The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-02-23

member. This led to great trial on my
part. The preacher seeing five men in sol
dier uniform in her pew-Mason, who was
sick, remained az home-came down and
spoke to her. A few words were ex-
changed, and then he turned to us and
said: Cant you tell us a little about
your strange deliTerance2 win make the
other services very short. - The faces of
all our party turned toward me, and the
minister, taking the hint, repeated his
question to me individually. Something
like this was just what had feared when
I had the great mental struggle in At
lanta prison. I wished to refuse, but in
the freshness Of deliyerance such refusal
would have seemed little less than q
crime. The minister was better Tor worse)
than his word, for he did not preach at all,
but on finishing the opening services
spoke few words about the great suffer
ings and lessons of the war, and the hard
ships and temptations of the army; then
added that there were some men present
that morning whose experiences were
marvellous beyond the common lot of men,
and one of them had consented to give
some account of them.
rose at the call and scarcely could
have felt worse for moment If in Swim's
prison. But the people were SO kind AMI
attentive that embarrassment vanished
passed very lightly over the military part
of the enterprise, and spoke especially of
Gods goodness in delivering us. When
told of the sudden death Of our comrades
in Atlanta, and of their regrets for not
being better prepared for death, there was
weeping over all tise-ShuEch. At the close
of the meeting kindly greetings and prof
fers of service were showefen upon us.
We lodged in the tent provided by this
lady during the whole of the ten days Of
our stay in Washington. Many other per-
sons wished to take us as guests, but she
refused unless we would say that we
wished to leave her care. Mason, being
sick, was taken into the house and nursed
most carefully.
On our first morning in Washington
had written q note to Secretary Stanton
giving notice of our arrival and of my be-
lief that the government, If not already
fully informed, ought to know our story.
supposed this would produce more speedy
results than to let the matter pass through
the ordinary channels, and was not disap-
pointed. He gave written orders to Hon.
Joseph Holt, judge advocate general, to
investigate the whole matter. provide for
all our wants in the meantime, and then
bring us to him. Hon. j. G. Wetmore, of
the Ohio military agency, attended to pro-
curing us the legal allowance for commu-
tation of rations during the time of i'm
prisonment, so that we were soon in funds.
Regular pay with arrearages could not be
given till we returned to our regiments.
Our first visit to Judge Holt was
merely friendly one, and the time was
spent in familiar conversation. Maj. Gen.
Hitchcock, commander of the post at
Washington, was also present.
The next day we went again, being taken
each time in a government carriage, and
found Justice CaIlan, of Washington,
ready to administer an oath, with a pho
nographer to take down the testimony as
given. 1 was examined first, telling the
whole story, and then each one followed,
confirming what was said, and adding
omitted particulars. The evidence that
we were telling a true story was far
stronger than we knew. The story of
Wood and Wilson had been on file in the
department since the preceding November.
1t was far less full than ours, but con-
f1rIDed it in every essential particular.
Indeed, the certainty that we were giving
simple, plain and uncolored narrative
was SO complete that no one save Gen.
Buell. ever called any part of it in question,
and he only because Of ignorantly con-
founding the first and second expeditions.
The testimony thus taken was pub
ished in the next Issue of The Army and
Navy Gazette, as also in the Washington
papers of April 4, and copied over the
country. The examination before Judge
Holt was on the Gath of March, and his
report to the secretary of war based upon
them was dated the 9th.