The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-05-21
AsroRr oF TREASURE rRove.
A Justices Fortunate Recognition by
nIramp-Incidcnt OF the sherman
Chmpntsn-Burird Money Sue
cessfully Recovered.

county have been greatly interested of
late in one of the strangest stories. con-
n rtcd with incidents growing out of
the late war. that have ever been re-
corded. The facts-for they are facts
were related by an officer who stood
high in the list of our country's de-
tenders. and who is personally acquaint-
ed with the persons named, as indeed
are very many of our citizens.
A young mar named Charles Hall,
of this (Niagara) county, having been
admitted to the bar as an attorney. left
home in 1888 in search of his fortune,
and at length concluded to chang up
his shingle,' in Exeter, Luzerne county
Pa. He was a bright, energetic young
man, with a faculty for making friends
and was quite successful in his new
field, being at length elected justice of
the peace. 1t was while acting in this
capacity that an old weather and world
beaten tramp was brought before him
on a charge of vagrancy. With such a
clear case made on in his ragged habil-
iments and significantly marked fea-
lures, there was little need of other
witnesses for the prosecution.
Justice Hall was in some way. how
ever, moved by a feeling of pity for the
forlorn old man, and instead of the
usual commitment TO the county Jail,
made the sentence out to she ~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. a comrade in the army, who is
now dead. What is your name?"
my name is Hall"
SIS 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: ..NVhy,
that was where l wa born. and my
fathers first name was Reuben. He
was killed or at least died in the army
of Sherman in front of Savannah"
Then said the old tramp, with
much feeling manifested in his coun-
tenance, 81 have something to say to
you of more than common Importance
If we can be alone for u few minutes"
The squire at first hesitated, but becom-
ing impressed with the conviction that
the prisoner was deeply in earnest by
the evidently genuine pleasure exhib-
tied in his features, he led the way into
his private office. and closing the door
listened to the veterans story, which.
in brief, is rs follows: 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 Capt. Cothran's battery of
light artillery at Lockport. for three
years or during the war. The company
numbered about 16O men. mostly from
that county, and after we got to the
front we were joined It the First New
York light artillery regiment and were
designated as Battery b. I was Il
noneer. and my chum in my mess was a
young Niagara county boy named Reu-
ben Hall. We were very intimate
friends, and us time wore on our friend
ship for each other increased, and we
shared each Others condolences. He
told me that he had left a young wife
and child at home who were well cared
for by his father. the patriotic spirit
aroused by the call to arms beingtoo
much for him to withstand.
'Wcll. to make Il long story short,
battery B passed through the terrible
battles of the Army of the Potomac,
most of the time with the Twelfth army
corps, under Gen. Slocum. When Sher-
mans advance through Georgia was de-
cidcd upon, the Eleventh, and Twelfth
corps We're consolidated into what was
called the Twentieth corps. and. still
under Slocum, participated in that IA
nous 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 'Rubc' and myself cs-
capped it all.
1t was while we were at Atlanta
that Sherman's army of 80. 900 men
were paid of. Many of the boys had
rc-cnlisted again in 1864, and received
big bountieS. There was scarcely an
enlisted nan in the Twentieth corps
that had not then 4 thousand dollars in
his pocket, and there was no possible
way OF sending it home. and no suffers
or stores where luXuries could be pro-
cured. The sequel showed that a great
mistake had been made in paying the
men at Atlanta. AT the least calcula-
ton there were 5000. 900 in Sherman's
army at that time, most of it in the pos
session of enlisted men. A furore OF
gambling set in, and ragged with unpre-
cedented violence. Old men, b~eardless
youths, and in fact everybody, gambled,
and groups of soldiers gathered around
the camp fires far into the night to bar
ter money and health in games of
chance. Both my chum and myself had
caught the gambling fever, passing
many sleepless nights at the cards, and
he had been quite successful. but in do
ing so his health had suffered and | no.
ticed that he seemed to be gradually
failing. / did not consider his illness
dangerous, however, until when we
reached the Savannah river his con-
dition grew alarming. One night about
midnight. when | sat by his side in the
tent alone, he said to me, .Eh. l have a
favor to ask of YOU and he took from
his knapsack q bundle of greenbacks
lone up in paper saying: Here are
the profits of the march from Atlanta.
l want you to take this and see that it
reaches my family. Go bury it to-
night, where you can mark the spot if
you pull through, and here he was
seized with terrible fit of coughing. l
a for the doctor, but when ! returned
blood was gushing from his mouth, and
he died in a few minutes.
II took the money and afterward
planted it by 4 peculiar tree far above
onr camp on the river bank. l did not
know the value of the package, as he
never told me. He was buried the
next day. l put up a head-board made
of a cracker-box nailed to a tree over
his grave, and marked his name on it.
When the army reached RALEIGH N q