Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-10
A Story for Young Men.
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bank OF the river to the island. Your in
vitatlon to take something has awakened
In my mind bitter recOllections of long
ago, when life, to me, was but a dream.
Let US pause here a few moments. In
1908 four lads, myself among the
number, stood beneath this holly
tree, examining its prickly leaves
ana admlrinS Its deep green color. We
were q merry group on our way to the
island to battle. 1t was beautiful Sab
bath day; tbs swamp was filed with the
melody of the mocking bird, the linnet,
the thrush, and many other Southern
songsters. The breeze waited the odors
OF the magnolia, the hOneysuckle, and the
wild rose to our grateful nOstrils. After
short pause beneath the tree, and just
as we were about ,o continue our journey
TO the island, the youngest OF the bows
drew from some recess in his clothing
pint flask OF whisky.
81 brought something along tor snake
bites said he, showing how closely he
could follow the example OF men given to
fishing and hunting.
IL had been taught that whisky was the
root of all evil, and | looked upon the flask
as 1t was passed from mouth to mouth
with feeling OF indescribable dread.
When it reached me l refused to touch it,
and was laughed at by my companions,
that he expected to drink whisky as
long as he lived, whether the old folks
liked it or not, and the others
echoed the sentiment. Before we finished
bathing, my three companions We're in a
maudin state Of drunkenness, and the
evenings entertainment wound up with
a fight, in which all took part. l, as peace
maker, did all could to terminate the
disgraceful proceedings, only to get
EnnOkaH mi hillaf of wood
When | regained my sensesI departed,
leaving the unfortunate boys Ga their
hands and knees, Involuntary sur
rendering to mother earth the poisonous
rotations they had INDUCED in.
"A few years sped by and the call to
arms resounded through the South, and
ere long | found myself, with thousands
of others, en- route TO Richmond. The win
ter of 1868 was 3 severe one in the Old
Dominion. One cold morning, as | was
about to cross the Rapidan river on the
ice, en- route from Orange courthouse TO
SteVensburg, | Glanced TO look little TO
the right of the ford, and saw a soldier
with his face turned TO the sky and appar-
entity dead. Hitching my horse | exam
ined the body, and found that life was eX-
tlnct. There was no wound on the body,
and this made the case perplexing.
Just then my eye lighted on canteen
iNluG al y HUG ulbbdHtG HUN bu0 bOA9
Drawing the stopper and placing the
mouth OF the canteen to my nose found
that it had last held apple brandy. That
explained everything. There was
something in the face of the corpse
that looked dimly familiar. Looking at
one side of the canteen i read his name.
1t was he who drew the flask Of whisky
from his clothes, under the holly tree, on
the banks of the Flint, in 1858. He had,
while drunk, frozen TO death.
"'Number One,' thought l.
"Down in the picturesque Shenandoah
valley, near Bunker Hill, we went INTO
camp, to remain several days. One day,
while 10 or II miles from camp, l came to
q place where an clubhouse had been
burned the night before. The owner Of
the place informed me that about dark
the previous evening soldier rode up to
his house very drunk, using blasphemous
language. and demanded bed for the
night. He was assisted from his horse,
placed on a bed in the clubhouse, and a
lamp left burning in the fireplace.
about midnight the farmer awoke and
found the clubhouse burned TO the ground.
Only few charred bones remained OF the
unfortunate soldier. Going TO his saddle,
the farmer drew from one of the saddle
bags a letter and handed 1t to me.
"'GoOd God / exclaimed, 1T is he-the
same youth who, with an oath, declared,
under the holly tree, in 1858, that he
would drink whisky all his life.'
"'Number two was written on the
tablets of my memory.
''The fortunes OF war finally led us into
the enemy's country. One day, while
riding along the summit OF a range of
hills somewhat like the sand hills
beyond the Flint, except that they
were covered with growth Of oak, hick-
Dry, chestnut, etc, l heard horse APP
preaching rapidly through the woods on
my left. In few moments the we'll known
Confederate yell awOke the echoes,
followed by a hoarse voice shouting:
'Hurrah for Abe Davisi Three cheers for
the Confederate United States of Ameri-
cap Before l could arrive at any conclu-
SION as Ia the meaning OF the jumDled ex-
pressI0ns had just heard. horse. bear
ing a Confederate caValryman, rushed
madly past me. his rider yelling like a
mailman and squirting the animal unmer-
cfully. In less time than IL has taken
me to write il, | saw the body of the sol
der dangling from the limbs OF tree,
while his arms hung lIstlessly by his sides.
Hurrying TO the SPOT found that in pass
ing under large oak the soldiers head
had been caught in the fork of limb and
that the fearful momentum had broken his
neck. His eyes had burst from their
sockets and were hanging on his cheeks,
and his tongue prOtruded below his chin.
IL was a hOrrid sight, one we'll calculated
TO cause the stoutest heart TO trem BILE.
Seeing a small memorandum book pro-
truding from his jacket pocket, drew It
out and a glance at the cover almost
caused my heart to cease its pulsations.
at was he-number three, and the last
OF my comrades who stood beneath the
holly tree, on the banks of the Flint, that
bright Sabbath evening in 1858.
"Sitting on the slope that leads down
into the valley OF the shadow OF death,
see my face mirrored in the limpid waters
Of a gurgling brook that goes murmuring
down to join the river Styx. 1t il the
face of an aged man. Crows feet are
plainly visible near the eyes, ana wrin-
kles only add TO the withered appearance
OF the sunken jaws. A mass Of white
hair floats in the breeze, and the gaunt,
palsied hands and bowed head all tell me
that my LIES work Is nearly done. AS l
sit and gaze away on across
the valley before me, my
mind wanders back 10 the scenes
OF my youth, and the group under the
holly tree rise up before me like spectres
from a damp, mouldering tomb as one by
one they re-enact the hOrrid scenes that
surrounded their last moments In life.
why l cry out In an agony Of horror,
should they have met such cruel fate,
while have been permitted 20 live out
the allotted years OF manp And from out