St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-05-31
MISCELLANY.
A MYSTERIOUS SHOT.

During Bragg's occupation of Mis-.
sion Ridge and Lookout Mountain,
was connected with the army of the
Tennessee as a scout, and in seeking
to re-enter the city after trip lasting
four days, was captured on the Ross
Vile road, about three miles from
Snodgrass hill, around which the bat
tie of Chickamauga ragged so fiercely
The whole country was full of rebe
soldiers, scouts and bushwhackers, anC
1 was moving through the woods will
utmost care, thinking to get near to
our lines before dark, when a man in
butternut clothes suddenly stepped out
in front of me from behind tree, lift
ed shot gun to an aim, and called
out:
"Stand right thar, or I'll blow the
top of your head off"
! I was more than a scout was a
spy. That is, was in semi-rebel uni
form and within the enemy's line, and
any drum-head court martial would
sentence me to death. [ was not alto
gether unprepared for the meeting
having realized the probability, and as
| the gun covered me | answered the
man in what tried to make a steady
| voice:
eff it's all the same to you, prefer
to sit down, for l am clean beat out
with head work."
| sat down on log and looked up al
him. He was man about forty years
of age, tall, gaunt and fierce looking,
and from the cut of his clothes, took
him for a member of some predatory
rebel band which had been called in
for the time being and assigned with
the regular troops. He might, how
bushwhacker working on his own
hook. At this point we were between
the rebel front and the pickets and
outposts, and in a very thick wood
The time was o'clock in the after
noon.
AS L sat down, the man lowered his
gun and stood leaning on it for min
ute while he surveyed me. | noticed
he had been drinking, and was what is
termed ugly drunk. His eyes were
bloodshot, his face covered with scowls
and it was plain enough that he was
ripe for murder.
"Who be you7" he demanded in a
gruff voice.
"John Thomas, a scout for General
Bragg. Who are you ?"
$50 you know Gineral Bragg, ell p
Certainly"
$50 do 1 /! Purity good man, ell 2"
eyes. Who are you"
"None o. yer Id bizness !" he OK
claimed, after regarding me for full
half minute.
"Well, don't care. What are do
ing here in the woods 2"
$50 you know Gineral Bragg, ell p
he inquired, coming little closer.
81 told you did. Pm going to his
headquarters now"
"Oh, you beq Mebbe you'd be SO
kind as to pint out whar them head
quarters beY"
81 would if 1 could, but 1 haven't
found 'em yet"
''I thong so! And so you know
the Gineral by sight"
81 do.n
"Mabbe you'd be so kind and conde-
scendin' as to describe him to me-"
He had me there. had never heard
the Generals looks passed upon, and
realized that the chances were not one
in twenty that l could hit him.
"Well, I'm waiting" growled the
man after moment.
ooh, you are !" sneered, changing
my tone and demeanOr. "Now, then
want to know all about you. I've been
thinking you might be Yankee spy.
ought to take you back to the lines.''
"He he he !" chuckled the fellow,
as he leered at me. "Say, Yank, you
amt half smart. L know you on sight,
and your voice gave you away !"
"Don't 'Yank' me-" [ Indignantly
exclaimed. "You come along to the
picket post and rll find out who you
are ~
l started to rise up, but he lifted his
gun to his face and growled along the
Darrell.
"You've got jist thirty seconds to
live, and you'd better do some tall
praying"
He meant murder. [ could see it in
his eye and read it in his face. Wheth-
er he really took me for a Yankee spy,
or whether he wanted to kill me out of
pure cussedness and for the sake of
plumber, [ know not, but he certainly
meant to kill. He had my head cover
ed with his aim, finger on the trigger,
and was probably counting off the Sec
onds allowed me, when he suddenly
Strengthened up, dropped his gun,
threw up his arms and fell forward at
my feet. AS he was falling [ heard
the report of gun not far away, and
knew the man. had been shot. | sprang
up and took refuge behind a tree, and
though | waited and watched for half
an hour no one appeared, nor could l
detect a movement. l crept on hands
and knees to the stiffening corpse and
saw that he had been shot in the back.
took the shot back to d tree 200 feet
away, and there found footprints where
the shooter had stood. Who he was,
why he had fired the shot, and which
way he went are matters which [ have
never been able to tell.