The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1889-05-15
Sfletteo Storp.
A Swamp Mystery.

captured a long reach of the seaboard
and had established his headquarters at
Newbern. No battles followed very
soon, nor any storms to speak of, but
the army and the weather were fast
getting into high state of preparation
for either kind of event
There were Union troops at Fort
Macon and Morehead City, not many
miles up the coast from Newbern, and
much pay was due them. The money
came down from the North in July,
and couple of paymasters received
orders to go at once and deal it out to
the men.
Before the war railway had been
constructed from Newbern to More
head City. Its rails were still there,
but all its rolling stock, with the eX-
ception of one hand-car, had gone into
the interior of the state. The viaduct
was just wide enough to carry the rails,
and much of its course was through
swamp whose dense bushes were now
luXuriantly reaching out, as if they
meant to capture the track before the
end of the season.
The quartermaster placed his one
hand-car at the disposal of the paymas-
tiers. He did so with the pleasant in
formation that on the previous even
ing the busy confederates had made
raid and had swept away all the pick
cts posted along the line of the railway.
New pickets had been posted, he told
them, and their proposed trip would be
reasonably safe. "That is" he said,
{" guess you're safe from any confed-
crates, but if you don't get through be-
fore dark I'd advise you to be pretty
prompt about wering any hail. The
boys'll all be awake this time. They
won't be slow about taking care Of
themselves in the dark. Not man of
'em wants to 90 to Wilmington Just
now, nor to Andersonville, either"
That warning made the paymaster
shake his head and grow in importance
before the hand-car set out, for it was
fore the trip could be half made. Pre-
cisely how dark it would be, or why, was
not as yet imagined by anybody.
There were nine men huddled on
that hand-car when it went. A SER
geant and four soldiers were its motive
power, guard and garrison. The writer
of this story was there altogether as an
adventurer. Two paymasters, with the
rank of major, and one clerk, were in
charge of black box containing over
$50, 900 in greenbacks, to be scattered
among the volunteers on the morrow
The air grew more and n ore clear
and sultry, and just before night sort
of haze began to rise over the eastern
horizon.
That's it, MAJOR" said the SER
geant to one of the paymasters.
g We're going to hear from Cape Hat
teras."
Storm coming?"
Fright along. 1t won't take it long
to come"
He was correct as to the time re-
quired by Cape Hatteras, or whatever
was managing that storm. The sky
rapidly grew black as ink and darkness
came with but moderate reference to
the departing sun. Just before enter
ing the denser thickets of the swamp
picket was reached, and the officer ia
charge repeated the warning of the
quartermaster.
''Be ready to answer right away
It'll be pitch dark, and some of the
boys are nervous after last nights
work. They'll shoot quick
That was to the sergeant, but it was
paymaster who replied:
Well, now, captain, we didn't say
so, but we thought the trip would be
safer by night than by day. The men
have got to have the money"
Hope the rebs won't get it, then.
Put her through, sergeant, but look
sharp; the storms most got here" In
ten minutes more such storm had ar
rived as was credit to Cape Hatteras
and the whole seacoast of North Caro-
lima. On rolled the hand-car, It's
crouchlng passengers drenched with
rain that fell in streams rather than
drops. The lightning flashed almost
necessarily, and the thunder seemed to
be rolling around all over the swamp.
Except where streak of lightning
cleft it, the darkness was like a solid
wall, and there was neither head light
nor hand-lantern provided for that
hand-car.
Worst storm | ever saw" remarked
the sergeant, and one of the brace of
men who were acting as motive power
grunted back at him: "It's the worst
kind of storm; but you can't see it,"
1t was a just correction of the state
ment made by the sergeant, but at that
moment hoarse, deep, all sepulchral
voice from among the bushes and
darkness at the right of the track COM
manded:
"Halt!"
stop herl Quick, boys!" exclaimed
the sergeant, and as the men changed
instantly from motive power to brakes
he sprang from the car into water above
his knees and waded forward to answer
the hail and give the countersign.
1t was all in vain. Down came a
double deluge of rain and thicker dark
ness. Then vividness of blue cleo
tricity danced through the dripping
bushes, and great roar of thunder fol-
lowed it, as if in search of hidden
"picket." Neither rain nor lightning
nor thunder nor the anxious question
ings of the sergeant discovered him.
There he was, or must have been,
dead or alive, for he had said A" halt, -
and that was apparently all he had to
say.
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