Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-05-29


of smoke, heard dull report, a smoth-
cred shrek; saw him rush to his horse
and gallop furiously away, his man
following. To get directly at him l
should have had to swim my horse
across an arm of False River. / was
riding a spirited but vicious animal
that positively refused to take to the
water, and not to lose too much time
in forcing her I gave it up and started
in pursuit by riding clear around the
curve. My orderly had better luck,
he swan his horse over and when /
reached him had already overhauled
and arrested the private trooper.
Ordering him to take his prisoner to
the headquarters boat put my steed
to her best PAGES and started in pur-
suit of the Adiutant, who was well
ahead and kept so far ahead that I
could never get within pistol-shot
range of him, and at last he darted into
the cane brake, where it was useless to
follow. However, I rode about and
around until / was so near the Con-
federate pickets as to draw their fire
and was compelled to do little racing
on the back track to save myself from
capture.
On my return to headquarters l
questioned the trooper, and found that
the Adjutant had decided to desert to
the enemy, so as to curry favor with
his Southern belle; had gone to pay
last visit to the creole beauty, and in a
fit of anger at her just reproaches, had
killed her by shot in the forehead.
The private stated that he knew this,
but neither intended to desert nor had
he any part in the murder. He was
held for trial by military commission.
1t was now very late, 1 was tired,
and went to my state room. About
2:30 a. m. / was called in haste; the
levee had broken. Speedily as could.
in o very few minutes I was at the
chasm. When / arrived it vas about
ten feet across, in three minutes more
thirty feet more caved in, and solid
column of water, forty feet wide and
sixty feet deep, was rushing, with
Niagara-like force, into the country.
It was a grand but terrible sight, and
man was utterly powerless to stay it's
mighty flow. In an hour the crevasse
was $50 feed wide, and momentarily in
creasing. Imade all preparations, and at
first dawn of day headed feet of
transport yawls, each large as whale
boat, with six oars, and we went whirl-
ing down with the tearing current over
the very same road and country on
which had ridden my horse, dry-shod.
the evening before. Some six miles
down we were hailed by two @John
MES, up tree" literally; they had
formed the rebel picket at that point,
but were now very glad to come in to
the Yankee boat either as prisoners on
guests.
Half q mile further another hail
forced us to pull off to the cabin of a
negro; on the roof were perched all
the former inhabitants, yelling Justify.
The rotation in which the head of that
family saved its members was very
amusing, even under such circum-
stances. He first passed down four
chickens, then small pig, then big
dog, then two boys, then he got into the
boat himself, and told the nanny to
roll off dat bundle an den hurry up
hersef' wild de baby" My boat was well
loaded with all this, and, knowing that
the other craft was able to save the few
inhabitants of that section, / ordered
my crew to pull back to the station.
It was very hard work pulling
AGAINST the swift current that came in,
direct line from the crevasse, so We
pulled off some distance, where the
water was more shallow and more
quiet, the ground being higher. As
we were about to head up stream
again, / heard the cries, almost human,
of an animal in pain. Looking closely,
saw the head of horse raised above
the dark waters. ] ordered the boat
to him and on reaching the POOR crea-
cure found it could not rise; it was
injured in some way. Two shots in the