The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1890-06-04


officers in firing position in rear Of
its double ranks, with the field
officers and staff-Martin and myself
back Of them and still nearer the
scaffold. We stood, in fact, within
q few feet of the platform, and could
have touched the murderer as he
swung IN bis death agonies under-
meath, after falling through the trap.
Neither of US two had seen hangs
ing before, and we were interested
lockers on. We wanted to see all
there was in it, and we did so with a
vengeance. As the sickening snap
Of the breaking neck struck our ears.
and the convulsive movements and
tremors of the suspended body began
with gyratory motion even more
horrible than the snap, / saw Martins
face grow white as chalk, and I felt
myself sickening with my ears buzz
zing and all the world about me turn
ing upside down. We reeled like
drunken men, and had to clasp our
arms around the posts supporting
the platform to keep US from falling.
1t SO happened thai the curiosity
Of q burly six-footer of an Irishman,
in the rear rank of the line in our
immediate front, got the better Of
his discipline, and turning his head
over his left shoulder to look at the
struggles of the dying man, he dis
covered our prelicament and the
white faces we were trying SO hard
to hide.
"Be iabbersl" be muttered loud
enough for US to hear, "and it's a
nice set of staff officers we have to
lead us into battle with the inemy,
keeling over like schoolgirlds at q
hanging! To - With them, 1
sayp'
Neither of us replied. We were
both too sick to do 80: but / saw q
wicked flash in Martins eye, and he
turned his head to take good look
at the man, as if to remember him.
When the murderer was proneun
ced dead by the medical officers de-
tanned for that purpose, q deep grave
was dug under the platform, in which
be was laid coffinless, the grave re-
filed on level with the ground, and
the scaffold taken apart and carted
of. Allth regiments in the division,
ours leading, then wheeled into
column Of companies at the word Of
command. and with the bands play
ing q quickstep marched over the
grave before breaking of 10 their
respective camps. But long before
the last regiment had passed over il,
the freshly turneiNup soil, packed
solid with the tramp Of so many feet,
was fresh no longer, and the grave
had disappeared forever from the
eyes Of man.
Some time after this, when we got
beyond Bowling Green and struck
the retresting enemy's rear, our re-
giment happened to be in advance,
holding the skirmish line. The fir
ing was sharp and the bullets buzzed
like swarms of bees around our ears.
Il was all that we could do TO hold
our own, and more than once The
line came near breaking. The field
and staff went on foot, and in the very
hottest part Of the fight Martin broke
away from my side with q yell and
made forward dash at one Of our
men, breaking for the rear as fast as
he could 20. The roar Of the muske.
try was almost deafening, but above
it I heard Martins voice plainly,
shouting at its loLdest:
"Go back 10 your duty, you long
legged scoundrel ; this Is no hanging
spree, bat good, honest hghtingl"
And, with the butt Of his revolver
whisking the mans ears, he drove
him forward clear beyond our line,
almost into the enemy's hands, and
left him there to hold his own as
best be could until our skirmishers
came up with him.
T say, Tom," he saked, as be
leisurelY Joined me again, with his
hands In his pockets, "dO you re.
membar that fellowi None other
but our Irish friend Of the hanging
and I gave him my tit for his tat
| I wonder old W will put me