The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-08-19

sired effect. Old man Lake and his daugh-
ter waltZad around the room, the cavalry
men on the outside kept up their fire, and
this created a stampede of the Northern Off
GERS in the room with me. In the confusion
TO get out OF the way there was a sort of
hurdle race, in which the supper-table was
knocked over and the talOw lights put
out In few seconds | was left in the
room with no one but Love, Lake and his
daughter.
l saw that this was my opportunity.
There were 500 chances against me out of
1000 L took Tie single chance and won
There were at lea~t 300 cavalry surrounding
the house, and if l had not been wounded |
would have tried to get off In the dark.
But by this time the terrible wound was
having It's effect. was bleeding pro-
fusely and getting faint. There was a
door that opened from the dining-roOm
into an adjoining bedooom. and l deter
mined TO play the part of a dying man.
l walked into the room, pulled off my
coat. on which were the insignia Of my
rank, tucked 1t away under a bureau so
that no one could see 1t and then laid
down with my head toward the bureau
After several minutes the panic subsidized
and the Northern men returned TO the
scene from which the shots of their own
men Tad frightened them. They found
my old friend Lake dancing a hOrnpipe.
lie missed button from his waistcoat and
swore the bullet that had killed me had
carried it off.
Having heard me fall on the floor, be
thought l was dead-the truth is he was
almost as near dead as was. The daughter
was screaming. the room in which | was
lying was dark, and it was some minutes
before the soldiers recollected their senses
sufficiently to strike a light. During all
this time L lay on the floor with the
blood gushing from my wound. In those
few moments 1t seemed to me tina: l lived
my whole life over again; my mind travelled
away from the scenes of death and car
mage in which for four years l had been
an ACTOR, to the peaceful home and the
wife and children / had left behind me. |
know from my own experience that
Byron's description of the dying gladiator
has as much of truth as of poetry in it:
His mind was with his heart and that was far
away.
He reeked not OF the life he lost nor prize
But where his rude hut by the Danube lay.
/ overheard them ask Mrs. Skinner who
was-I was we'll acquainted with her,
her brother being in my command. and [
listened with fear and trembling for her
answer. She declared that was stran-
ger-that she had never seen me before
that | was not one of Mosby's men and
she did. not know my name. What heart
IS so cold as not to drop tear
over that pathetic scene in Tristan Shandy
when Corporal Trim reports to my uncle
Toby the condition of the sick soldier
''He will die" said Corporal Trim. He
will not de-" said my uncle Toby. But
he lCiU die" said Corporal Trim. by
- he shall not die, said my uncle Toby.
'Phe accusing spirit" says Sterne. that
flew up to heavens chaneery with the oath,
blushed as he gave it in. and the recording
angel, as he wrote 1t down, dropped tear
and blOtted il out forever"
| am equally sure that in the eternal
records there Is nothing registered against
that good woman who denied my name
and saved my life. AT last after a candle
had been lighted my enemies came into Tho
room where | was lying and the first
thing they asked was my name. l gave
a fictitious one. They wanted to know
TO what command 1 belonged | did not
tell them the right one. My reason for do
ing so was that l wanted TO conceal nv
personal Notwithstanding the feeling
at the North at that time against me,
and the anxiety either 10 kill or capture
me, l was sure | would be dragged AWAY
as trophy il they knew who was their
prisoner. had on flannel shirt which
was soaked with my blood. The soldiers
opened ny pants, pulled up my shirt and
looked at my wound while | apparently
gasped for breath. A doctor examined
IL and said that it was mOrtal-.that |
was SHOT through the heart. He located nv
hesrt rather low down, and even in that
supreme moment l felt tempted to laugh
at his ignorance of human anatomy. [
only gasped few words and affected to
he dying. They left the room hurriedly
a1ier stripping me of my boots and pants,
eVldently supposing that a dead man
would have no use for them. The only
sensible man among them was an Irish
man, who said, as he took a last look 4,
me. He Is worth several dead men yet. !"
There was good deal of whisky in
the Gro wd, but thsy had sense enourh Ief.