The Opelousas courier., 1886-01-02
HIS LITTLE SISTER.
BY AN Ex-eoNFEDERATE.

Der 3, 1864, wherein Joseph Wilson
was sentenced to be shot, and on the
back OF which is the Endorsement. ZAP
proved-Jefferson Davis. President"
Yoa see, my command was then in
Virginia, and it was war times of a
certainty. We Confederates were
hard pushed on all sides. having little
to eat and less to wear, and 1t did
seem as if a fight had got to be a mat
ter of daily occurrence. Some of US
were philosophers enough to endure
what we couldn't cure, but the young
men and specially the chaps who had
been eonscripted, were terribly Uneasy.
They were ready to give it up a a
lost cause and start for home.
Well. this feeling, coupled with
starvation r~ations, ragged uniforms
and daily fighting. sent a good many
of our boys over to the Union lines as
deserters, and this brings about my
story.
One of the conscripts in my eompa-
NY was boy of IL named Joe Wilson.
AL us feliers of 80 or thereabouts felt
like a father to him. Aside from his
youth he was poor and pale, with No
march or fight in him. Bless you'll but
The idea Of little joey Wilson helping
TO breast back o Yankee line of battle
would have set us all in a roar. He
orter been at home with his ma. and
none of us felt anything but pity for
him.
One night. after the assertions had
gone@on and become so numerous that
the big officers had to take notice OF
sem. a trap was sot, and 10 | our poor,
leetle Joe fell into it. Yes, sir-nab-
bed sin the act of deserving to the N
envy" and maybe you know what that
signifies, specially when that enemy
Isn't cannon-shot away? It was d sur
prise 60 Us that the lad had plucked up
courage huff 10 make q break, but ]
reckon he was desperately sick Of war.
and hoped in some manner to get back
TO his home.
It was determined to make an ex-
ample OF little joey, and I guess it
wasn't yer ten days before he was
convicted, the sentence approved at
Richmond and an order read that he
was to be shot alta certain hour. /
suppose it was all quite proper and
according to army regulations. but it
must have gone hard with the men on
that court martial TO convict him.
Had he been guilty OF murder I could
not have aided to bring in a verdict
against him.
Nobody had seemed to know or care
whether he had relatives or not, and
80 our surprise was great to learn. on
the day before he was to be shot, that
. sister had arrived in camp to plead
Tor little Joe's life. II was too late.
She had been denied BY the President.
and of course nobody In the field had
any authority TO step TIE execution.
She was III camp I'll day long, and
rsoBt DC us got to zee her. IL I should
tell You that she wa tbs brightest.
chippiast, smartest gal of 10 ever
saW ] would only DO telling yon the
truth. she was exactly like Joe ii
Looks, cept i few points haTdaomer.
and she had his size and walks and
ways. Tell you, comrades, when !
saw chat girl believe her name was
Nell-breakiug down under the bad
news end realizing her helplessness,
It'd have been within, to let EN- shoot
me- III Joe's sseadl Deed, ! would.
though say y 30 long after. { iist
wanted 10 lay my hand On her curly
head and say:
.sThere, there, poor child-don't
cry any more I'm sd alone in
ths world and nobody'n miss me. and
I'm going to take Joe's place.
However, that couldn't be done.
Joseph Wilson was The desertar, and
Joseph Wilson must be shot 70 death
g The penalty.