Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1893-09-30

every gust, and his heart leaps into his
mouth at the fall of branch.
Hist! 1t is a long half hour since the
tramp of the relief guard died away.
My ear has become accustomed to all
the sounds created by the wind, and l
start as this new and strange sound
reaches me
Most of the leaves have fallen from
tree and bush, and the scampering of
mouse can be heard yards away. This
sound is more like footfall-lille the
cautious tread of man parting the
hazel bushes and advancing step by
step. Now he stops to listen! Now he
comes on again. Now l catch the
breaking of twigs under his feet. Now
he strikes n spot from which the wind
has cleared everything. When the
gusts come, they drown the noise.
When the wind dies out to low sigh
ing among the branches, | can catch
almost every football. | saw pigs in
these woods the other day, but pigs do
not roam about at night There are
opossums and coons, but they could
not crush twigs under their feet. A
horse or mule strayed from camp? If
SO, why so much caution? One of
our scouts or spies returning? If so, he
would boldly advance, knowing that he
would be challenged before being fred
upon.
1t is man moving from east to west
across my front-from the tree to some
point know not. 1t can only be an
enemy, and that enemy seeks TO do
murder. He may have been an hour
-
under which he had somehow learned
the picket stood during the day He
found the spot vacant. He knows the
post has been shifted to the right or left,
and he is searching for it. | have
caught the sounds of his approach,
and yet he has moved with the utmost
care. But for the warning of the man
relieved 1 might have been thinking of
home, or catching n wink of sleep and
heard nothing but the dismal winds.
Step! Step! Step!
chill goes over me at each step. War
means kill, but here is slSullxing assas-
sin working under cover of night, with
no greater motive than robbery and re-
venge.
If challenge him must reveal my
position, and he will perhaps rush
upon me. If | fire in his direction at
random the reserve picket will be
aroused and l will be reprimanded and
ridicu}cd. | drop to my knees and
noiselessly draw back the hammer of
my muslket Step! Step! Step! Now he
is just opposite and only ten feet away,
and | can make out the black figure
among the bushes. Now he has passed;
now his footsteps are dying away.
draw u long breath of relief. l have es-
capped him, and have not had to take
his life to protect my own The feeling
is one of glad relief
Harl1! 1t isn't five minutes since
lost his footballs, but now l catch them
again. The fend is beating up the cover
with grim determination to score Il
victim before he is through. This time
he must find me. He is coming on in
straight line, and in his lnpatience he
is not as cautious as before. | will not
challenge him, but fire the instant
can make him out. With musl1et to
my face and finger on the trigger l am
waiting, when gun is discharged back
at the reserve. A loose mule knocked
over a stack of muslSets, and oue of
them was discharged. With the report
comes alfall, u curse, n groan The
sounds are scarcely twenty feet away.
There are no more footballs. | wait
and listen, but only the sounds created
by the winds reach my ears. 1t seems
an age before the relief comes up.
tell my story and we push through the
bushes and find dead man-long
haired, ragged and wolfsh-a typical
bushwhaclSer. Clinched in his right
hand is murderous knife; in his left u
shotgun. From the reserve the bullet
found it's way over bushes and between
trees to strike him in the heart and lay
him low as he hunted for victim. -
Chicago Times