Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1895-06-13
STORY" OF A SWORD.
A Blade Lost During the Mexican
War Restored.

A Blade Lost During the Mexican
War Restored.
Mr.. Frank A. Butts of this city has
just succeeded in tSstoring to the heirs
Of it's owner sword that has undoubt-
edly had one Of the tmost remarkable
journeys that ever III ir1anin,ate piece
Of material could take Some time ago
he received lett r>e;;bm a dealer in
wartime relics 1hmond, Va, tell
ing him that he h; = n IN his collection a
handsome sword that he thought could
be restored to the owner of the owners
family. 1t bore on the blade the in
scription, "E. Bradford, U. S. A." AS
Mr.. Butts had previously aided the pro-
prietor Of this old curiosity shop in
restoring sword lost during the civil
war to it's owner, the latter thought
that perhaps the Washingtonian, who
has an extensive acquaintance with
the veterans of the late war, could
succeed in taking the weapon from it's
hiding place and ending it's long wan
behring's. Mr.. Butts found on reference
to the directory of officers Of the army
that certain Edmund Bradford was
appointed as a cadet in the United
States military academy in 1888, and
on graduation four years later was APP
pointed as lieutenant of artillery and
was promoted in 1871. He resigned in
1S49 and so ended his connection With
the United States service. He joined
the Confederate army in 1861, and
after serving through. the civil war sur
rendered at AppomattoX. He died at
Norfolk six years ago.
This being the only Bradford in the
list Mr.. Butts assumed that the sword
must have belonged to him. The period
during which he was in active service
in the army covered the time of the
Mexican war. He learned on investiga-
ton that the sword was bought by the
| curio dealer from man who said that
! he had in turn bought it during the
late war from boy in the streets of
Alexandria, Va. AS the sword was
| owned by Lieut.. Bradford during his
Union service, bearing as it did the
Springfield, ILL.,, arnlory mark, there
| was evidently a hiatus of some years
to be filled.
In this emergency Mr.. Butts be-
| thought him of Nh. William Lamb Of
| 1NOl lOlh, d., 1Ol ulcl1N VI VI llliil
city, as one who might possibly tell
him of Lieut.. Bradfords family, and
he accordingly wrote to him and soon
afterward received the desired infor-
nation. Mr.. Lamb said that Lieut..
Bradford's widow, now an invalid was
a resident of that city, and that he had
communicated with her about the
sword. 1t seems that she had preserved
all her husbands swords except one,
which had been missed for many years
and which was highly priced by it's
owner. He had lost it in the City Of
Mexico during his service in that war,
and had often spoken of it and desired
it's recovery, but had given it up as
wholly lost. Mrs. Bradford was ex-
tremely anxious that she should re-
cover the sword, and so the restoration
of the weapon has now been made
Mr. Lamb in writing to Mr.. Butts said:
''How time has set things right! Here
you and I, who tried to kill each other
thirty years ago. are now friends under
the old flag, united in bringing pleas
! ant sunshine into the sick chamber of
the widow of a gallant soldier, in re-
storing to her a relic of the Mexican
war;
1t is a curious coincidence that Mr..
Butts and Mr.. Lamb were on the op-
posing sides of the great battle of Fort
Fisher, which was the last great en-
gagement in which each participated.
| The real history Of the sword itself
will probably never be known, as there
is now no method of tracing its travels
from the City Of Mexico to Alexandria,
but it is probable that the sword was
found in the former city by some sol
der and brought home with him as
part Of the plumbers Of war, and passed
from hand to hand in a way not now
to be ascertained to the old city down
the Potomac Washington Star.