Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-06-26
CAMPFIRE STORIES.
FOOTBALLS IN THE WILDERNESS
a Victim OF the War Whose Fate Still
Haunts Her Innocent slayer.


a Victim of the War Whose Fate still
Haunts Her Innocent Slayer.
Grant and Lee have had their hrsi
struggle in the Wilderness, as the for.
mer seeks a new road to Richmond.
Amidst dense thickets in lonely fields,
along narrow highways, in the somber
forests, a hundred thousand men have
fought backwards and forwards, from
sun TO sun, and now the night has come
TO shift the scene. There are s, 600 men
lying dead on this battle ground. There
are thousands more lying wounded
parching with thirst crying out in their
agony. Lee still blocks the road, but
no sooner has the sun gone down than
Grant begins a movement by the left
flank to pass him. II you can not cross
swamp you must pass around it. My
division is one left between the two
armies to hide this movement When
morning comes we shall be far in tie
rear. The ground where we rest Is
broken. There is forest and thicket-a
narrow highway creek-two or three
small farms with their buildings filed
with wounded men. Fifty rods in. front
OF log house is our picket line. 1t
skirts the cleared land and runs away
into the darker woods on a straight
line. The neutral ground between US
and the enemy is a strip not over forty
rods wide.
At ten o'clock on this night, when the
confusion and turmoil have grown quiet,
but while lanterns flash here and there
through the woods, as men search for
the wounded, / am left on post No, -
for the coming two hours. Ny place is
under pine tree which stands in the
cleared ground, and all along the front
is the dark forest-so dark that a white
horse might stand within one hundred
feet of me and escape observation. 1t is
starlight night, but clouds are drift
ing across the sky and the wind comes
IN that gusty way which warns you that
a storm is brewing at a distance.
For an hour there is no alarm. Grant
is moving by the flank. Lee is moving
TO checkmate him. Grant has left a
line to mask his movement Lee has
left line to mask his. 1t has been q
long, terrible day. Darkness brings a
respite grateful to all. We have vir-
tually said to each other over the neu-
trs.l ground:
Let US alone and we won't disturb
you"
At eleven o'clock noise in the dark
woods in front sends my blood leaping
was the noise of footsteps breaking
dry twigs. There are wounded horses
wandering about, but this was not the
footstep of horse. Wounded men may
be seeking our lines, but listen in vain
TO catch groan or a low call of distress.
''Step! Step! Stepy''
The sound is on my left front Some
one is moving to get the shelter of the
darker spot directly opposite. lie is
moving carefully, but can follow every
foot of progress.
step! Step! Walt9 Step! Stepr' Isl
lenceD
- Is it ghoul seeking out the dead and |
wounded to rob them? Is it picket |
from the other line seeking to locate |
our posts and report how far away we
are? Is it some human devil seeking to
dabbie his hands in blood after the hor-
rors of the day? Men who had brothers
or friends killed in battle by daylight
swore fearful vengeance, and
went out upon the bloody field at night
10 secure it.
Rustic! Step! (HaltD Step! Stepr
Coming closer!)
If / raise an alarm here it will go I'D
and down the line and arouse thousand
men in a moment If / let this I'M
known approach me may be assassin
tied. He can not see me in this gloom, ;
'ut he is slowly approaching in a direct {
inc,
Halt! Who goes there?" {
Deep silence. {
Ii he was a straggler from our lines or l
| wounded man he would make answer.
step! Step And now hear him {
ink down TO the earth. 1
who goes there?'
Silence. I
''Who goes there9" f
Silence. t
l am waiting with musket raised and
niger on the trigger. have given fair
Friend could ask no more, ]
nd an enemy must realize his danger
Is wait something makes a blot on
nc darkness. 1t is only few feet l
way, and | fire point-blank There is /
ne long shrill scream of agony, and | y
ear body fall to the earth, and then v
here is deep silence for a moment. e
What is it?" ask the coporal of the C
uard as he hurries up from the reserve
tationed scarcely one hundred feet in l
he rear. n
"There-Ive shot some oner'
The alarm runs up and down the lines
D die away after five minutes, and then c
re advance to the object The corporal o
5 there first He reaches ont to touch, Y
draws back in alarm, and gasps: a
Great Heavens, but you have shot a t.
-omanr' Il
1t was true. Some poor soul, crazed "
J the terrible sounds of battle-driven Il
rom her humble home-hiding in some 81
licket until darkness came. Then, n
umb as the trees around her, butguided al
y instinct she sought to make her way b
ack to the hOuse-no doubt the very a!
ut filled with our wounded and suffer V
lg men. And she was dead at nv feet al
dead of my own bullet-Detroit Free W
ress. 7,