Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-10-31
UNDER SENTENCE.

the whiZ OF mines, Whlr OF oouS, anu
clatter of shells, the cheers Of victors, the
rush for position and desperate holding
the human passion Of spiteful reyeng
and the reused taste for blood and car
maze innate IN the animal man-under
fire in the frenzy Of fight Is no test OF
courage. Many a man stands there De-
eanse he "a afraid 70 run.
7 remember in the battle Of Port Re
public-in tho three days lighting around
Gross KEYS. down in the valley OF Nlr-
einia in '62, our regiment, W. L. jack
sons old Thirty-frst Virginia, was one OF
three ordered TO storm and take q bat
tery OF nine pieces, supported by nye
regiments Of infantry and some OF the
coolest, most accurate sharpShooters we
had met. By some miscarriage the order
came only to our regiment, now deci-
mated by lighting and forced marching
to PA men.
But we crawled up through that cat
Geld on our bellies, rising to shoot, drop
ming again to load and advance. And
every time we rose some comrades dropped
10 rise no more. We neared tho crest
until we could almost look down the
black sulphurous threats OF those nino
tyelye-pOundcrs that were belchlng
grape and canister int our very mouths.
Five times had our colors fallen-one,
two, three, four, five Of Our tallest brave
fellows, one after another, raised with
the regimental flag, aud fell, shot through
the forehead.
They had been picked OFF by the sharp
shooters one after another, those gallant
Western Virginia mountaineers-as fast
rs a color bearer fell, snatching mp the
flag and rising with it.
The fifth had fallen. A sergeant
Jumped from Company c 70 raise the
standard.
ssBetter let that - thing alone, Bill"
Vrowled Lieut.. Cooper. Use both hands
with your bayonet next rise"
Bill Coope- was a Pennsylyanian-as
brave a man as crawled back with u
little remnant of ia that day. After we
had reached safe quarters and were lying
down TO rest in the woods, he turned 10
me to ask:
'what were You looking up and down
the line in there for BiHZ"
Lieutenant" was the answer, Il was
looking for a chance TO run
''By -. so was t. gruflly retorted
the quondam man OF valor; "but If
every fellow in the regiment wasn't look
ing right at me"
Ave, aye, it takes less courage TO stand
than TO run away from q battle.
But / did get a touch that tested me
most sorely after that, when they sent
me Through the lines in the secret
service"
Never mind my business, or how / was
betrayed, and how I was gathered in.
Enough that they bagged Inc $50 miles
inside the enemy's lines and hustled me
of 70 prison in Baltimore harbOr, where
was confronted with the charge OF being
n spy. No matter that | had on whom
CAPTURED my full uniform rs captain. No
matter that at my court martial trial their
own officer who captured me testified
that he did not take me rs = spy and that
there was no work for a spy where he
captured me.
No matter; I was found guilty, and the
sentence was read to me: ITO be hangedas
a spy on the parade ground Of Fort Nc
Henry, between the hours Of II m. and 8
O'Clock p. m, Nov. 8, 1868"
In answer 10 my request that II they
must kill me, for the sake Of honor to
give me the death Of q soldier, they gra-
ciously changed the paper 10 read, ITO
De SQOJ W uG-LA WIN AuSASNAg Oh AZ
parade ground, etc"
Somehow, | suppose | did not fully
comprehend or adequately appreciate my
situation, for / did not feel then any
more thar | do now that death Yves to be
nv next deal. Nor had | at all contem-
plated that result all through the trial.
Only the last day before that sentence
was read 70 me- had been creating
merriment by asking puz7 ling or irrele-
want questions of the judge advocate,
telling jokes during the recesses OF the
court, in divers manners creating fun to
draw mirth for myself out Of that barren
rock, military justice" Only the day
before the president Of the court martial,
the colonel Of the regiment, twelve Of
whose officers composed my adjudicators,
asked to talk q little with me in private,
as between man and u
"Of course"
Captain, " said he, II greatly fear
you do not properly appreciate your pres
ent situation"
""weu, colonel, | know Of no man more
favorably situated to realize il. Why do
you say so:'
Because, sir, your life as at stake in
this trial"
"weIs'
"well, you'll be found guilty, most as
suredly, Of the charge
"Wells''
you'll he sentenced to die"
''Wellg'
"And you'll be hanged or shOtl And
here you have been Speeding the leisure
hours Of the trying you for life in
frivolous jesting and mirth. As q fellow
man il grievcs me to see you so CarelesSly
playing ct so terrible O brink GS you
stand on"
Colonel" was the reply, II thank you
for your interest. II We are national
enemies, you speak as q man and o sol
der. But let the say this" NOW / cannot
explain what induced Inc to make the
following foolish, braggGrt speech; but il
dubbed up and was spoken: Colonel,
you or I may die before night; We DO not
know; but IN so far as the regult Of your
courts finding Is concerned, | will be
alive when You and your twelve officers
are dead and forgotten
He left me in disgust, and | don't
blame him.
''feel il IN my bones, rs the slang goes,
that death was so near.
The colonel and the entire twelve com
posing the court died before / was ex-
changed-"shOt to death in one charge
ut Coal Harbor. i live TO write the oc-
eurrencc twenty-five years after the con.
verSatiOn.
II may or may not be true that when
the grim monster singles out his victim
the sends him some way q spiritual pre-
monition that he is going to let fly from
Deaths CULVER the fatal dart. Be that
s it may-I had no premonition OF
death.
Not when they stood me up TO hear my
sentence and to answer, nor afterward in
the cool contemplation my isolation and
silent dungeon Afforded; not when the
officer Of the day, on that eventful exc,
eution morning, read TO me in my dun,
geon the days programme and define
nted my doom at the hands Of twelve
detailed soldiers. He found me whistling
as / paced my narrow cell that morning
and exclaimed in surprise:
GOOD God, captain! what kind Of g
man are yOu:"