Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1893-09-14

but he made no sign 1t was the same
thing over again after few days, and
after the third letter his face carried
such look of sorrow that we won
dered if he was our "Old Sarge" or
some stranger acting in his place.
About month after the receipt of
the letter which worked such a change
he received one in a handwriting I'M
familiar to us It was a mans Chi
Biography, and somehow we felt that it
would add to the sergeants troubles
Some of the boys who saw him open
and read it never forgot how pale he
grew and how his hands trembled and
his eyes blazed That night at ten
o'clock, in the face of the enemy, 'Old
Sarge" disappeared Per
haps he meant to take everything away,
but that letter was found after he had
disappeared. 1t was from a brother.
Coolly and calmly and without the least
feeling the brother wrote that the SER
geant's wife after so conducting her
self as to scandalize all her relatives
had brought things to a climax by rum
ming away with man he named
There were lovers who were untrue
and wives who went astray in those
DAYS, and this was only one case out of
hundreds
Deserted to the enemy" was the
record made for the war department,
but we who knew Sergt. Roberts best
did not believe it. He was a brave and
loyal man, and no matter what his
trouble he would not have turned
against his flag He had gone without
leave and that was desertion, but we
argued that he had taken that course
because he knew that he could not get
furlough with hot campaign just
opening. He had gone back home
gone to find wife and child-gone to
plead and condone or to speak his con-
tempt and take his revenge. Weeks
went by, and no word came from him.
At the end of three months we read of
a tragedy in Chicago. At nine o'clock
one evening a strange man had forced
his way into the apartments of a citi-
zen and shot him dead His wife was
heard TO cry out: "Oh, WIFI and their
little girl to shout: That's my old
papa Before anyone could interfere
the stranger seized the child and disap-
peared, and the mother was SO over
come that little or noinformation could
be got from her.
That's Old SARGE" we said as we laid
the paper aside He deserted TO hunt
down and kin the man who wrecked
his life while he was fighting at the
front and that makes him dearcr to as
than before lie viii hide his child
:
Yes, we felt sure he would return,
and yet we dreaded it. He was de-
serter and must be punished, Had it
been in winter quarters they might
have been merciful, but we were almost
in battle line when he went. and the
military authorities would wave aside
his personal reasons. The life Of
great republic was at stake What was
| a wife's honor or a soldiers love for his
child compared to that We looked for
him as we followed Lee TO the Potomac,
but he did not come. We looked for
him as we marched over the turnpikcs
Of Pennsylvania, but he did not appear.
As we formed battle line at Gettvs burg
another sergeant filed his place As
Hancock massed his corps to beat back
what every man knew was coming
sold Sarge was still absent Pickett
was massing his Virginians We all
knew that and We're waiting. pickett
is moving cried a thousand voices,
and we tightcned our belts and closed
up the lines,
STEADY men. We can beat them
back"
1t was the voice Of "Old sarge He
was in citizens dress, dusty ana way
worn, and had picked up musket and
cartridge BOX as lie came across the
fields to JON US. We raised a cheer at
sight Of him. and it went echoing along
the lines right and left Tho other