Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-03-01
ned have been a minister II the war hadn't
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anu contribute Jnelr SerVlCeS-b0elr lives, "
need be-to the cause of freedom and right.
We were all keyed up with excitement, for
next to Wendell Phillips and Henry Ward
Beecher | guess Elijah Cutler was the
greatest orator that ever lived While we
were shverin and waitin for somebody to
lead off, Conky Stiles rose up and says,
First Kings xix, 20 says he. And with
that he put on his cap and walked out of
the meetin.
LET me, pray thee, kiss my father and
my mother, and then will follow thee"
That's what Conky sailor as good as
said-and that's what he meant too.
He didn't put off his religion when he put
on his uniform. .Conky Stiles, soldier or
civilian, was always a Twin, walkin ency-
clopedy of the Bible, Il human compendium
of psalms and proverbs and texts. And
had that confidence in him that I'd have
bet he wrote the Bible himself if hadn't
known better and to the contrary!
We were with Mcclellan long spell
There was heap of sickness among the
boys, for we weren't usedto the climate, and
most of us pinned for the comforts of home.
Lookin back over the 30 years that lie be-
tween this time and that, | see one figure
loomin up, calm and bright and beautiful
in the midst of fever and suffern and pri-
walton and death. see a homely, earnest
face radiant with sympathy and love and
hope, and hear Conky Stiles voice again
speakin comfort and cheer to all about
him. We all loved him. He stood next tc
Mr.. Lincoln and General Mcclellan in the
hearts of everybody in the regimentl
They sent committee down from our
town one Thanksgivin time to bring lot
of good things and to see how soon we were
goin to capture Richmond. Mr.. Hubbell,
the minister, was one of them. Deacon
Cooley was another. There was talk at
one time that Conky had a soft spot in his
heart for the deacon's eldest girl, Tryphena,
but always allowed that he paid as much
attention to the other daughter, Tryphosa,
as he did to her elder sister, and guess he
hadn't any more hankerin for one than he
had for the other, for when the committee
come to go home Conky says to Deacon
Cooley, well, goodby, deacon" says he,
Romans xvi, 10"
We had to look it up in the Bible before
we knew what he meant Salute Tryphena
and Tryphosa, who labor in the Lord''-
that was Conky's message to the Cooley
girls.
He wrote letter once to Mr.. Carter, who
was one of the selectmen, and he put this
postscript to it: Romans xvi, g." You see,
Mr. Carter's wife had been Conky's Sun
day school teacher, and Conky did not for
get to greet Mary, who bestowed much
labor on us. ."
Down at Elnathan Jones' general store
the other Gay heard Elnathan tell how
Conky clerked it for him spell and how
one day he says to Conky; THAT Baker
bill has been runnin on for moren six
weeks. We can't do business unless We
| I
kind o. spur Mr. Baker up n little"
So Conky sat down on the stool at the
desk and dropped Mr. Baker short epistle
to this effect: Romans j. IA; Psalms xxi,
II; Psalms cxlii, g." Next day who should
come in but Mr. Baker, and he allowed
that that letter had gone straighter to his
conscience than any sermon would have
gone, and he paid his bill and bought kit
of salt mackerel into the bargain, so Ell
nathan Jones says.
could keep on teilin things like this day
in and night out, for lots of just such
stories are told about Conky all over Hamp.
shire county now. Some of 'em doubtless
are true, and some of 'em doubtless amt.
There's no tellin, but it can't be denied
that most of em have the genuine Conky
flavor
The histories don't say anything about
the skirmish we had with the rebels at
Churchill's Bridge along in May of 1864, but
we boys who were there remember it AS the
toughest fight in all our experience. They
were just desperate, the rebels were, and
well, we were mighty glad when night
came, for soldier can retreat in the dark
with fewer chances of Interruption Out of
our company of $50 men, only 60 were left!
| You can judge from that of what the fight
in was at Churchills Bridge. When they
called the roll in camp next day, Conky
Stiles wasn't there.
Had we left him dead at the bridge, or
was he, wounded, dyin the more awful
death Of hunger, thirst and neglect?
"By -v' says Lew Bassett, let's go
back for Conkyr'
That was the only time / ever heard an
oath without feelin of regret.
A detachment of cavalry went out to rec.
onnoiter Only the ruin of the precedin
day remained where we boys had stood and
stood and stood-only to be repulsed at
last. Bluecoats and graycoats lay side by
side and over against one another In the
reconcilin peace of death. Occasionally "A
manned body, containin just a remnant
of life, was found, and one of these crippled
bodies was what was left of Conky.
When the surgeon saw the mimic hole
here in his thigh, and the saber cash here
in his temple, he shook his head, and we
knew what that meant.
Lew Bassett, a man who had never been
to meetin in all his life and who could
swear new and awful way every time
Lew Bassett says, No, Conky Stiles ain t
goin to die, for shan't let hmr' and he
bent over and lifted up Conky's head and
held it, so. slnd wiped away the trickles of
blood, and his big, hard hands had the
tenderness of II gentle, lovin womans.
We heard Conky's voice once and only
once again, for when, just at the last, he
opened his eyes and saw that we were there,
he smiled feeblelike, and the grace of the
book triumpheG once more within him, and
he says-it seemed almost like whisper,
he spoke so faint and low: "Goodby, boys.
Second Timothy iv, T."
And then, though his light went out,
the sublime truth of his last words shone
from his white, peaceful face.
IL have fought d good fight; have fin
he'd my course; have kept the faith. -
Eugene Field ia Chicago Herald