company. All but
Parr had returned 10 the hut for more
liquor and were there found by the first
lieutenant. The nine were sent up TO
Romney next day and put in irons, but
after q preliminary examination all were
released but the WelshQan, who was sent
to Cumberland Jail to await his trial for
murder.
stonewall Jackson shortly aiterward dis.
placed us all from that gloomy region and |
destroyed the beautiful bridge. The Seven
Days fight was scarcely over when the |
Nelshman, wasted away almost TO a
skeleton from the effects Of nearly years |
imprisonment on low diet, rejoined usat
Harrison's Landing. He had been let out
Of Jail for want of evidence against him.
But what was always curious to us was
the alter career OF the young fellow who |
tainted over PARIS body. BE was neyera
day well after that, though he had before
been remarkably active and vigorous
tho best athlete In company OF athletes.
He was constantly in and out OF hospital
study and pugzle TO the medical men
who saw that he was ailing, but could not
diagnose his ailment. lie wasted finally
away and died in military hospital in
Philadelphia, Of some long Latin.named
disease, according 10 hospital report,
for his death. He died the came day that
the Nelshman. was discharged from Cum
beflapl jail
Not long after, in September, 1869, the
cavalry OF both sides, man9uvring after
the battle Of Antietam, came into contact
near Hmper's Feny-a very trilling affair
indeed. One Of the wounded Federal cav
alrylnen was brought 10 tho rear. Death
was settling down upon him and he began
10 speak TO the surgeon in charge OF q pur,
der on the outposts not quite year be.
fore. The surgeon, amazed, listened at.
tentiyely and heard the dying man insist
that q Welshman accused Of the murder
was innocent, But the cayslrymap, when
he had got that far was seiyed by the last
agonies aud his voice was silenced for.
ever. This man, WHO had been transfer.
red from our company to the cavalry regi-
nent In which he met his fate, was the
laxative person who had called attention
to the wound in PARIS throat. What did
be know9 and how did he kpowitQ
i The mystery OF that night at the wire
I'LL IL aRaA