Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-03-17
In five minutes his officers were in his

In five minutes his officers were in his
room.
"You see that hill yonder, my lads"
he said, grimly pointing to the cluster
ing pines. ''Well, just beyond those
pretty trees in little valley lies half
regiment of Confederate cavalry, who
are about to do us the honor of an early
morning call. What do you say to our
getting up a little surprise party and
anticipating them in their polite atten-
tions? You think it best, of course
then order your men under arms with
out an instant's loss-get them out of
the church if you can without a sound
and meet me at the bend of the road
yonder.'
All, little do Colonel Halves and his
merry men, stretched at their ease on
the green sward, snatching a few hours
of precious sleep before they shall cap
the climax of Jack Lascelles' superb
milnicry by peppering the lives out of
those poor devils of defenseless Yanlxs,
know that two hundred cleaning
musbets, held by the hands of resolute
men were pointed ON their PROSTATE
forms from every tree around them.
Little did they think that even now
their careless piclxets lay@stunned, or
gagged and bound at their neglected
posts.
Did they start in their sleep and think
it was a dream, as the hoarse command
rang out:
make ready-Fire! Fix bayonets-
Charged" and two deadly volleys walked
the woodland echoes. With wild hurrah
the Fighting Fourth were on them.
THERE'S no time to even shout surprise;
the only sounds, the scuffling of men
and tramp of steeds, as score or two
of troopers, fighting like wildcats,
manage to cut their horses loose and
flee to the valley below. 1t was grand,
glorious little victory - fifty of the
enemy killed and wounded, over forty
prisoners taken ,and nearly two hundred
horses, with their equipments and ac-
coutrements, captured, to say nothing of
several stands of small arms and two
baggage wagons filed with ammunition
and supplies.
But there was one enemy the gallant
Major missed, and him he sought for
with eager, vengeful haste-ah, there
he goes stretching his long legs like a
crane in awkward fight, and making
with maddened haste for a neighboring
copse.
After him, boys!' the Major cried,
pointing with his sword to the luckless
fugitive. III give fifty dollars to the
man that brings him back to me alive
alive, remember, for I want to hang
him!''
Who would ever have thought the
gentle Major could have made as blood
thirsty declaration - not Frank
Besant, who gazed in inquiring wonder
o1 a,
But the Majors soul was raging against
the hapless wretch's sustained duplici-
ty, and, when he said he intended to
hang the scoundrel, he surely meant it.
Poor Squire Dixon was indeed a
pitiable sight as he was dragged by two
rough soldiers into the irate Majors
presence.
Filing a rope over the limb of that
tree and tie him up!'' was the stern
command.
At first the poor wretch's tongue re-
fused to utter abject prayers for pardon,
but when in an agony of terror he saw
them making the fatal preparations a
torrent of wild supplications burst from
his lips.
But the Majors face never relaxed a
muscle.
''String him up, boys!''
Already the mems hands were fore
ing his neck into the moose, when an
other appeal from the doomed man was
more effective.
81 will give the lives of six Union sol
diers for my own-six strong, young
men in the vigor of youth for this old,
WORKOUT life of mine!'' he cried, with
despairing energy.
"What do you mean? Speak quickly,
scoundrel, or it will be too late!''
There are six Union prisoners hidden
where yo,ocan never find them if die
with the secret on my lips, and where,