Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1892-06-28

nun the galIows captain torbcs ross
and said;
! viii act on q suggestion given ms
by Miss Jennie. and will at once tele-
graph my friends Judge Speed and Gen.
srai Holt. asking them 10 ntercede to-
night with the president for reprieve.'
The captain was about TO hurry hack
TO tho telegraph Office. which was In
General Boyle's quarters, when tho
prisoner. with quick glance about him,
bent over and whispered. "IIa,e you =
pocketknifey'
u have" and ON tho instant tho cap
tain Inserted his hand into his pocket
and was about 90 draw out the knife,
when q something In the man. pinched
face and eager eyes attracted his attsn.
ton. and he said.
1T IL against the rules TO permit you
To have q knife
For Gods sake. flowardi Tor the
memory Of old times. let mo have iti II
is the disgrace of tho gallows that cuts
the aud II killing poor Jennie
Captain Forbes refused to give him
the knife. and then, 20 b. rid of his Inn.
portunitics. he hurried out and went at
once TO the telegraph Office, where he
found the distracted sister and the sorely
troubled commandant Of the camp.
General Boyle said the captain. ~
he AT down 10 write. II want you to
join mo in sending dispatches TO Speed
and Holt"
To this tho general asscntcd, bat the
messages were yet wet when the mill.
tary telegraph operator bcgan working
his switches. and tho clicking that hal
been going on without interruption came
To sudden stop.
What IL up asked tho general In
alarm.
1T Ia the storm, sir replied thu
opcator
well. what % ity'
The direct lines from Cincinnati 30
Washington are down. and the storm
that has been raging over the Ohio
valley today Is moving east across the
Alleghanies."
Ny Godl- exclaimed the excited
general. What Is 10 H. donel'
is II necessary io send the messages
tonight. sirY' asked the operator.
Before the general or Captain forbe.
could reply. Miss Campbell. who had
ocen listening with bn awful carncstness
IN her beautiful pale face, sprang 10 her
feet. AMI laying her hand on the key.
board a. " she would send the message
herrelf sho cricd out;
IL Il Tor a human life. mani Storm
OF no storm, the messages must go!"
The operator. who thoroughly appr-.
ciatod the situation. strokcd his forehead
neryou.ly. then. as II struck with q
sudden inspiration. ho said;
Il will try to communicate by way Of
the nOrthf"
by way Of the nor,hy' echoed the
general
YES. II ! can get command of the line
FROM Cincinnati 10 Cleveland, and thence
to Buffalo. can send the messag. round
by New York and 80 to Washington.
but oi course II will take q much longer
time. " can do 1, at all. and the young
man IN his cagerness threw OF his coat
and bsgan working with an energy that
deserved. N u did not command. sue
cess
Seeing the awful anxiety u the poor
girl. and eager Ia relieve the strain un.
der which sh. was suffering. a. indeed
be was hiuiseli. the captain gave her his
arm aud suggested that they go down %
Oh. guarlhouso together and s.e her
brother again
Old soldiers declared that there had
no, becn such n storm for a year. The
darkness and the driving downpour of
the rain would have hal a depressing
effect on wedding feast, but II was
impossible 90 add 10 the darkness and
storm IN tha, poor girls heart. and a.
for the escort, be would have infinite
~ Iseierr,si. u hc hal hal any choice IN
the matter. 90 have ls.n under ire. with
the enemy all around him Tie covered
Miss Campbcll with his rubber pOncho,
and A. they nearol the guarlhouso they
heard two men singing Rock % Ages
One was the POST chaplain, a gentleman
named Allen. who was attached 10 an
Ohio regiment. and the other was tho
prisoner
Captain fortcs had often heard the
fnc tenor voice 20 his old playmate In
the past, and while be had always adj
mircd II. be was never lefore - much
A, II.
control lie always remembered this
fact. for nj the time his own voice treIn.
tlcd a. he spoke 10 his companion A. "
b. had an ague.
The guards had instructions to admit
these visitors without question a, any
hour bcfor, that set Tor the execution,
which was eight o'clock the next morn.
ing Edward Campbell kissed Jennie and
shook hands with the captain, aud then,
with a self possession that was remark.
able. be- followed the chaplain's example
and knelt down close TO his sister This
behavior on the part Of the condemned
man was - remarkable that the cap
tain could not keep his eyes oil him
And u was while watching him that he
saw the sister suddenly reaching out her
hand with something In u that had the
cold CLINT Of steel In the light of the dim
lamp. and inserting II inside the lfcast
of the prisoners coat. and on the In.
slant the knife incident flashed through
his ulind. but he decided TO say nothing
about u
Leaving the brother and sister to-
gether. the captain started lack again 10
the telegraph ofiice. Tn his entering.
General Boyle seized his hand and ex.
claimed;
Thank Godl the messages are In
Washington and wo are waiting
The captain looked at his watch; II
was then ten o'clock. and he felt that at
that hour the situation was well nigh
hopeless.
"iiave you heard from Speed or IloltD
he asked.
"Yes. from 10TH replied the general
what do they sayr'
The president IL engaged. but they
will zee him before he gees TO bed,
and
That's the Washington calf" shouted
the operator. ~ he bent over the sounder.
lie listened for few seconds with the
tip OF his pencil between his teeth. Then
be began TO write In that long. sweeping
hand peculiar to the most skilled of the
craft. while the two officers bent over
to catch the words ~ they dropped from
bis pencils
wi:misores. D, ,C1,l