Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1886-05-08
A TREASURE TRovE.
An Interesting Narrative of the Late War
Hew York Evening Post.

An Interesting Narrative of the Late War
Hew York Evening Post.
The veterans of the Grand Army of the
Republic In this county have been great
~ interested OF late In one of the strang
est stories, connected with incidents
growing out of the late war, that have
ever been recorded. The facts-for they
are facts related by an officer who
stood high in the list of our country's
defenders, and who is personally ac.
quainted with the persons named, as in.
deed are very many of our citizens.
A young man named Charles Hall, OF
this Niagara county, having been ad
united to the bar as an attorney, left
home in 1883 in search of his fortune
md at length concluded to "hang up his
Ghingle" In Exeter, Luzerne county, Pa
He was bright, energetic young man,
with faculty for making friends, aid
was quite successful in his new field, be-
ing at length elected justice of the peace
II was while acting in this capacity that
m old weather and world beaten tramp
was brought before him on charge OF
vagrancy. With such clear case made
ont Of his ragged habiliments and sig
nificanHv marked features, there was lit
tie need of other witnesses for the prose
cution.
Justice Hall was in some way, how
ever, moved by feeling of pity for the
fOrlorn old man, and, instead of the usual
commitment to the county Jail. made the
sentence out to the almshouse. As the
man turned to depart with the constable
he stopped suddenly, and looking back
at the justice said, "You look very much
like an old friend of mine, comrade in
the army, who is now dead. What is
your name?"
''My name is Hail.
ais that possible!' said the prisoner
~Why that was his name, too, and we
both enlisted in 81 at Lockport, New
York"
1t was now the Justices turn to grow
interested, and he exclaimed, "Why, that
was where L was born, and my fathers
first name was Reuben. He was killed
or at least died in the army of Sherman
IN front of Savannah"
'Thep," said the old tramp, with
much feeling manifested in his counte-
nance, II have something to say to you
of more than common importance if we
can be alone for a few minutes" The
squire at first hesitated, but becoming
impressed with the conviction that the
prisoner was deeply in earnest by the
evidently genuine pleasure exhibited in
his features, he led the way to his pri-
vate office, and, closing the door, listened
to the veterans story, which, in brief, is
s4tfcllows: "My name is Eben Pratt"
said he. 81 was born and raised on a
farm in Niagara county, New York.
When the war commenced / enlisted in !
Captain Cothran's battery of light artl-
lery at Lockport, for three years, or du-
ring the war. The company numbered
about $50 men, mostly from that coun-
ty, and after we got to the front we
were joined to the First New York Light
regiment, and were designated
as Battery b. 1 was a cannoneer, and
my chum in my mess was young Mag
ara county boy named Reuben Hall. We
we're very intimate friends, and as time
wore on our friendship for each other in
and we shared each others con-
fidences. He told me that he had left a
young wife and child at home who were
we'll cared for by his father, the patriotic
spirit aroused by the call two arms being
too much for him to Withstand
Well to make the story short, Battery
B passed through the terrible army of
the Potomac, most of the time With the ,
Twelfth Army corps, under General Slo-
cum. When Sherman's advance through
Georgia was decided upon, the Eleventh
and Twelfth corps were consolidated into
what was called the Twentieth corps,
and, still under Slocum, participated in
that famous March to the Sea- There
is no use of my detailing the particulars ,
of this journey; it is history While
death dealt sad havoc in the ranks of
Battery B, until we reached Atlanta and :
rested there, my chum .Rube' and my
self escaped it all.
@It was while we were at Atlanta that
Sherman's army of 10000 men We're paid ,
off. Many of the boys had re-enlisted ;
again in 1864 and received big bounties.
When they were paid there was ten ,
months pay due each man, together
with two or three bounties There was ,
an enlisted man in the Twen-
ieth corpse that had not then $1,000 in
his pocket, and there was no possible
way of sending it home, and no suffers !
Dr. stores in the camp where Injuries ;
,ould be procured. The sequel showed {
hat great mistake had been made in I
paying the men at Atlanta. At the least r
calculation there was $5,O00,000 in r
army at that time, most of
t in the possession of the enlisted men.
A Juror for gambling set in and ragged S
With unprecedent violence. Old men,
youths, and in fact everybody t
yambled, and groups of soldiers gathered I
around the camp-fires far into the night
% barter money and health away in +,
games of chance. Both my chum and {
myself had caught the gambling fever, t
passing many sleepless nights at the S
,ards, and he had been quite successful G
,ut in doing so his health had suffered, a
md I noticed that he seemed TO be S
gradually failing. 1 did not consider f
lis illness dangerous, however, until Z.
when we reached the Savannah river his G
grew alarming. One night at a
bout midnight, when sat by his side S
n the tent alone, he said to me, ED, I
lave a favor to ask of you,' and he took a
rom his knapsack bundle of green
,ae2s done nm in a paper. saving: Here