Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1890-01-16
A DASH FOR LIFE.
How a Yankee Soldier Helped to Captur,
His Captors.

How a Yankee Soldier Helped to Capture
His Captors.
During Sherman's march to the sea,
member of the Thirty-third Massachu-
sets Regiment, by the name of Peck,
obtained permission to join one of the
foraging expeditions which, of course,
had to be sent out continually while the
army was cut off from its base of sup
plies and living upon the enemy's coun-
try. He is described as a witty, left
handed, tough and gimpy fellow" and
before he got back he certainly needed
all the tough and gimpy" qualities of
which any soldier was ever possessed.
The squad to which Peck was assigned
took house furthest from the line of
march, and soon found themselves in
clover. Turkeys and chickens abound
ed. All hands were pretty we'll loaded,
when Peck spied particularly fat tur-
key, and started to run it down.
The perverse creature ran under the
house, and Peck followed. He had
seized the game and was backing out
when he felt the sharp thrust of bayo-
net and heard somebody say: ''Come out
O. that, you Yankee Peck was pris-
Oner in the hands of dozen guerrillas.
They ran him off for two or three
miles, and halted in a swamp. Here
they took vote whether to hang their
prisoner at once, or wait till they had
captured enough to make a mess"
1t was an anxious moment, but the
vote stood six to five in favor of delay.
One man was left to guard the prisoner,
and the others started out after others.
"Now look yer!'' said the guard. 'If
you-uns tries ter git, III shoot, n yer'd
better not try none O. yer Yankee tricks
onter me-"
'Of course no" said Peck; ''but you
must allow l Oughter have drink O
water after running as far as have"
The ''Reb's" horse and the Yankees
mule were hitched to tree beside the
brook, about three rods from them. The
Reb gave Peck permission to go down to
the brook, with ''None O. yer monkey
shines now!' and the assurance of being
shot dead if he walked in any other than
the straight and narrow path.
Peck started for the brook, determined
to do or die. He went round the tree by
the horse, and stopped as if to drink,
but reached up, pulled out the halter,
gave the stallion fearful kick, and, as
he sprang, swung himself into the sad
die, with the Confederate bullets whis-
ting around him.
Peck kept to the swamp, fearing to
strike into the road on account of the
other gu,r las; but he knew where the
road lay, and after a while ventured out
into it. There, not ten rods behind
him, was the whole gang cantering
leisurely along after their ''Other pris-
oners."
Peck put his horse to his best, and on
came his pursuers, yelling and firing.
Peck lay first on one side of the horses
neck, then on the other, just as the bull
lets came faster here or there, and, as
luck would have it, not a bullet touched
either him or his horse.
Now, then, it was race, as the guer-
rillas had emptied their carbines, and
would lose no time in reloading. As
Peck dashed along, he remembered that
when he came over that road in the
he noticed about twenty of Kill
patrick's cavalry hidden behind the
bushes at place where belt of timber
crossed the road. If they had not gone,
he still had chance.
The enemy were gaining on him when
he came in sight of the timber. On, on he
went, his pursuers yelling and certain of
their prize, on whom no second vote
should be wasted. Then he caught sight
Of the cavalry. He made no sign, but
loudly whispered as he dashed past:
Let mo through! Take them as they
come in!''
And the triumphant, unsuspecting
Rebs t0ere taken, and Peck had the pleas |
lre of escorting them into the Federal |
Companion.