The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1891-03-20


half defiant, but the ashy pallor OF his
cheeks, the haunted expression in his
dark eyes, and the nervous twitching of
the lips told how keenly he felt the sit
uation.
gave him my hand, and said, as
led him TO seat:
Frank, am mighty sorry to find you
in this flx"
81 have no fault TO find with my be-
ing prisoner, for that is the fortune of
war;" he said, with nonchalant air
"As good or even better men than my
self have had to submit to capture. But
do object to being convicted of a crime
which am incapable of committing"
"But there must have been evidence
against you?" | said, quietly.
$50 there was!' he exclaimed, "but
from first TO last the condemnatory part
was perjured"
"You refer to the murder of John
Harding, near Perryville?"
"Ies, that's 1t, Captain. Harding was
killed, how or by whom know not, but
l do know that at the date of the MUIR
der was still with my command, two
!
fierce earnestness that convinced me
he was telling the truth.
"But could you not provo your where
abouts at the time?' asked.
Prove my whereabouts at the timer!
he repeated. "Why, how could bring
any OF my men before Yankee court
martial to prove an alibi?"
but, are there no Union troops who
might have been aware of your vicinity?
1t is your custom to let your where
| abouts be known" l said.
Frank Brent rose and began pacing
the floor, while he stro1ed his soft,
brown beard in perplexed way. Sud-
denly coming to a halt before me, he
fixed his eyes on the floor and said
There is one of your men, an old
friend of yours, who is now in Libby
prison, who, If he were here, could
prove that on the very day John Hard
ing was killed was in Powell's valley,
near Cumberland Gap"
"Who is the man?" asked.
Howard Scott"
Howard Scott a prisoner" I ex-
claimed
eyes, captured by me on the tenth
day of October-the day of the murder,
mind you-captured by me two hun
dred miles from the place where Hard
ing's body was found. am usually
well-mounted, but no horse could make
thatdistance in a few hours, said Frank
Brent, with a nervous laugh.
II shall not deny what you state"
/ said, "but as you can not corroborate
it, 1t does not help your case. AS we
are not exchanging prisoners now,
Lieutenant SCOTS presence is out of
the question, though 1 will confess
that his evidence would save you"
He had evidently been thinking over
every chance to avert his sentence, for
he said quietly:
General Boyle believes he can get
your President to postpone the date. If
that is done, Scott can be paroled, spe-
cially exchanged. or his evidence, taken
in Richmond can be sent through under
flag of truce. He does not like me,
and there is no love lost between us,
but he is brave man and he would not
lie, not even to get square with me for
the trick that led to his capture"
/ did not ask what this trick was,
nor did dream that l was shortly to
hear the infamous story from the lips
of the man in question. /
Every thing" said, 'dcpends on
the outcome of General Boylc's efforts !
with The President. If there is re-
prieve, and l sincerely hope there Will |
be, we may get Lieutenant SCOTS evil
dcncc in time to save you. Meanwhile /
keep stiff upper Zip, and command my
purse and my time. l shall be here till
noon tomorrow"
rose to go, and again gave him my
hand. Still holding it, he looked about
~ a