Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1894-10-27

subjected to incredible harships and
finally imprisoned miles away from
home and friends.
All this is history, but we have
no written record OF that interval
between the escape and the recapturc
| when the little company wandered
lost and helpless, among the fast
nesses of unfamiliar mountains, no
records of those ten days and nights
when the sun rose and set but to
mark another and darker experience
in the calendar of human pain.
Ned Foster and Harvey Armstrong
were among the number. The latter
bad, in the ardent spirit of the times
also answered the far cry OF the bor-
ders, leaving the young wife so late
" wed to wait in prayer and tears q
soldiers uncertain coming.
For four days the weary and foot
sore band travelled down a deep can
yon, whose deep sides narrowed and
narrowed until they closed and bar
red them in. Then the retracing of
those same stepsl
On aud on, in the silence and
gloom of the mighty contortions OF
nature, without food, without drink,
tired in limb, weary and dazed in
mind, their tongues purple and swol-
len with thirst, yet seeing in fancy
the flower strewn prairies of their
beloved Texas and the fond hearts
beating a welcome there, still open
ing up new trails and pushing on
with the courage and faith that made
the martyrs of the Alamo and the
heroes of San Jacinto.
Once Harvey tell exhausted in the
shade of tree and begged his COM
rades TO leave him, but his friend
lifted him up, whispered magic
name and babe him press on.
On the evening of the tenth day
they were met by body of the Mex
lean calvary and hidden to halt and
| give up their arms.
Half starved and dying, they were
Texans yet, and their brave COM
mander refused to do SO except I'M
der treaty stipulations.
A treaty was drawn up, and once
again false VOWS were pledged by
Spanish lips.
Water was not reached until sum
set of Che next day. By that time
only four of the men were able to
walk.
Harvey, among many others, had
fallen, and been lifted and strapped
across saddled horses and thus
brought into camp.
After three days. rest, in which
their half spent lives were restored
by those arts of healing 70 Mexicans
known SO well, they were carried
handcufed in pairs, into Saltillo and
thence to Salado.
The hoary walls of the old haci-
enda looked down in sinister strength
as The thinned ranks filed in.
Eight Mexicans were outside dig
ging trench.
Ned exchanged look with Har-
vey, his companion in arms, and
whispered, 'That means DEATH"
He was not wrong. At 2 O'Clock
of the same day the prisoners were
ordered out and ranged in double
line against one Of the walls.
The officer in command then read
Che written decree of Santa Anna,
president of Mexico, decree which
pronounced for these men fate so
Ingenious in It's torture to mind and
body that it might have been con-
ceived in the subtle brain of Her.
cd.
Every tenth man was to be killed,
the decision TO be made by lottery.
Into jar were to be dropped ITO
beans-153 white and II black.
Each man was to take out bean.
Those drawing The black ones were
to be shot before the sun went down;
The rest spared death, but retained
as prisoners.
On March Goth the roll was called.
As each hand was slowly lifted
and poised for one single instant
above the jar life and death must
have met and made salute.
The game was for souls, and the
die was a Mexican bean.
Fosters name was called near the
last, and he carelessly dropped in bis
left hand, with perchance a reminis-
cence of childish days when he had
done such things "for luck' and
found he had picked up a white
bean.
AS he returned to his place Har.
yey passed him, and Ned saw in the
white draw face of his friend no sigr
of fear, but the mental anguish o.
Gsthsemane.
What was it he had said last night
in one of the pauses of that long
march ?
That perhaps even now baby
voice was waking faint echoes in his
little home and that the anxiety b.
was bearing for another was sharper
with pain than any physical torture
he had experienced.