Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-02-10

a different part OF the town from that
whence we had escaped. The man who had
arrested me was a sergeant or some officer in
petty command. He took me alone with him
into the guard room and placed before me on
a wooden table some papers which he told
me to fill in and sign. Then he sat down OPP
posite to me and l looked through the papers,
They were forms, with blanks left for des-
criptions, specifying the name, occupation,
age, address and so forth of arrested persons
signed these, and, pushing them across the
table to the man, asked him what was to be
done with u.s.
"You will be shot, he replied, quickly and
decisively
''Both of us?" asked
'Both,n he replied.
eBut," said l, ''my companion has done
nothing to deserve death. He was drawn
into this struggle entirely by me- Consider,
too, his advanced age His hair is white; he
stoops, and had it not been for the difficulty
with which he moves his limbs, both of us
would probably be at this moment in place
of safety. What can you gain by shooting
an old man such as hep
The officer was silent. He neither favored
nor discouraged me by his manner. While
sat awaiting his reply glanced at the hand
sudden idea flashed into my mind
CAT least" said, ''grant me one request.
If my uncle must die, let me die first"
Now I made this request for the following
reason: In my right hand the line of life
broke abruptly half way in its length, indi-
eating sudden and violent death. But the
point at which it broke was terminated by
perfectly marked square, extraordinarily
clear cut and distinct Such a square occur
ring at the end of broken line, means res
cue, salvation. 1 had long been aware of this
strange fguration in my hand and had often
wondered what it presaged. But now, as
once more looked at it, it came upon me
with sudden conviction that in some way
was to be delivered from death at the last
moment, and 1 thought that if this be so it
would be horrible should my uncle have been
killed first. If I We're to be saved should
certainly save him also, for my pardon would
involve the pardon of both or my rescue the
rescue of both. Therefore, it was important
to provide for his safety until after my fate
was decided. The officer seemed to take this
last request into more serious consideration
than the first. Ha said shortly:
II may be able to manage that for you, n
and then at once rose and took up the papers
had signed
When are we to be shotg' I asked him.
Tomorrow morning." he replied as
promptly as before Then he went out, turn
ing the key of the guard room upon me.
II.
The dawn of the next day broke darby.
1t was a terribly stormy day; great black
lurid thunder clouds lay piled along the hori-
zon and came up slowly and awfully against
the wind. looked upon them with terror:
they seemed so near the earth and SO like
living, watching things. They hung out OF
the sky, extending long ghostly arms down.
ward, and their gloom and density seemed
supernatural The. soldiers took us out, our
hands bound behind us, into a quadrangle at
the back of their barracks. The scene is
sharply impressed upon my mind. A palisade
Of two sides of a square, made of wooden
planks, ran round the quadrangle. Behind
| this palisade and pressed up close against it
was a mob of men and women-the people Of
| the homecoming to see the execution. But
their faces were sympathetic; an unmistak-
able look of mingled grief and rage, not I'M
| mixed with Disqualification they were a
downtrodden folk-shone in the hundreds of
| eyes turned toward us. I was the only woman
| among the condemned. My uncle was there,
and poor ''Fon," looking bewildered, and one
| or two other prisoners. On the third and
| fourth sides of the quadrangle was high
wall, and in a certain place was a niche
partly inclosing the trunk Of a tree, cut off at
| the top. An iron ring was driven into the
| trunk midway, evidently for the purpose of
securing condemned persons for execution.
| guessed it would be used for that now. In
| the center of the square piece of ground stood
| a file Of soldiers, armed with carbines and an
| officer with drawn sabre. The palisade was
| guarded by a row of soldiers somewhat
| sparsely distributed, certainly not more than
| dozen lin all. A Catholic priest in black
| cassock walked beside me, and as we were
! conducted into the Enclosure he turned to me
and offered religious consolation. declined
his ministrations, but asked him anxiously if
he knew which of us was to die first.
"You," he replied; ''the officer III charge of
you said you desired it, and he has been able
to accede to your request"
Even then felt singular joy at hearing
this, though had no longer any expectation
of release Death was, l thought, far too
near at hand for that Just then soldier
approached us and led me bareheaded to the
tree trunk, where he placed me with my
back against it and made fast my hands be-
hind me with rope to the iron ring. No
bandage was put over my eyes. stood thus,
facing the file of soldiers in the middle of
the quadrangle, and noticed that the officer
with the drawn sabre placed himself at the
extremity of the line composed of six men,
In that supreme moment also noticed that
their uniform was bright with steel accoutre-
ments. Their helmets were Of steel, and
their carbines, as they raised them and
pointed them at me, ready cooked, glittering
oh, 4
metal There was an instants stiffness and
hush while the men took aim; then saw the
officer raise his barred sabre as signal to fire.
1t flashed in the air; then, with sudden
ness impossible to convey, the whole quad
rangle blazed with an awful lght-a light so
vivid, so intense, so binding, so indescrib-
able, that everything was blotted out and
devoured by it, 1t crossed my brain with
instantaneous conviction that this amazing
glare was the physical effect of being shot,
and that the bullets had pierced my brain or
heart and caused this frightful sense of all
pervading flame, Vaguely I remembered
having read or been told that such was the
result produced on the nervous system of a
victim to death from firearms,
sit is over" said; ''that was the bullets. y
But presently there forced itself on my
daZed senses sound-a confusion of sounds
darkness succeeding the white flash-then
steadying itself into gloomy daylight; a tue
multi; heap of stricken tumbled men lying
stone still before me; fearful horror upon
every living face, and then y Il it all
burst on me with distinct conviction The
storm which had been gathering all the
morning had eliminated in its blacklist and
most electric point Immediately overhead.
The file of soldiers appointed to shoot me
stood exactly under it. Sparkling with
bright steel on head and breast and carbines
they stood shoulder to shoulder, a complete
lightning conductor, and at the end of the
chain they formed, their officer, at the criti-
cal moment, raised his shining, naked blade
toward the sky. Instantaneously heaven
opened, and the lightning fell, attracted by
the FURNISHED steel. From blade to carbine,
from helmet to breastplate it ran, shifting
every man dead as he stood, They fell like
row of ninepins, blackened in face and
hand In instant in the twinkling of an eye.
Dead The electric flame licked the life out
of seven men in that second not one moved
muscle or finger again. Then followed a
wild scene. The crowd, stupefied for min.
ute by the thunderbolt and the horror of the