The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-05-28
CAPTAIN Bronauch and his men decided

that IL it could be done they would like
very much L, get Bruin transferred to
some other company. There were just
two difficulties in the way Of this. In
the first place, no captain who knew
him very well would consent to take
him, and, in the second place, if Bruin
knew that Bronaugh and his men did
not want him he would insist most
strenuously on staying. Both these diff
cultIes were circumvented by a little
strategy. In the company of Captain
Boles there was a man named Eph Gotf,
o Henry county man, a brave soldier
and an ardent friend Of Bronaugh. He
is at present living on his farm near
Clinton and is said to be as rollicksome
and as fond Of his joke now as he was
then. One day Bronaugh approached
| Boles, explained the situation and asked
that Golf be transferred to his company.
"All right" said Captain Boles.
"Who can you give me in his place.
We'll. I've got a man named Jones
you can have.
lis he a good soldier?"
1.-The best fighter l ever saw"
Done" said Captain Boles, and that
part of the matter was settled. The only
thing now remaining was to get Bruins
consent to be transferred, and this was
done in the following manner
"Mr. JONES'" said Captain Bronaugh
II day, II understand you are trying
to get out of my company and into Cap
tain Boles'. l want you to understand,
sir, that l don t propose to permit you to
do anything Of the kind. If any officer
has got to be losing his men for every
little fool reason that may come up,
there'd Just as we'll not be any officer at
all"
Bruin looked a little dazed at this
statement of the case; and then remark
cd ,that.he'd be dash blank dashed if he
would stay in any such double dashed
company any mcre-just see if he would!
In this manner his consent was won, and
the next day he applied to Captain Boles
for a transfer. The application should
have been sent to certain superior officers,
but Captain Bronaugh was unwilling for
this to be done, for fear he might lose
his trade.
"No use to bother Colonel Lewis about
a little thing like that" he said to
Boles. Just let's wait till the thing
has about had time to go through the
rounds and then just swap the men our
selves"
Accordingly, some two weeks later,
Bruin was informed that his transfer
had been granted, the two captains ex-
changed the names and the trade was
settled.
The next time the two captains met
was several months later in Bosier par
ish, Louisiana, and-shall l confess it
at q dance. If this statement should
meet the eyes Of any Of his church Off
Gals, they are respectfully requested not
to turn him o u on account of it. The
offense was committed over 80 years
ago, and do not really think he makes
a practice of dancing today. However,
he and Boles were both on the floor and
dancing, when the latter exclaimed:
Say, Bronaugh, I've got a crow to
pick with you"
"What is it?"
"You remember that fellow Jones
you traded off ON me? What did You
mean by telling me he was a good SOL
dier?"
II never said it, Boles. Isaid he was
the best fighter / ever saw"
"Oh, that was it, was it? / believe
you were right about it too He's whip
ped every private in my company al
ready, and they say he is going to begin
on the officers next. There's n o discount
on his being a fighter"
The last time Captain Bronaugh ever
saw Bruin vas in the hospital at Mem
phis. The first face he noticed when he
entered the ward was his, and it was
pale and still as death. Hoping to be of
some service to n Of his former men,
the captain stood at the BEDSIDE for a
moment. Just then the closed eyes open
ed, the face lighted up with its old ex-
preston, and in the half stif1ed accents
Of death the old stream Of profanity be-
gan to flow Bruin was Bruin to the
last.
Hundreds of old Confederate soldiers
in Missouri will recall poor Bruin with
a glimmer about the eyes that is half a
smile and half Il tear Nobody knows
what his first name really was; nobody
ever knew where he came from. 1t used
to be asserted that he was from Arkan-
sas, but perhaps this was merely from a
humorous desire to lower the reputation
Of that state. No one knows who his
people We're or what his past history
was. Let us hope, though, that he who
knows all about him saw something in
his early life that could account for the
hardness of heart of this Timon of
Athens of the Confederacy and made
some allowance accordingly.-P w.
Horn in st. Louis Republic.