The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1886-01-21

emergency. These trains could have
been loaded and cent TO Washington
long before Early could get there
III don't believe Wallace, or
Halleck, or anybody else
knew which road Early would take,
whether to Baltimore or Washington.
His troops were all over the country.
Why, We shot some OF them only two
miles from the Relay house, nine miles
from Baltimore. I had queer expert
ence at the Relay at that time"
eff you have ever been from Baltimore
to Washington, you will remember
where the Washington railroad branches
from the main line, on the bank of the
Patapsco. There Is long stone bridge
there, and right above the forks of the
road, Q high hill, which commands the
river and railroad both ways. Well, there
was quite tort on that hill, and 1t was
named "Dix," after old John A.. who
electrified the country just before the
war with dispatch: "If any man at
tempts to pull down the American flag,
shoot him on the spot" It was 9 good
fort, a parapet affair. and was followed
out for big magazine. Well, had
been stationed there some time, aud be-
came acquainted with one of the girls
in the neIghborhOOd."
"You needn't squlTm. amt going
to tell you another love story"
The reporter nodded satisfaction.
"Well, l wanted to do the agreeable,
and ssked her one day If she wouldn't
Ike to see the fort. Sue said yes. and
We walked up the hill aud got inside.
ALI around tho parapet were guns of
different makes, such you might ex-
pect at an experiment station. 1t was
only a week after Early's visit, and the
shells and hand-grenades had not been
uncapped or unloaded Everything
was cooked and primed. led my lady
between the bomb-proof and magazine
door, and called the sergeant
I asked the lady If she would
not like to go down and see how the
powder was stored. She SAID she
would, go 1 told the sergeant to take her
AOWA ohA "OuN0 CbAAA kOaAAs 1AO
slipped off his boots and put on his
moccasios. and down he went followed
by the girl. Well, the stairs went
down about SIX steps, and turned sharp
to the right. On both ends of eech step
stood tour shells on end, capped and
ready 10 pass up TO the guns. The
shells on the steps narrowed the path
down uucomfortably close for lady,
and l didn't realize anything wrong
until the lady began TO turn to go down
the second flight. By George, her
hoops had caught over the top of one of
the shells. and it began to tip as she
moved. Lord, Harry, how 1 jumped.
caught the shell just In time and re-
leased her crinoline without her or the
sergeant knowing anything about 1t. 1
bad q separate and distinct sensation at
the root of each individual hair of my
head. believe I should have fallen
down when stepped out again but for
catching hold of the door jam. It was
forty years to day before they came
out OF that magazine. Confound It
man, If that shell had tipped
over II would have exploded
the cap, aud that hill and five hundred
men would haYe been blown across the
Patapsco. SearedH Well. should re-
mark. They never knew anything
about 1t, and did not tell the story
until sixteen years afterwards, no not TO
my own folks"
Eyes, that was a close call"
"But haYe had great many close
calls, Why, believe honestly have
been deliberately shot at with rifles a
hundred different times. TO say nothing
of shells, sickness and railroad acct
dents"
"rbat puts me in mind, though. of
mother close call al had once"
81 was instructor IN q camp of green
recruits, and only allowed ammunition
to be issued TO the guards at night. In
the morning when they came of, used
to have them unload at q target. kept
a keg OF ammunition in q wall tent oc
cupied for kind of office. The tent
had no floor, and my bed WAS an empty
musket box. There was a desk IN ore
corner, set up on legs, with a let dswn
lid. used to keep that keg of cartridges
under the desk. This was early in the
war when ammunition was made up
very loose. The keg might have held
ten gallons, but was large around and not
very high. Well one nlghtjust before sup
per had partly rolled the keg out, and
reached enough cartridges for the guard,
and noticed a considerable number OF
broken packages and some loose pow
der on top. The keg was about two
thirds full-perhAps q hundred pounds
weight bullets included. After think.
ing about II awhile went to supper
determined I would have the cartridges
tied up properly. After supper wen
back to do some writing, and sat ct my
desk Then reached my pipe out of {
pigeon hole, (all soldiers smoke), aud
loading 1t, lighted my lamp and p,pt
at the same time. Alter getting the
machine July under way,
, reachei for pen, in dong
{ which, spilled some OF the fire out o
2 my pipe. To save my breeches, ros,
up to knock the burning tobacco of m,
8 knees. AS ! did so. l looked RICH
4 square down into that conFo0ndeC
r keg, which had forgot
ten 10 roll back under tn,
desk, and saw LOT Of that burning to
bacco right down among the cartridges
I stopped, and with my thumb presse,
:. out every particle of fire In that keg
+ Then went out TO get some fresh air
't for needed it. Aittr 3 while, 1 wen
V back into The tent, turned out th
>, lamp, and skipped for toWu, where
slept in a hotel till morning. ATE
breakfast went back to camp and ih
II tent. found everything Just as ha
ieft IL the night before. Then I reache
= down and picked up some Of the pacI
2. ages of cartridges. Will you believe Il
The IRE had burned through within OF
thickness OF paper Of the powder. Fac
Some Of the papers Wtrn't so bad, b
= one was burned as state, and the IL
thickness was badly scorchedI No
IN that was another close call. II that kS
b, Of powder had gone on, l should ha,
., gone with il, and not be here saTnir
OF i've cents q line telling You yarns.'
a.
Eight collins containing the bodies
'. people who were fri zen to death in q
to. western part Of this state during The I
y. cent cold weather. went east on the ca
-a.kan E~lN.-