The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-12-13

ing their side arms and standing at
parade rest It was my first experience
with military execnti lion, but / did not
need to be told that those men were
the death watch and that they or their
relief would remain with the condemned
man till he stood on the scaffold and the
trap was sprung.
Adm lamp, suspended from the heavy,
rough-hewn cross-beams, revealed the
prisoner and his sister seated beneath
it, while in front OF them stood tho old,
white-haired post chaplain, himself q
Kentuckian.
That picture impressed me powerfully.
The rain came down on the shingled
roof with the rattle of a hundred minia-
ture drums to the accompaniment of
the winds shrill fling. had grown ia
miliar with funeral dirges and hurried
burial services, and although I never
witnessed one unmoved, the most SOL
emn of them had never affected me as
did the preparations for death going
on before my eyes.
Many night when lying near the
mangled dead and listening to the
heart-rending cries of the wounded,
Ihave cursed the cruel barbarities OF
war, and this feeling of loathing has
grown on me with the years. AS I
looked in at the white face and loved
form of the woman dearer to me than
life, felt like shrieking out protest
against the conditions that, without any
deserving, had crushed her pure, brave
heart.
After few words of exhortation that
impressed me as being the very essence
of heart-born eloquence, the old chap
lain began Tom Moore's exquisite sa-
cred song: ':Come, ye disconsolate,
whereer We languish." During the sing
ing, in which the prisoner and his sis
ter Joined, went in and sat down be-
side her, and with a broken voice | tried,
as did the stolid guards, to give empha-
sis to the closing line: Earth hath no
sorrow that Heaven can not heal"
Promising to call again before day
light, the chaplain went out about
twelve o'clock, and the fury Of the storm
seemed to be intensified by the silence.
I made an effort to speak, but realizing
how weak words were for my purpose,
l whispered to Carrie that [ would go
down to the telegraph Office and find out
if message had been received from
Washington. ~ -
mo word yet, sir, replied the opera
tor to my inquiry; ''and," he added, as
he bent his ear over the receiving instru-
ment, 'sI'rn afraid we can get no news
from Washington tonight"
"Why not?" asked.
ss,rhe storm covers wide area" said
the operator, 'sand fear our communi-
cation with the North will be shut of
before morning.
elias this happened before?'
"Yes; several times
.'And how long before repairs were
made?''
ssThe shortest time was twenty-four
hours" said the operator.
Feeling that even the elements were
arrayed against the unfortunate pris-
oner, l made my way back to the log
house. -
Carrie gave me quick, searching
look, but she asked no, questions; She
knew as we'll as if l had told her that
no word of comfort had been received
from Washington.
suggested to Frank to lie down, but
he shook his head and said, grimly:
'sThe time is too short to spend it in
sleep. Whom the end has come one can
rest through eternity
It seemed as if the sun had gone down
for the last time, SO long was the night.
Just before daylight the chaplain re-
turned, and, thankful for the excuse his
presence gave me, again sought the
telegraph Office. There found General
Boyle, and he did not need to tell me
that he had not closed his eyes in sleep
during the night. .M...
In answer to my question, the operator
said:
''The direct lines working west from
Washington are down."
ssThen,' gasped, ''you can not COM
municate with the Capital?"
eyes, Cincinnati has just said that
they were about to operate over the long
circuit by way of Cleveland, Buffalo,
New York and south along tho coast,
but as the storm is moving rapidly in
that direction, should not be surprised
to find all communication shut off be-
fore ten O'clock said the operator.
While we stood bending over the in
strument on whose mysterious ticking
so much depended, tho gray dawn OF q
stormy morning stole in the room, and
the reveille went ringing through the
camp.
looked at my watch; it was ten min
utes to six. In four hours Frank Brent
would be standing in the place of exc
cution, from the direction of which |
could hear the hammering Of the men
making the scaffold ready.
was about to walk out with the Gen.
eral when the clicking increased in fe-
verish way, and the operator called out:
"Wait, gentlemen, think there is
something coming soon!'
We turned back and bent over him,
reading the words as they came from his
pencil:
''WAsH1NGroN, D. c., Nov. 10, 1858.
- General J. Boyle, Commandant
Camp Dick Robinson, Ky.:-The Pres
ident directs me to say that after an in
terview with Messrs. Speed and Holt he
loc4 for +11 ;,,< nroc& Of 1n