The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1889-08-28

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ment. who stated that his father had been
dead some years Among those present was
the old bookkeeper, who spoke OF the promise
made years before, and the son insisted upon
It's fulfllment- The family carriage was
called and we drove out to the cemetery. A
large granite monument marked the grave
and the whistler of the old time sat down at
the base. He remained silent for q few min
utes, and then taking out his harmonica be-
gan to play Dixie It was strange tune
for graveyard and the ef1Se was confusing,
but " hen be had finished Dixie he began to
play In the Sweet By and By never
heard that tune so played before. The man
threw his soul into the music, and if a mes
sage ever went from earth to heaven be-
ieve that one did The music was simply
wonderful, and every one was very much
moved"
TIE wKISrL1NG SOLDIER.
"a good wHs-tler is, as rule, the best Of
fellows" said the colonel I'VE had one fell
low in our regiment who could whistle any
thing, and who was generally moved to
whistle his best when the rest of US were feel
ing our worst The ugliness in soldier nature
was pretty sure to come out at the tail end OF
a long, muddy march and the swearing at
such times was very distressing to man who
had faith in human nature. At such times
our gay whistler would strike up some favor
ite tune. The swearing would cease, the
BOYS would catch step, and they would go
nerrily along to the whistled melody After
battle, when the men were respondent and
discouraged, the whistler Of the regiment
would whistle tender, plaintive tunes by the
r %hot l,o
fort.
AFTER the battle on Lookout Mountain he
was one Of the guards detailed to escort the
prisoners taken in the mountain fight down
to Bridgeport, where they were to take the
train for the north. There were several hum
dred Of them, and the march down from
Chattanooga to Bridgeport was tedious one,
but the slow progress brought about close
acquaintance between the guards and the
prisoners, and on several occasions during the
march the cheering whistle of the gay hearted
man in blue cheered the bTavy hearted men
in gray, and they were wont to call for music
when the circumstances of the march were
more than usually distressing.
s.As they started across the pontoon bridge
at Bridgeport, two lines Of gray in the center
and thin line Of blue on each outer edge,
the whistler, in accordance with a very gen
eral call. started melody suited to the oc-
casion The men caught step and went swing
ing across the bridge, ignoring the command
Of the officers to change STEP As the column
neared the center the march had become
sort Of jollifcation, and just as the jolity was
at its height the bridge parted in the middle
and in an instant scores Of men were strug-
Cling in the water. There was, OF course,
great confusion, but in good time all the men
except three OF four were rescued Among
those lost were one Ohio boy and two OF the
prisoners.
'sThe survivors were Immediately loaded
into the train waiting. Every one was greatly
detected. Just before the train started there
came from the whistler who, in his wet
clothes, was the very image Of discomfort, a
soft, tender melody. It was like the wall Of
child, like the song Of q woman with heart
break, but ended with something that was
Ike a tribute 20 the dead, like story OF some
one gone to rest, and scores Of the prisoners
stepped out to the whistler and silently shook
his Chicago LITER Ocean