The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1893-07-20

Fer an instant there was one of those
momentous lulls that everyone remem.
bers who has experienced the operations
of siege or a battle. The soldiers
raised their heads to glance along the
trenches and take survey of the silent
camps far in the distance to the rear.
Men and officers moved hither and
thither secure for the moment in the
silence. Death in the air rested to
catch its breath. Then from gulch at
some distance came dull, muffied ex-
plosion, and cloud of smoke and dust
rising showed that q mortar shell from
the siege batteries Of the enemy had
fallen and exploded. That was all,
and that was all anyone thought about
it. But it happened at that spot and at
that moniaAt drum head court-martia
was sittipg.lA poor devil had somehow
impressed HIS commanding officer with
the belief that he was . coward. lido not
remember, If ever heard, the particu-
lars. At any rate, he WAS being tried
by drumhead court-msft n IN this out
of-the-way place on the ckxF6e Of cow
ardice OF course the the penalty, II
convicted, was deaXh. A few minutes
had passed since the explosion of the
artificial aerolite. II had been forgot
ten, If it had been made a matter OF
even passing remark The general was
dictating to his adjutant general Aids
and clerks were all busy, when sudden.
ly an apparition appeared before them.
It was evidently a soldier, but bqre.
headed, his hair and face sbegffmed
with powder and so covered With thick
dust that, saturated with reeking per-
spiration, it ran into mud and gave
him the appearance OF Wild Indian.
The hue of his clothing had evidently
once been blue, hnt II .NAs covered
with dirt and to all. ap ee544a4e fresh
ly torn into shred& j9s aacity in
appearing in such altr! 6bskcSe the
general and his stan Without even ask
ing permission was 1the Afst wonder,
but when he did 90 With the exclams-
ton: II am no coway4s generalr' sur
prise gave way 70 thS fhdulgent Inn
preston, another po6r fellow gone
daft, perhaps affected by the heat"
"well, who said you were? What do
you want here? See TO, him, adjutant," /"
quickly spoke the .gsa3fai and again
turned to his work.
what is the matter, sir? Don't you
know better than to intrude yourself
this way in the presence of the gen.
eralr' asked the aid. Speak up at
| II am no coward, don't want to be
shot for coward" the pcor fellow con.
tinued pleadingly. "Wkat am to do3''
he asked, Swiping the tfickling CRIME
!, and mud from his face and forehead
with the remnants of the sleeve of his
old woolen shirt Then, more compos.
edly, he related how he was being tried
for cowardice by court-martial down
F, the gulch over there;" how tremen.
dous mortar shell had dropped, explod.
ing and interrupting the proceedings,
knocking him over, tearing his cloth
ing, mutilating his body to some extent,
and had left him half dead and halt
buried; how he had come to, and, look.
ing about, could see no one of the OH.
GERS before whom he was at the
time being tried for his life; and
SO he had come tu the general to ash
what he should do and to tel
him he was no coward. A hurried in
vestigation proved the truth of the pool
fellows story. The shell had exploded
in close proximity to the court, but tn,
accused was the only one who had suf
fered other inconvenience than des
perate shock of the nerves. Every mem
Der of the court had excitedly takeI
himself to more secure place and be
fore they had recovered their compla
cency sufficiently to remember that they
had left the prisoner on the ground. th'
latter had reported to the general BY
whose order he was being tried. It wa
lucky fall for the soldier. The com
mander thought he had shown more in
trepidity than the officers who were try
ing him. He ordered him to report t,
the captain of his company for duty
The hour that, had it not been for tn
interposition of the enemy, might hav
marked his death as craven saw hin
restored to the confidence of his com
rades. A few days afterwards he CAV
proof that this confidence had not bee,
misplaced. He fell with his face to tn,
foe, in the assault that followed tn
famous mine explosion, a hero.-Omah,
Bee.
~ - n