The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1888-07-20

budb DS SSOhiSu uiaDA0 LOW Co rea0Af
that he was saved and be looEa
around him in a dazed, bewildeT
! way.
Not so the other; he seemed for t
first time to recover his consciousna
He clasped his hands together. NJ
burst into tears. As there was
military execution after this at IA
per's Ferry, / have nc doubt that AZ.
sentence of both was finally con
muted.
Powerfully as my feelings had be
stirred by this scene, | still suspects
that the despatch had in fact arriveS
before the cortege left Harper's Ferrv
and that all that happened afterwa
was planned and intendedas aterrihls
lesson to these culprits.
That afternoon I visited Gen. Star
enson at his headquarters, and alfes
introducing myself, andreferrinq 10 4bs,
mornings scene on Bolivar Heights
I ventured frankly to state my s0s
picions, and ask If they were not well
founded.
Not at ALL" he instantly replied
1.-THE men would have been dead Ia
that despatch reached me two min.
utes later"
Were you not expecting a repriege|
g~eneral?"
II had some reason to expect it last
night; but as it did not come, and a.
the line was reported down between
here and Baltimore this morning I
had given it up. Still, in order togiye
the fellows every possible chance for
their lives, ! left q mounted ORDERLY at
the telegraph Office, with orders to
ride at a gallop if a message came for
me from Washington. 1t is well ibid
the precaution saved their lives.
How the despatch came to Harpers
Ferry must be told il the words Of the
man who got it through.
TIE TELEGRAPHER's STORY.
On the morning of the Gath of Feb
ruary, 1865, l was busy at my work
in the Baltimore Telegraph Office, send.
ing and reCeivin messages. At hall.
past ten o'clock,-for l had occasion
to mark the hour,-the signal ca
| L. several times repeated. caused me
to throw all else aside, and attend "a
it.
That was the telegraphic cipher d
the War Department; and telegraph
ers, in those days, hadinstructions ID
put that service above all Others. A
message was quickly licked of IRON
the president to the commanding 81
ficer at Harper's Ferry, re~prievingt two
d~eserters who were to be shot at noon
The message was dated the day be
fore, but had in some way been do
tanned or delayed between the depart
ment and the Washington Office.
A few words to the Baltimore Office
which accompanied the despatch, ex
planned that it had ''stuck" at Baltl
more, that an officer direct from thl
president was waiting at the Washing
ton Office. anxious to hear that it had
reached Harper's Ferry, and that BAL
timore must send it on instantly.
Baltimore would have been very
glad to comply; but the line to Har
per's Ferry had been interrupted sine
daylight; nothing whatever had pass
ed. So / explained to Washington.
The reply came back before my fin
gers had left the instrument. "Yot
must get it through Do it, some way
for Mr. Lincoln. he is very anxious
has just sent another messenger TO US
l called the MISREPRESENTATION u
my table, and repeated these despatch
es to him. He looked at the clock.
almost eleven" he said. II sci
| Just one chance-a very slight one
Send it TO New York; ask them to Gel
it to Wheeling, and then it may eel
through by Cumberland and Martin
burg. Stick to 'sm, and do what yos
cam"
BY this time had becomsthorough
/ " aroused in the business, and | SCI
to work with a will. The despatch
with the explanation went to NeY
York-and promptly came the repls
that it was hopeless; the wires wer'
crowded, and nothing could be doRs
till late in the afternoon, il then.
Responded just as Washington has
replied to me. 1t must be done; It i
a case of life and death; do it for NE
Lincoln's sake, who is very anxious
about it. And I added for myself, b
way of empkasis-For Gods sake
let S save thesepoor fellcwsl
And / got the New Fork peopl!
thoroughly aroused as / was myself
The answer came back "WIl do whai
we can"
1t was now ten minutes past steven
In ten minutes more, Iheard fromNer
York that the despatch had got asfsi
as Buffalo, and could not 60 direct *
Wheeling; Unjust go on to Chicago.
Inquiries from Washington were &c
peated every FIVE minutes, and Isenl
what had reached ME.
Half-past eleven, the despatch wa
at Chicago, and they were workin|
their best to get isto Wheeling.
Something was s~hSmatters tn
Wheeling Office did not answer.
The next five minutes passed Sft
out a word; then-huzzalsNew YorI
says the despatch has reached Wheel
ing, and the operator there says he cal
get ID through to Harpers Ferry I
time.
At this point the news stopped. keg
1ork Could learn nothing fafthef
me, after several Efforts, and couls
only sendto Washington that 4 hope
IL WIS all right, but could not be sure
Later in the day the Line was work
ing again to Harpers Ferr and thel