Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1889-09-18
A HUMAN MATCH.
How Cannon was Fired by a Girl
Electric Touch.

Electric Touch.
From the indianapolis News.
Major P. G. Blud, who lives north Of
the city on the Crown Hill road, is a
Mississippian by birth. His father was
a stakeholder and a believer in the
cause of the South. Politics led to a
separation of the family, one of the
sons who stoutly stood for the Union
leaving the paternal roof and coming
North in his teens. When Lincoln cal
led for men this son was prompt to re-
spond. In the service to which he thus
gave himself he became major, and it
is through him that this story has it's
being. During the war he learned that
his father and brothers had enlisted in
the Confederate armies, and when the
Major with his company was forming a
pert of the investing lines that held the
starving Mississippians within the forti-
fcations of Vicksburg, he wondered if
any of his own kith and kin were in
front of mis- guns.
81 have just received word that my
old father is Dead" he said. "He left
paper which was to be opened after
his death. 1t is a strange document, as
you will see. In it he asks for a recon-
citation of his children---estrange
since 1860 by the war. One clause,
directing particular attention to me,
says:
:" cannot 60 to my grave without ask
ing your forgiveness for suppressing so
long my parental love. There is no
reason why our family should longer
live apart. Our hot Southern blood ex-
plains our conduct. There is but one
act of excessive vindictiveness that
needs to be explained.
L was in charge of battery at Vicks-
burg in front of your command. On
the 2Sth of June you made an assault
upon the works. We were short of
battery supplies. Our last fuse had
been fired. We had neither torch nor
match. You know perhaps, that your
sister Kate, then a young girl, followed
me all through the war. She would not
leave me. You know also the peculiar
physical energy and subtitle force that
characterize our blood. If you will go
back to the early days-before we had
heard much of electricity or spiritual
ism'-you will remember how all of
you children used to rock tables and
plain, and how Kate used to comb
sparks off of her hair, to the terror of
the colored people.
well, in our desperation one day in
the trenches, / determined to have
Kate fire the cannon if the worst came.
By rubbing her hands or feet over q
rough cloth or by stroking her hair she
could charge herself with electricity
and discharge it off the end OF her
finger in sparks. When you came up
against our breastworks that day 1--WE
did not then know that you led the
column), we were without means Of
firing upon you.
Z" Kate, | called.
eyes, SIR she answered, compre-
hending without further words. Step
ping up 10 one of the guns, she peered
through the portfolio at the advancing
pale and falter, and her eve was fixed
upon an object outside. | looked and
saw you in the van of your ranks, fairly
in front of our cannon. [ was dazed,
but only for an instant. Our men were
beginning to yield. and your troops,
meeting feeble resistance, were coming
on triumphantly.
"'Do your duty, Kate, l said, and
the girl, setting her teeth together. rub
bed her hand twice over her rough
jacket, and lightly struck the old-iash-
toned common right at the touch hole,
where little pile of powder had been
poured. There was an instant discharge,
and result confusion in the Federal
lines.
'''I do not know, unless Providence
came directly to your aid, how you
escaped. But loved my state, and we
thought we were right, boy. You need
never to have known this, for few saw
it. and they are gone. But fathers
returning affection compeis me to tell
all. In the fierce love we had for our
cause we would have sacrificed you. I
thank God that in the fearful rain of
shot that day you were spared. Kate
lives TO join in this requestthat you for
give
''There is nothing in this to excite
any incredulity," the Major said, in
speaking of the letter. MY father is
right. ALL our family are human electric
batteries. Let me give YOU ap illustra-
tion."
The Major sat down, pulled off shoe
and stocking, scraped his bare foot on
the carpet a few times. Turning on a
gas jet, he took his fl.ger and applied
it at the gas vent. Instantly the gas
ignited from the spark that was given
off his finger.
ST haven't done that for years." said
he, "but [ knew [ could do it unless
my physical makeup had changed. It's
not so remarkable. Many people
doubtless could do it if they but knew
their power.
Eyes, shall go back to Mississippi,
and Kate will be just as dear to me as
if she had blown up Jeff Davis instead