Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-10-13

tinue0, ana TX rU Olcr VI VuiS uOTrlpio
way it will kill her. and "a for myself
but It does not matter" She seemed to
understand tho difficulties arising in his
mind. and with Q woman's ready tact she
went on 10 snow how they could be over
como. THE President may be too busy
70 heed General Bovle's request. but Judge
Speed and General Holt, Of Kentucky.
both friends Of your family and strong
Union men. are in Washington. Telegraph
them and beg them TO intercedc for re-
prieve, a reprieve Of only thirty days. Be
Fore the time ~ up shall be able to get
evidence showing Eds innocence. l will
work night and day. But oh. Howard
Forbes. give me the chance to be success
full, and the God of the widow and orphan
will bless you."
In her intense earncstness she took the
Captains hands aud bent over them till
they were wet with her tears: and. gen
erous fellow that he was. he began to feel
that, for her sake, il would be a privilege
to take the condemned mans place If that
were possible. Trying 10 cheer her with
words that echoed like q sad mockcry IN
his own heart. Captain Forbes accompanied
her to the guard. house. where the con-
demned man was confined.
Two years had worked great change III
Edward Campbell. Although not twenty,
| five years of age at this time lie looked
| like broken.down man of forty or more.
| lie carried his wounded arm Ill sling. but
| the hectic spots on the cheeks, and the
| short. spasmodio coughing told told that
| the hand OF death was Oh hun without any
sentence of the court, Still. he carried
himself in manly fashion. and there was
brave CLINT in the dark ewes that told ne
| had not been crushed or cowed by his aw-
| full situation. -,
| CAPTAIN Forbe. shook hands with his old
| friend as cordially as If never shadow
| had passed between them. ana al sign
| from the brother Jennie withdrew By TINS
| time IL had become quite DARK. inc ram
| was pouring down in torrents, ana sol
| der came III and lett a iightcu lamp III 'no
condemned mans room.
| $50 YOU see Howard" the prisoner
| began. with "a manner less troubled than
| that of his visitor, am IN q mighty Dau
box, and reckon it'll be about impossi-
| bic TO get me out OF it. Yet, as true az
God is my Judge. though my case loohs
| black enough and the court that tried me
| may have meant to do r,ght am neither
a spy nor u murderer. The fact Ia, was
| sho, out in the hills by one OF Eli 3lurrays
| men lust "a was thinking OF coming nome,
| for haven't been feeling at al well SINCE
| | caught n severe cold after swimming the
| Cumberland and travelling for days with
| frozen clothes, after Bragg retreat, nhu
| he WINS seiZed with another ut OF cough
| INC. and to stop 1t he drank from canteen
| that General Boyle had sent him ana
| which didnot contain water.
ArROor.
| "Rogers was killed over at Bardstown
| on the 18th of last September. SAID Cap
| tam Forbes. where were you them!
| ION the Hoiston. up near Layene'l. on
the Virginia line"
Can YOU prove that!"
| a. could If had chance"
| "N hat do You mean!"
| You know Lieutenant Bowen, OF your
reeimentl,"
Il should; lie is my cousin"
well. Captain. on the 10th OF Septem-
| ter | captured Lieutenant Bowen on the
| HolstOD. and he Is now prisoner IN the
| Coniederacy. If he could be communi-
Gated with he would confirm all have
SAID. even though he may not THINK very
| kindly Of me Tor the trick played him at
that time,' said the prisoner.
| CAPTAIN Forbes was startled. This was
| the first news he had had of his gallant
comrades capture. and there was that III
| the prisoners manner as he told his story
| that led him to believe that Bowen had
| been deceived by trick that strictly
| honorable soldiers would not have de-
| scended TO; yet IN consideration of this
mans situation, and particularly for the
SISTERS sake. he made no further inquiry
on this point In response to Camp
bells question as to what he expected to
do to save him from the gailows, Captain
Forbes rose and SAID:
Il will act on a suggestion given me by
Miss Jennie. and Will at once telegraph
nv friends Judge Speed and and General
Holt asking them 10 intercede to- night
with the President tor reprleve."
ANYTHING But TIE GALLONS.
The Captain was about to hurry back to
the telegraph office. which was IN Gene
raj Bovle's quarters, when, the prs-
oner. with a quick glance about him,
bent over and whispered; Have you
| pocket-kDife!"
Il have" and on the instant the Cap
! tain inserted his hanC into his pocket and
was about to draw out the knife. when
something III the mans punched face and
eager eyes attracted his attention, and he
said
ut is against the rules to permit you to
have knife"
For Gods sake Howard for tho me-
mory Of old times let Inc have 1t! 1t is the
disgrace OF the gallows that cuts me and
| is killing poor JenDie."
CAPTAIN Forbes refused to give him the
knife, and then TO be nd OF his importnni-
| ties he hurried out aud went at once to the
| telegraph Office, where he found the DIS
tracted sister aud the sorely-troubled
comnandant of tie camp.
| General Boyle" sad the Captain. as he
sat down 10 write. :" want you To JOIN mo
| IN sending dispatches TO Speed and Holt
To this the General assented. bnt the
messages were yet wet when the military
! TELEGRAPH operator began working his
switches. and the clicking that had been
going on without lntormission came to "a
sudden stop.
What is up" asked the General in
alarm.
"It is the storm, SIR" replied the opera
tor.
well, what of it?"
"1he direct lines from Cincinnati to
| Washington are down and the storm
| that has been raging over the Ohio Val
| ley to-day IS moving east across the Alic-
| chanies."
"Mv Godp exclaimed the excited Gene.
raj, what Is 10 be done Z"
| lis II necessary to send the messages to-
| night sri" asked the operator.
| Before the General or Captain Forbes
| could reply. Miss Campbell. who had been
listening with an awful earnestness in her
| beautiful pale face. spraps to her feet, aud
| LAYING her hand on the keyboard as If she
would send the message herself, she cried
| out:
1T is for human life. man Storm or
no storm. the messages must go
The operator. who thoroughly appre-
l clttcu INC sltudtiOu, stIOhtu MS AoAcACnu
nervousiy; then. as If struck with sud-
| den inspiration, he said
II will try to communicate by way of
| the North"
by way of the North9" echoed the
General
Yes, If can get command of the line
from Cincinnati to Cleveland and thence
to Buffalo can send the message round
by New York and so to Washing
ton. But OF course it will take q much
longer time if can do 1t at all. and the
young man IN his eagerness threw OF his
coat and began working with an energy
that deserved If 1t did not command, sue
cess.
Seeing the awful anxiety of the poor
girl aud eager To- relieve the strain under
which she was suffering. as indeed he was
himself, the Captain gave her hls arm and
suggested that they 60 down to the guard
house together and see her brother again.
TIE STORM.
Old soldiers declared that there had not