The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-09-27

I GNSAs S~AAhk Win MIN a sergeant
who had been attached to him in some
capacity before entering the service
and had promised to reioin the
| troops within half an hour Tina
was the last ever seen Of them. 1t had
been llnpo Isible for the command "a
retrace its steps to look for them, and it wa:
supposed that they had been captured by
some proving band Of tue enemy. But
| wnen 1t came time TO exchange and the
war was over no trace could be found
( No" valuable property was idle in Boston
because no owner uld be found. Whether
| he was alive or dead was not known. and OF
course his possible heirs could not take pos
session OF the property, so it was still in the
hands of the courts.
| Col. ClsyLon's family could tell him moth
ing and he had to return to Boston after a
tru1tless journey.
THEN THE COLONEL DIED.
Twenty years later old Col. Clay Clayton
died. When the settlement OF his estate
was in progress the brothers and Virginia's
! husband looked at the bales OF cotton and
said; "Yes; let US sell them and send them
far away"
50 the cotton was sold at price far less
than 81 pound, and with the registered
| mark OF the plantation on each bale went
TO the dealer. Then, with his mark added
1t went to the shipper, aud after he had
marked it, in company with hundreds
| OF other bales, it was loaded onto steamer
at New Orleans aud Shipped across the
ocean to Russia. There il went to the great
| cotton mills of st. Petersburg TO be made
into goods for the little children Of the
great white czar."
When it came to the turn of these two
bales from old Col. Clay Clayton's Alabama
plantation they we're opened aud the cotton
dumped out OF the floor OF the factory.
VEya9 zhaT aya fhnra a.,
blue and OF something bright, and rattle
Of something on the floorl
What was it?
1t was skeleton In the uniform Of a cap
tain Of the army of the United States of
America. Sword, watch, money, buttons.
some rotton cloth and bones. That was all.
On tue watch we're the words Frederick
Jaspar, Boston,
The Russians were Mortified. TheI other
bale was shaken out, and another skeleton
fell to the floor, this one in the uniform of
a sergeant.
Russian police officers wrote to Boston in
curing if any such man as JasI ar was miss
ing ald detailing the circumstances of their
find.
In Boston the mystery was almost forgot
ten, but court records wore unearthed, heirs
were round, and they sought to secure the
estate of the dead man, which had now be-
come enormously valuable. The old law
yer who han gone south on the fruitless
search twenty years before was secured to
make another journey. The remains of the
skeletons and Jue wrappin gs of the bales OF
cotton, on which were the MARKS were all
sent to Boston, ami the lawyer made bis
journey.
DOING SOME DETECTIVE WORK.
Once in the neighborhood Of the pIanta-
slon he had no difficulty in having the
marks on the canvas identified as Col CLAY
toms brand. Then little inquiry brought
to light that strange freak Of the coloneIs
about keeping two bales of cotton SO long.
waiting for 1t to reach 81 a pound. 1t was
remembered that the coloneIs cotton crop
was being baled just when the yankees left
that place.
Vito this much proof the lawyer went to
VirginiaS husband and asked him for the
whole story. 1t was a case in which no
harm could result to the living, aud it
would clear up much trouble in Massachu
sets. Would he telll
There was no hesitation. The two men
went to the old Clay ton plantation, called
the brotIers now men of 30 years, and then
all went out onto the big veranda. The
oldest brother told the tale
1.-Two hours after Capt. Jaspar and the
other union officers left this door" he said,
I'VE three entered it on a visit to my ia her
and my sister. In the con versa ion she told
us al, my father also lear ing for the first
time how this man JasLar had troubled her.
even 10 the point Of insult. We were in
tensely angered at him, ami hoped for AN
opportunity on the battle field to repay him
for it.
That evening about o'clock my sister
star ed to walk home across the plaulaClo
to the gan house, where our hands were still
working With the cotton.
HAfter she had haau oopa
minutes we three, in company with my
father, started in the same directio-. We
walked slowly, and, as it was only a mile
did not expect to overtake my sister.
''When we had walked about two-thirds
Of the distance we heard a scream from her
and fastened in that direction. Ia a mo-
ment we came uD to where this Jaspar foul
wretch that he was, had caught her and
was trying to overpower her and silence
her screams.
before he knew Of our coming beard
him say, You'll be all mine in "A few min
utes, and then I'll do what please with
you
Sin an instant we had hor free and him
bound. Ny sister tainted from shame and
fright, and one of US guarded the wretch
while the others were attending to her.
finally placing her in the care Of some of
the house servants and her old nurse, who
came up. They did not know what had
caused her fright, fJr we kept Jasper
hidd n.
THE PUNISHMENT FITTED THE CRIME.
'Then we started on with him toward
the gin house, and soon saw another man
skulking along the trees. A shot In the
leg dropped hIm, and we found it was a
sergeant who was a former servant Of the
captain.
AT the gin house were certain negroes
who we knew were faithful. The cotton
as |, ing ready 20 be baled. We started
the press and filed it. Into the middle of
the bale Of cotton went the wretch Jaspar,
begging like hound Co be killed first.
''But no; be went Into the bale alive and
was p ess=d with it.
"Tne other man, seeing the fate in store
for him, shot himself dead while we were at
the press aud he was lying wounded on the
& ound. Then he went into the other bale.
"You know now why the bales were
kept so long. When they were sold last
year it was with entire in difference whether
or not the skeletons were ever found. The
men we're in a hostile country, but had
been entertained kindly by their enemies.
They abused hospitality vileiy and they
met terrible, bat deserved fate.
my sister never asked where the man
Jaspar was. We merely told her we had
taken care of him"
81 cannot blame you at all, >" said the law