The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-05-29
THE FATAL SHOT.

~ ~ a8.a>1.
THE FATAL SHOT.
into the house OF mourning. The wife
and mother was there. with several OF
the neighbors who had come to be with
her in her affection. She sat in a rock
ing-chair, weeping.
.'Maw," said the boy, excitedly, "I'm
a-goen' fur to be Cap'n!'
In the gray OF the morning the woman
had seen her husband shot down before
her eyes. In the twilight of evening
she saw her boy carried in. bleeding,
with death written in his pale face and
in his wild eye. The double affection
overcame her. She swooned and was
taken to an adjoining room.
The General laid his light burden on
. sofa. The boy caught sight of little
girl about his own age who had come to
the house with her mother.
Mag" he said, did y git my let
ter?"
NO" said Mag. Il didn't git no let
ter, but seen one o. them soiers take
sump'n out'n the box"
The General glanced sharply at the
Lieutenant The young officer took a
crumpled bit of paper from his pocket
and handed it to the commander, who
was about to transfer it to little Mag
gle when the Lieutenant whispered to
him that it contained the information
by which they had caught the Unionists
The General sat mute with the un-
opened paper between his fingers. A
reproof for his subordinate was on his
tongue. but he did not speak it. In war;
fare it is essential to examine private
papers. The boy who had done them
SO signal q service had been robbed Of
his childish scrawl and the information
it contained had been used to surprise
that boys father With bowed head
the soldier handed the paper to the
little girl.
At this moment the wounded boy
caught sight of his father lying stiff and
stark on the bed.
''Pop.' he exclaimed, with q moan;
''pop!'
He had never seen death, but some-
thing told him that this was death.
With difficulty he raised himself and
sat up on the lounge.
did you shoot my pop?" he asked
looking with his great honest eyes at
the Lieutenant Without q word the
officer turned rs one might turn from a
storm OF bullets and left the house. The
boy fastened reproachful gaze on the
General.
"What d. y let him shoot my pop
fur?'
my boy-my little hero" began the
soldier-he could not 60 on. How could
he make child understand the neces-
stiles Of war? Chivalrous war! that per-
!, mitted him to read . child's letter and
kill the child's father, who was on the
opposite side.
"Ididn't do nothen to you-uns. What
d. you-uns want t 60 N kill my pop
fur?' moaned the boy.
Little Maggie was standing by. look
ing on with childish wonder.
Mag" said Tom. Il writ v that let
ter. writ it all myself, all ont The
sojers token it, reckon"
The General drew the girl up to the
lounge and put her hand in that Of the
boy. The two children remained in
this position to the end. The boy soon
began to wander. He was riding with
the paper pellet in his mouth; he was
passing the pickcts; he was conversing
with the officers AMI soldiers All the
while the General was trying to soothe
him. smoothing back the uncombed
locks from his forehead or pouring lit
fla ~ tor ho uoon hio line
Suddenly the boy sat up.
I'm a-goen' fur to be Cap'nv' he
shouted, then fell back, dead.
The next afternoon the army, begin
ming . movement for which the little
courier had paved the way, had struck
its tents and was marching along the
road that led past the Lane house. Al
the head of the column emerged from
q wood the men saw funeral process
sion. composed of some officers, soldier.
and few country people, leave tht
house and march along to an inclosed 10
in field near blythe family buria
place.
Two collins, the one but half the siz.
of the other, were borne by Confederate
soldiers They contained the bodies o
Tom Lane, father, and Tom Lane, SON
the one of the Union and the other o
the Confederacy. Directly behint
walked the General. Then compan,
OF soldiers, Captains escort; and mex
group of neighbors.
The procession moved slowly onwa X
TO the Enclosure in which grave ha,
been dug. The two collins were low
cred, and laid side by side in the on,
grave. Tho General. who held in hi
hands bundle ofgreen sprigs,cast then
into the grave. The earth was shoyelet
in and volley Aired by the soldiers owe
the grave.
BY this time the head of the adyanc
ing column had reached the burial
place, where the General was STANDING
with uncovered head, while the las
shovelfuls of earth were being throw
upon the grave. The men of an arm,
arenguick to gather news, and not sol
der but knew already the story OF tn
two Lanes.
, As the column marched by, the me
of the leading company, seeing thei
! General standing with head uncovered
raised their hats. The action was fol
lowed by the next and the next com
pany, and was taken up by regimen
after regiment, troop after troop, bal
terry after battery: tho twelve thousan
men had passed aud uncovered Tbs