Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-04-19
4 Brave % Man.

One of the most prominent of the local
vderens sends the JOURNAL the following
war story. He does not youch for its truth
talness; but relates it simply as it was told
to him, BY the man who figures at its hero
Theabrave man told bis story with every
appearance of candor and frankness.
He said that in certain locality where
the division of the army to which he be-
longed in the late war was stationed, there
waa1ne post where the sentinel had been
shot for several nights. No one could tell
how it happened or where the fatal shot came
from All the soldiers knew about it was
that the sentinel would be found dead every
nighsAt twelve o'clock when they went to
felieve guard. No one was troubled before
or after that hour On any night, but the l2
O'Clock relief guard would be sure to find
the sentinel dead. Finally the men became
SO alarmed that they refused to take
that post for the man that went
on there at ten o'clock was not
expected to be found alive at twelve. The
general was informed of the state Of affairs
Our hero, whom we will call Tom, was sent
for. The general greeted him very cordially
and told him that he had sent for him be-
cause he considered him the bravest man in
the army; that he wanted him to take that
pos. and that it was very important for thi.
particular part of the line to be we'll guard
ed. He said that if any one could solve the
mystery he could. Our hero accepted. He
said, General l will take the post and
if l. get shot all l ask is to be
rolled up in the old flag and buried on the
spot" They took something to drink, the
general wished him good luck, they shook
hands, and parted. When the time came,
Tom fearlessly took his station. He drove
stake into the ground, put his coat ard
cap on it, went little to one side and laid
down. There was an old house near by
and he thought that it would be good plan
to watch it. No one had ever thought that
anything had come from that house. They
could not see how an enemy could approach
it without being seen. The place
had been searched every night and
nothing suspicious discovered but Tom had
feeling just the same that it would bear
watching. About II o'clock there was a
flash from one of the windows and bullet
went through his cap. He fired for the
flash. The guard was called out and the
house searched. On the floor by one of
the windows they found man lying dead
with bullet hole between the eyes. They
went all through the upper part of the
house{but could find nothing more. Then
the cellar was searched. When about to
leaFeF3 Tom noticed that one end
of rock in the wall pro-
jected a little further than the Others
He took hold Of it and gave it pull and it
swung out. 1t was apparently on hinges,
andsopened into an under ground passage
which hone Of the men dared to enter ex-
cept Tom. He took light; went into it
and followed it along for nearly half mile
to the outlet, which came out in bunch Of
bushes on the opposite side of bill that
stood not far from the camp. The mystery
was solved. Here was where the ene-
my came in and picked of the
sentinels. after which he would go
back, without being detected. The gener-
al sent for Tom the next morning and told
him to name any office and he should have
it. He said, mo, general can do more
good in the ranks. All | ask is to be put
in the front of the battle where can get at
the Johnnies." The general said, "Tom,
you're brave man. If had thousand
like you, this rebellion would not last long"
At this point in the story the listen
er who gave it to the Journal re-
marked that he must be covered over " ith
scars, but the hero responded in regret
full tone,
"No, haven't one. Notwithstanding the
many tight places | was in, went through
the war without scratch