San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1893-02-01

SCRAP FROM POCKET To BIBLE.
In his direction; and, hesitating, he
again glanced at the turned page and
read-Proverbs ISL: 1.-THE wicked
flee when no man pursueth; but the
righteous are bold as lion"
Hesitant no longer, he cautiously
slipped the penciled scrap from pocket
to Bible, pressing it smooth between
the leaves Then, in the dying sunset,
he read:
Keep brave heart. We will meet
soon. You will recognize me by the
words: We have met before, boy!' You
are going to Camp Morton. plan your
release, if God wills"
A load seemed to press on the boys
brain, making him dizzy, as he read the
last words.
Among the many dreadful prison
pens Camp Morton was accounted the
very worst, and hideOus tales-perhaps
exaggerated in transit even beyond the
hideous reality-had crept across the
border as to it's privations and horrors
He was going to Camp Morton! Mem
DRY recalled those wretched wrecks of
what had once been men, exchanged
after months of lingering torment
there. And the clack-clack of the wheels
beneath him seemed to form into words
of those tales told. To Camp Morton!
to misery, cold, starvatioI-to living
death-for how long? And again his
eye fell upon the paper, the penciling
blank in the dinmed light, but just
above the edge the words of John S:32
standing clear: THE truth shall make
you free"
The natural elasticity of youth,
aided much in his case by temperament,
changed the color of the boys thoughts.
zone pen is bad as another, per-
haps, and it may not be for long. He
may have power to perform as we'll
as promise. Well, to make either eff
fective, here goes!" And, bending over
the book, he caught the light paper on
his tongue, crushing out of it, between
strong teeth, all semblance of a mes
sage.
Next night saw him entered on the
roll of prisoners at Camp Morton, fat
used as cattle fair grounds. 1t was then
surrounded by stockade twenty feet
high, pierced by one great gate at the
north, near which lay headquarters and
| guardhouse. Outside this stockade ran
platform, lower than its top; and
about this paced unbroken line of SEN
tinels, whose heads and shoulders only
showed above the fence. Within, a
huge moat, twenty feet wide and half
as deep, added security against at.
tempted escape; while reflector lamps,
at intervals, gave sentries, themselves
in shadow, clear view of the snow-clad
inclosure.
Old cattle pens, long, low and dis
NAL, were the barracks for prisoners
their upright plank sides so shrunken
by age and weather as to give far more
ventilation than was safe for life, with
temperature varying about zero. Foul
tiers of rough shelves, scarce three feet
between, formed the hunks, in which
wretched men crouched by highland
most of the day as well-for warmth
wedged in spoon fashion" and shiver
ing under such blankets as each mess
could scrape together.
Two cold, dreary, endless seeming day
wore away. The sights and sounds abou
Evan, aided by the long drawled tales O
hopeless men crouched over scanty EN-
bers, began to wear upon the boy
brave spirit Already his eye had lostit
bright boldness, and heavy weigh
pressed upon his heart, that the longes
watch upon lonely picket, the mos
, wearing lying still under fire, hadneve
limited to ID
When he looked upon the things abou
him-famished, bloodless, hopeless rem
: nants of what had once been men lik
| To ha Continued