Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-10-16


| union sentiment predominated to an over
| whelming extent.
Frank Gilmore's position was anything
but enviable, and his personal safety was
hourly getting more insecure. A GOODNESS
| toward him, not heretofore visible, seemed
| to pervade the community-a suspicious
| watching and secret whispering, silence
whenever he joined a group of his former
companions, gradually awakened him from
his dream of security, when one day a
horseman covered with dust, and the horse
white with foam, rode into town and an
| nounced that General Lyon had made war
| on Missouri's sacred soil.
That was the match that set fire to the
already infiamed passions of the people
The next day all able-bodied young men
organized to fight for the cause of the
South.
Frank was called upon to join the ranks.
His principles would not permit him. So
after a hasty consultation with his young
wife he kissed her, babe her good-by, and
at midnight quietly slipped out of town to
make his way to where General Lyon was
O, organizing to defend the Union.
In few weeks and for several months
thereafter the entire district was in COM
plete possession of the rebels, all commu-
nication being cut off, so that Nellie knew
nothing of the fate of her husband. She
prayed and hoped that the father of her
unborn babe would reach his destination in
safety but beard not word from him IN
til Mulligan and his brigade swept over the
northern part of the State and opened an
avenue for the mail service. With the first
lot of letters that reached F. came one
several weeks old, from Frank Gilmore to
his wife, informing her that he had reached
st. Louis and was wearing the uniform of
an American soldier.
After this she did not hear word from
him for year and half, until General
Price had been driven into Arkansas and
the Union troops had again taken posses
sion of that part of the State. Then it was
that another letter reached Nellie inform
ing her that her dear husband still lived
and was promoted to be a Captain further,
he informed her that after nearly two years
service in the field, he was granted two
weeks furlough, and in three days he
hoped to be again with her.
Nellie kissed her first born babe, now
nine months old, knelt down and while
the tears rolled down her cheeks, she
alternately Rugged her babe and thanked
God for His mercy in preserving its father
in all the danger he passed through. Frank
in the meantime made haste to reach his
home, where next to his country the dear
had come by stage TO Jefferson City and
arrived there early in the morning. So
impatient was he to reach home that he
did not wait the departure of the regular
stage to r in the afternoon, but
Immediately after breakfast hired horse
and saddle and started alone on the road
to F., distance of twelve miles.
1t was midsummer, the day promised to
be hot, which, with his desire to reach
home caused him to travel as fast as his
horse could go in safety. To the right and
left of the road he saw the evidences Of the
destruction of war in the dismantled farm
houses, farms going to weeds and the
many unoccupied hamlets, the inhabitants
of which had been driven. some to towns,
others into the army, while still others had
followed the fortunes of their principles
and went North or South as circumstances
forced them to do. Nothing of importance
occurred to Frank until he came to the
cross roads, one of which led up to F.,
some half a mile farther north. Here
while ne was drinking in scenes that were
familiar to him, and which had but little
changed, he was pounced upon by dozen
of Quantrail's gang, who had hid them
selves behind the osage-orange hedge that
lined the roadside and waited to see who
the lone horseman was.
When they found out it was a Union
officer a hilarious shout went up to hang
the " Yankee invader" which was almost
done as soon as said, and the gang left the
body of Frank Gilmore hanging almost
within the sound of the voice of his wife
and baby.
In the afternoon the news that man
was hanging from the limb of tree down
at the crossroads, brought a crowd from
the town, more in curiosity than pity, as it
was no unusal sight at the time, and none
dreamed that it was their old townsman,
Frank Gilmore. Nellie learning that Guam
trells gang had hung another Union SOL
der, went with the crowd to look on the
remains of the latest victim of the terrible
passions aroused by the Civil War. 1t
never entered her mind that she was going
to look on the face of her babes father,
hence, although having much sympathy
for all her husbands comrades, her feelings
were wandering to the far North in pity
for wife, mother or sister, who waited the
coming of one soldier that would never
return, and wondering why God permitted
so great a sacrifice.
As she was approaching the place where
the dead body hung, some person in a
voice of establishment sang out, "Why
that is Frank Gilmore" For a moment
her heart ceased to beat, she was dazed,
then, with the abandon of tigress that
springs TO the aid of her cubs, she pushed
! the people aside. When she saw the body
| she uttered one scream and fell lifeless IN
der her husbands corpse.
For weeks she fingered between life and
death, but finally recovered, and gradually
came to move about and regain q part of
| her former strength.
The war was over; the Union cause tri-
| umphant, peace smiled in pity on the
| graves of the victims.
Thousands of those who survived found
| the nomadic character of soldier untitled
them for the domestic life they lived before
the war, hence many both Northern and
| Southern soldiers found the quiet of home
unsuited to their habits, and they contin-
ued to wander and drift about to find q
resting place.
| In this way, some three years after the
above occurrence, Philip Bruce, dis
charged Southern soldier. drifted into
| F.
He was tall, good-looking type of the
Southern people; he settled down in the
neighborhood, and in a few months Nellie
and he met under circumstances which
gave confidence to their desires, for it was
a case of mutual love. Before the autumn
leaves had fallen, they were married and
were really happy.
One evening during the following winter
they were sitting in their neat parlor be-
fore a comfortable log-fre, entertaining an
old comrade of Phillips, named De Ache.
Nellie, with her little girl, now years
old, sat sewing at one side of the fire while
Phillip and De Ache sat on the other, and
| fought their battles over amidst the clouds
of smoke that curled upwards from we'll
colored meerschaum. De Ache suddenly
turned to Phillip, and, leaning over the
table that stood between them, said,
Phillip never want to see another war
it develops a deyilish spirit in the breast of
man; nevertheless, suppose if my country
called on me would again do my duty
There is no one act in my life regret more
than can tell, it was the part we took in
hanging that Union officer down at the
! crossroads three years ago."
Suddenly Nellie dropped her sewing,
pushed her little girl aside, who had been
leaning on her lap, rubbed her hands
across her eyes, as if attempting TO grasp
some indistinct idea that f1oated in her i'm
L