Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1891-12-11
NEW VOL. 27-NO. 10.
Nails that Whistled.


twisted his feet up on the veranda
railing and gazed lazily at the sunset,
that they are making Who'll, lots of
talking in the newspapers nowadays
about smokeless and noiseless powder.
Why. We were talking about the same
thing when / was in Prices army.
You know we were away down IN
| the brush in southwest Missouri,
where we were all cut of from the
world and couldn't get any news from
the outside Well, the story got
started somehow that the Yankees
/ had invented new powder-a kind
/ that burned with no smoke, no flash
and no noise. Pretty soon they were
| talking about il in every regiment,
worrying over the thing, and reviling
/ the devilsh ingenuity Of the Yankee.
! There was nothing TO talk about,
and you know how il is in big body
/ Of idle men.
There was one fellow that took
great stock in the noiseiess powder
story. Ii bothered him all the time.
This was Bill Oliver, OF Colonel Wins
toms Second Missouri. Bill came
from up here at Platte City. He was
a blacksmith. strapping big fellow,
strong as horse. He weighed. reck-
on. 200 pounds.
"One night Bill was put out in the
brush on picket duty. Now, he was
just as gritty fighter as you ever
saw in line with man on either side
of him, but tell you. my boy, set
man out in dark thicket all alone.
and the enemy known 10 be near and
supposed TO be everywhere, IL takes
all the starch out of the best OF them.
so Bill was trembly and shakyand
saw Yankee sharpshooters every
where.
Now, in the same regiment they
had daredevil, harum scarum fool
Reub Hill. This Reub Hill was the
kind OF specimen every regiment
has-a pestiferous practical Joker-n
nuisance that everybody liked. Here
was a rich chance for one OF Reuben's
little Jokes. Soon as Bill had got set
tied az his post Reuben loaded his
pocket with dozen or so big wrought
iron nails, and out through the dark
he circled to get in front OF the pick
cts. He hid in n sessafras brush
about a hundred feet from the big
blacksmith aud looked ont.
There WAS Bill tiptoeing up and
down his beat like an elephant on
a rickety bridge, dodging and whirl-
ing every time grasshopper chirped
or a horse back i'm the camp snorted.
He was getting badly scared. Ren.
ben picked up n right ragged nail and
flung IL just as hard as he could jerk.
You know what vicious screech-
ing "A nail makes when YOU throw 1t
that way' No minnie ball ever sound
ed wickeder, Ii goes;
'Whi-u-u-u-uN
Poor Bil's heart stopped with a
big thump like a sledgehammer, and
Reuben, away on In the ticket, heard
him catch his breath as N some one
had dropped bucket OF ice water on
him. His big bulk dropped In the
weeds like sack OF sand. and FOR
about a minute there was not the
sound OF heath. Then the lgpick-
ct muttered shakily: 'Sho, I'm getfin'
skeery as a woman with thinkin' OF
them Yanks an their new tangled
powder And he got up and warily
began to walk his beat.
Reuben let go another OF his nails
and a third just as quick as be could
throw. They went wbirrIng blood
thirstily toward William, and one Of
them ripped through the leaves over
his head, spattering twigs and bits Of
leaf all about.
There was no doubt about II this
time. and big Bill. as he let his mus
ket of wildly In the air, charged for
camp sputtering, putting, yelling.
tearing up weeds and sod aud boiling
into trees. His trail looked like the
track OF young cyclone. Into the
camp he plunged, over men and tents,
musket stacks and cook trenches IL
is an actual fact that he ran over n
little foraging pony that was tied to
] Ir.ff AZ - la ~
knocked the poor beast down and
crippled il for week. His headway
was terrific He finally brought mp fnll
tilt against a tough little hickory sap
ling. which he ran down like a moose,
landing up In the leafy top with his
hands clawing ut the boughs.
"He walked every man In the regi-
ment. Down the line went shouts
and bugle calls. Within ten minutes
every one OF Prices 10000 men was la
line OF battle, staring into the dark
ness for the enemy's advance guard.
listening for the purr Of their silently
fred bullets.
"Of course the enemy did not come
but the men lay on their arms all
night.
. Reuben was too tickled over the
way Bill tore through the brush 10
keep quiet. Next day every man in
! the army bad the story. But 1t did
not take well with the officers. A
corporal's guard came after Reuben
and put irons on him. and bis little
: joke was poDderously considered by
] a court martial That afternoon
. came news OF the enemy in deadl,
earnest. and Price set out on one oI
7 his long, forced marches. Reuben
! .yaot .lono He took With hf,u nv %