The National tribune., 1888-07-26
have escaped if his 'possum playing had not

nave escaped II his possum playing had not
been detected.
Capt. Hemingway told me that Cole said
he had killed 80 Union men, and that if he
could Kill as many moro he would be willing to
die Cole was taken off the car st De Soto and
laid on the ground, and the Sergeant he had
murdered laid about six feet from him, with
the gaping wound in the neck toward Cole, so
he could scarcely help looking at it. / very
much doubt il the sight awakened any feeling
of regret, much less of Temorse.
In the morning crowd gathered around,
myself among the rest, and for some time
within two feet of Cole, and while there some
soldier, l know not to what regiment he be-
longed, came up to and stood by the side OF
Coles head, with his gun at order arms and
but few inches away; he looked down at
Cole and said: Why did you kill that man
he treated you like a brother; he took his
coat off and gave it to you TO keep you warm;
he divided his Tations with you to keep you
from being hungry, and to pay him for his
kindness you killed him. Why did you doit?"
Cole answered, Il thought he meant TO i'm
pose upon me-" At this the soldier raised his
gun a foot or more above Coles head, and, at
the same time, said t. you," which
he seemed TO speak through his firm teeth,
and brought the gun down across Coles fore
head with much force, causing the blood to
squirt from his nose. Cole said, ooh! don't! -"
and putting it around his ankles started of on
the double-9uick, dragging Cole behind.
Gen. A. J. Smith had been informed of the
main facts Of Coles killing one man and wound
ing four others, and was asked what should be
done with him. He was reported as saying
why, bury him."
But, General, he is not dead"
Damn the difference; bury him."
The men dragged Cole eight or 10 rods and
fooiv off n iaZ and
around his neck, and threw the other end over
the limb of q tree and drew Cole up so his feet
were four or five feet from the ground
This was the last saw of Cole, as the train
started for Jefferson Barracks aud the wounded
for the hospital.
That afternoon he was buried face down, so
they said, and near evening his wife and sister,
or sster-in-law, came to his grave. The wife
shed some tears, but the sister said she was
glad he was dead; that he was an awful man /;
that he had killed a sister or sister-in-law.
Penny got very severe wound, which nearly
cost him his life. Cole. striking upward and
over his shoulder, hit him in the neck close
under the chin, cutting nearly to the col
lar-bOne between the carotid artery and
tTschea. Shannon was hurt but little; neither
was l. The wound in my back was two inches
long, but not deep or painful; the one in my
arm was very small, but quite painful. Cor
dell suffered very much from the wound in his
eye. think that when ! fell on to the knife,
that it shut down on Coles index-fnger, as l
noticed the next morning that it looked to be
cut half of, and was quite bloody, the only
blood I could see about him except what came
from his nose. / take no stock in the state
ment that he was pinned down to the car by
bayOnets.
Now no doubt, this statement will be criti-
cized. but all those wounded are yet living,
and / believe all viii say they saw no one on
the north or left-hand side of the cars during
al the time mentioned, except the ones injured,
and viii corrobOrate this as far as they were
individually concerned.
Cole was not giant, as related by McKin-
ney, but was about five feet 10 or II inches
tall, and would weigh about $50 pounds
have no excuse for writing this except to cor
rect hearsay evidence and at the earnest solic-
itation of comrades.-D. II. HUTCHINs, Co. E,
9th Iowa, Algona, Iowa.