The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-02-03

directed his friend to draw out his money |
In the Flemingsbnrg baDk--sOme ~, 900, |
with gold premium and inferest--in case |
he never returned, giving him check for |
that purpose, and to lend lt ON good Sc
eurity, paying the interest as = perpetual |
beQuest TO the town poor. The friend /
was faithful TO his trust, and though the |
money was afterwards sqnandered In Q |
pitiful way and gave rise TO yexstious |
law suits yet this secured the careful /
preservation Of the letter.
In all probability Andrews wrote first /
to his betrothed, giving those sad re-
membranes and requests which would /
not be repeater in q letter to another, and /
followed with this more general and /
business like communication. The orig i
inal is terribly misspelled, far beyond the
ordinary misspelling OF ignorant persons. /
This is probably intentional, as a few lines
at the first have no errors.
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, june 8, lisa.
D. s. McGaxic, Esq, FlemineshurK, Ky.:
DEAR SIR--You VIII b doubtless surprised 70
hear from me from this place, and stfl more sur
prised to hear tnat am to be executed on the /
9TH inst for attempting to capture and run .
train of cars from the Western and Atlantic rail.
road to Huntsville for the use OF Gen. Mitchell III
had a party OF twenty-one detailed men from the i
Second, Twenty-first and Thirty third Ohio regf-
ments with me. We succeeded in getting posses /
sion of the train and Travelled with II some eighty
or eighty -five miles. when, on account Of an |
extra train being On the road, We were compelled
to abandon the train, the party scattering and |
trying TO make our way back on foot. The whole |
party, however, were captured. was taken on !
the 14th Of April. am satisfied could very |
easily have got away had they not put = pack Of |
dogs on my tran. It was impossible to slude |
them. Twas tried by eonrt martial and received /
my sentence ON the last day Of May, Just one |
week from the time set for my execution. On i
Monday morning, June 2, made escape. |
succeeded in getting out Of the prison and run by
the guard, they shooting ct me but not hitting |
swarmed with soldiers succeeded In /
eluding them till ON Tuesday, about ,
O'Clock, when i was recaptured and viii /
be executed on Saturday. The sentence seems |
a hard one for the crime proven, bat suppose
the ccart that tried me thought otherwise. |
have now calmly submitted to my fate, and have /
been earnestly engaged in preparing to meet my |
God in peace And have found that peace Of |
mind and tranquility Of soul that even surprises
myself Inever supposed it possible that man |
could feel so complete q change under similar /
circumstances. How would like to have one /
hours chat with you; but this shall never have
in this world, but hope and pray that we may |
meet in heaven, where the troubles and trials Of 1
this life never enter. What the fate OF the bal
ance of the party will be am unable to say, but
hope they will not share the fate OF their leader
II they return some two or three Of them viii |
call on you and the rest Of the friends and hope
you viii receive them kindly. They are noble |
fellows, and will give you whole history OF the
affair. Please acquaint my friends with my fate. |
will try to write to some two or three more
before my execution. Tell ]. B. jackson, should |
there be any little claims that NEGLECTED to set
Gle. to pay them, and keep the horse. doa1 |
think there are any, but there may be. In 70 |
yasrf too h afo1
before left. Iwrote several letters, but never |
received any. Please read this letter to Mrs.. |
Eckles and tell her that have thought of her |
kindness many times, and that hope we may |
meet in heaven, where we shall enjoy the pres |
ence of the Lord forever. Give nav kindest re- |
CARDS to Mr.. Eckles also. According to the course
of nature, it will not he long till shall meet in |
that happy country. Blessed thought, Remem- |
Der me also to the young ladies Of FleningsburE,
especially to Miss Kate WalIingford and Miss |
Mamie Baxter. Hoping we may meet in that
better country, bid you . long and last farewell
J. J. ANDREWS.
The following was added on the same
sheet:
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn, June 5, 1eo2.
D. S. McGavic. Esq, ]. B. Jackson. Mrs. Sarah
Eckles Flemin.,sburg, Fleming county, KY:
You will find one trunk and one black vaiise; |
the valise has my name in red letters the end,
the other had my name on paper pasted on the
end; these are at the City hotel at Nashville, In
care of the old porter on the third door. these,
with contents, present to you. Mr. Hawkins,
you will find at the Louisville hotel large iadys
trunk, no mark on it and is entirely empty.
Please take il TO Mr.. Lindsey's near Mill Creek
church, on the Maysyile and Flemingsburg turn
pike, and request him to present it to Miss
Elizabeth Layton for me, and oblige,
J. ]. ANDREWS.
(This was proved and recorded as . will
at Flemingsburg on the 3D. and 10th Of
January, 1868. The money referred TO in |
the clause, do exactly as instructed be- |
fore left, " was duly drawn from bank |
and loaned for the benefit of the poor.)
After writing these letters Andrews had |
but two days to live. He watched for op- |
portunities to send them by faithful hand |
through to the Federal lines. II was IN |
vain to ask permission of the Confederate |
authorities, as they had apparently tried |
to keep everything relating to rs from the |
Federal forces.
The erection OF the scaffold began at
Chattanooga, but on the next day the
movementsof the Federais had become 80
threatening as to produce quite panic at
Knoxville, suspending the court martial
there, aud leading to the removal of
everything which could be spared further
South On the 9th of June, the day be-
fore that fixed for the execution, Gen. E.
Kirby Smith wrote no less than thirteen
dispatches from Knoxville In different
directions, the general purport of which |
was that the enemy was advancing with
overwhelming forces, and that Chatta-
nooga would fall and East Tennessee have
to be abandoned, and giving directions for
lines of retreat and for removing the
stores OF course, to arrange for an exc
Ian eth in he fano of ID
vancing enemy, might have led to very
sudden pardon; and, accordingly, Andrews
and his companions were ordered to At
lanta once more on the early morning
train. There was again the excited
crowds, an invariable accompaniment Of
our frequent transits over this road; but,
in addition. the fact that Andrews was TO
die was published, and he was tainted
frequently with references TO his approach
ing doom These he bore with his usual
calm, sad patience.
An instance in connection with these
prosecutions is especially pathetic. A Mr..
Whiteman came on the cars, and, advanc- |
ing to where Andrews was, accosted him.
Parrott who gives the account, was
sitting ON the seat behind, and could not |
help hearing all the conversation.
The merchant said, What can you do,
have for the purchase of quinine and
other thingss'
Andrews replied, 'sMr. Whiteman, this
is no time To talk about money. IL you |
had done as | wished you to do in Chat
tanoog,l, you would have had all that
back and twice as much more parrot |
understood Andrews TO refer to some pro-
position that Andrews had made to Mr..
whiteman on his trial, and the failure to
accept which was the greatest disappoint- |
ment that Andrews had then experienced.) |
Whiteman continued, Els that all you |
have to say, Mr.. Andrews,'
eyes, sir, that is ALL" responded the |
doomed man. With q gesture of deep |
! disappointment, whiteman turned on HIS |
heel and walked rapidly away.
(Tob Continued1.
The new rotary snow pillow has about
finished its good work for the present
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