Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-10-11

me in an underground, dark, dank dun
geon, 3 by 10, with a tub occupying two
feet of that sparse space, significantly
suggestive that / was to stay right there
until the day and hour.
The sentence was fully realized during
the sunless days and no darker nights of
the weeks that followed.
Daylight, Good God, man! you do not
appreciate what ray of glad, bright sun
light is until shut in from all that makes
day beautiful.
Oh, yes: | comprehend, slightly, that
mine was no tritiing sentence, as l
crouched in that felt darkness waiting
till dilated pupils enabled me to see i'm
perfectly what was the dampness that l
touched.
Finally. however, was permitted to
send out and buy lamp, and to keep IL
lighted. The walls had been repeatedly
whitewashcd, but the humid filth oOzing
through the bricks had pushed it off in
discolored flakes. The floor was stone; a
solid or cemented mass that once mega
tived any Inorganic idea of digging
out" Away up yonder, ten or twelve
feet away, was the arched brick ceiling,
whose sweaty surface told it, too, was
under sod Shiny snails and Thousand
legs" drew clammy ways across the moist
walls and floor; vermin found and fed
upon the noxious dirt damp; the disgustd
rats that crept in at the grated door,
darted back to find. more yielding sub
stance for their burrowing teeth.
But the dampness and the darkness
and the dirt were but grains of dust com
pared to the unutterable loneliness that
grew upon me in that sepulchre. Not
human soul-not even a brute, except
the scampering rats-tO break the still
ness of that murky tomb! Out yonder,
somewhere, | knew was a grim sentry,
for heard the measured tread of the re-
lief as they left him on his lonely post.
But never saw or heard him.
Twice day, grimly silent, came the
cooks detail with my barrack soup or
coffee. But he was mute, under strict
orders not TO speak or signal to the pris-
oner, as his baker like shovel reached in
my morsel of tainted food
Perdition! how | strUve to make him
speak If he only would curse me,
abuse me, anything; even his profanity
would have sounded as melody in my
solitude.
Inever knew what music there was in
the human voice till in that dungeon
where it never sounded and where soon
grew startled at my own.
The post chaplain's was the only hu-
man voice | heard for weeks-and his
only once, for my levity shocked him so
that he gave me up as an irredeemable
reprobate He offered prayer for me,
however, l courteously kneeling with him
on the stone floor. But he never came
again.
He told me-what my occasionally al
lowed letters from my friends had too
plainly informed me-that there was no
hope Of escape from the fate that seemed
to them and the outside world to be star
ing me in the face. Every possible effort
had been made, every available influence
pressed into service with the president,
and he had positively declined interfering
with the judgment of the court martial.
The worthy chaplain corroborated their
sad information. Said he:
Captain, you should prepare for
death, for your life ends in a few days"
Here was food for reflection, surely.
In the prime and vigor of early manhood,
my veins thrilling with the bounding
energy of young blood, life just begun,
with its plans, schemes and purposes all
to work out; a young wife and two chill
dren, with all the hopes of joy existence
with them gave; ambitious walks all
wide before me awaiting to be trod; what
burning pages yet unread in the book of
life!
In battle the half-read paragraph of life
is suddenly left with dash, an un-
seen, unfelt bullet cuts off without a
thought the might be.
But here alone, in silent darkness, the
heavy wonder would come, so strong
in health and hope of life, is death SO
neart'
Life's retrospect, as memory was forced
TO the review, presented SO much to be
undone, so much yet to be done, so much
just begun that should be finished.
Is it possible-is it true-this hale,
hearty, healthy body so soon 10 feed the
worms5 Are these 1.-THE limbs to walk out
in funeral pageant, my own funeral!
Quick, active, firm as the soldiers who
march with me. Am l to march out with
them and they back without me?
To go forth from this living tomb, to
give my longing eyes one quaff of sun
light, and then shut them forever in the
eternal darkness of deaths real grave'
Am to die' To quit? To be no more
Talked of a day or week, and then for,
gottens Is it l who am TO look at those
twelve soldiers in silent rank twelve
PAGES at my 'front.' To hear the com
mand, "Ready-aim-fire!' and hear tht
death message, feel deaths bullet, and
know death all in one brief instant-and
then forever know no more'
For the life of me ] could not say
"Yes, it is l." had no such feeling
and why cannot tell.
knew the law military-knew if was
| found guilty as a spy, no power but that
of the pardoning prerogative of the CHIEF
executive could avert death.
knew all had been done by my friends
that could be done, and without avail.
Still, | could not think that l was tC
die so soon.
Such reflections, retrospections, sell
arguings, came to me daily. as the time
drew near appointed for my execution.
Finally it came. Shall l ever forget
that November morning in SO;
They had told me would be taken out
at o'clock in the morning, and would
| be allowed an officers room in the bar
racks, where my parents. sisters and
brothers would meet me and spend my
last few hours with me.
When taken out, they had TO seat mt
in the outer guard room u quarter of al
hour, until my eyes became accustomed
to the piercing glare of sunshine.
Then they took me to the room WHERE
| | found father. mother, sisters, brothers
and a minister. 1t was the quarters oi
an officer of the post, and very comfort
ably furnished.
Just outSile-we could see then
through the window-stood a special de