The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-01-15
MURDER ON THE OUTPOSTS.

When under the may find you!
The Century for Aay. .
MURDER ON THE OUTPOSTs.
1t was in Virginia during the autumn
of 1861, the first year of the war. 1
was sergeant in an infantry company
which had been selected on account Of
its fighting qualities to guard an i'm
portant point on the line of commune
cations. The South Branch, rising
9 considerable distance above Moor
field, winds along north until it reaches
Romney, and four miles beyond that
mountain-locked natural stronghold
bends abruptly to the east, on its way
mac. At this bend the turnpike road
connecting Romney, where the Union
force was disposed, with Green Springs
Run, the depot supplies on the Balti-
moro and Ohio Railroad, crossed the
river by suspension bridge. The
written order to our captain COM
manded him to hold this bridge go
the last man, if necessary" And
there we remained until some weeks
later, when the Confederates maneuv-
cred our entire force back to it's base
on the railroad.
The war had stripped this part of
Virginia of most of its people. Hill
side and valley seemed to belong again
to the wild things of nature. The
scream of an eagle soaring in the gray
sky would call out a perfect din of
animal notes. Even the handful of
soldiers prowled about as stealthily as
the foxes themselves which now and
again scampered out of the laurel
bushes. Graceful deer, with spreading
antlers, sometimes peered out from
under the forest growth. One after
noon bear even made bold to invade
picket-post's cooking camp-kettle,
licking the fat from the edge with great
relish and contedly Looping off before
the startled soldiers could realize the
character Of the visitor and fix their
bayonets to turn him into better meat
than mess pork.
One evening, just at 6, as the second
relief was changing posts, the sharp
crack of musket shot rang out, from
down the river apparently. 1t was a
dark night and nothing could be seen.
At the shanties the poker-decks were
cast aside and there was hustle for n
moment, the rush of feet, the rattle OF
leather straps as the men put on their
harness. curse or two as some one
failed to find his own musket, and then
all was still again. Cartridges were
looked at, pieces clutched and bal
anced in half-jocose manner, as if to
say the Johnnies'' ould get more than
they came for, and all listened for the
next shot, or volley, and the order
to fall inr'
We had a captain and two lieuten-
ants. But the First Lieutenant, a
crusty, good sailor, who was killed the
next year at Antietam, was serving his
turn on guard that day. Just before
dusk we knew he had crossed the
bridge with corporal and private to
go to the left, along the river and up
the rayines, to see that all was in ord er
at the posts for the night. Ten of the
men also from the shanties had been
missing since. early in the afternoon,
and it was supposed they had lodged
the posts in order to ford the river,
and had gone to a hut IN one of the
ravines where an old negro had been
smuggling whisky for some time and
selling Il clandcstinely to our
soldiers. The Lieutenant had in
tended to visit the hut in quest of the
s:ragglers.
Minutes passed, and though we stood
about at the shanties with arms in hand
no sound came but the murmur of the
| river eddying along under the bridge,
the signing of the trees and the cough
of q sentinel pacing his beat down the
road in front of the guard house. Sud
denly there was challenge across the
river. "Halt! Who comes there e''
Quick footsteps up the road brought a
messenger and the captain ordered me
to take squad to the guard house.
Down the steep road my squad and |
went at the doublc-quick. The moon
was rising from behind the mountains
toward Winchester, throwing her white
light through the graceful wires Of the
bridge and athwart the trem bling rip
| pies of the river. l arranged my men
at tho guard house as had been or
dered, and took my stand near the
sentinel. a little procession approach,
ed us from the other side, and as il
neared the center, where the curving
cables seemed almost to touch it or
either flank, we could see 1t was form.
cd by eight men bearing another
wrapped in blanket on their shoul-
ders, and that it was led by the Lieu.
tenant of tho guard. Behind, between
two guards with fixed bayonets, reel.
ed drunken soldier. l was called
from my astonishment by the SHARP
voice of the officer ordering mo te
give him men to relieve his of theIl
burden, and the drunken one who
followed, were the ten stragglers tt
the negro hut.
The transfer was made and the pro
! cession continued up the road to the
shanties. The intoxicated man fell tt
the ground as he neard the guare
house with an attack of mania potu
He was raw-boned, generally we'll
behaved Pensylvanian. We carried hin
in and laid HIM on the hard bunk
made of pine bark with blanket spreae
on it. The excitement of finding tn.
dead body of Parr, who was well likee
in the company, had sobered all of thu
stragglers bnt the Pensylvanian, .ant
had made them cautious as to wha
they said that could have any bearing
on PARIS death. The body had beef
| stumbled on in the dark by the lieu
tenant when on the other side of th,