The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1895-03-07

neXt 20 Wenueu fnllupS onO u0ury
Ward Beecher, guess Elijah Cutler
was the greatest orator that ever lived.
While we were shiverin' and wsitin'
for somebody TO lead of. Conky Stiles
rose up and says: First Kings, 10:
co." 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 said--or 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-livin',
walkin' encyclopedy of the Bible,
human compendium Of psalms and
proverbs and texts; and I had that
confidence in him that I'd have bet he
wrote the Bible himself If I 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 used to the
climate, and most of us pined for the
comforts Of home. Looking back over
the thirty years that lie between this
time and that see one figure loomin'
up, calm and bright and beautiful in
the midst of fever and sufferin' and
privation and death. see 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 to Mr.. Lin
coin and Gen. McClell an in the hearts
of everybody in the regiment.
They sent a committee down from
our town one Thanksgiving time to
bring lot of good things and to see
how soon we were going to capture
Richmond. Mr.. Hubbell, the minister,
was one of them. Deacon Cooley was
another. There was talk one time
that Conlky had 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 eldest sister,
and guess he hadn't any more hank
erin for one than he had for the other,
for when the committee come to 90
home Conky says to Deacon Cooley:
"Well, good-by deacon" says he, "Ro-
mans, 1912"
We had to look it up in the Bible be-
fore 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,
1856" You see Mr.. Carser's wife had
been Conky's Sunday school teacher.
and Ccnliy did not forget to greet
Mary, who bestowed much labor on
u.s."
Down at Elnalnan Jones' general
store the other day 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 more'n six weeks. We
can't do business unless we get our
money. Conky, wish you'd just kind
o. spur Mr.. Baker up little"
So Conlry sat down on the stool at
the desk and dropped Mr.. Baker a
short epistle to this effect Romans
liza; Psalm 22:11; Psalm 1896" Next
day who should come in but Mr..
Baker, and 'he allowed that that
letter had gone straighter to his con-
science than any sermon would have
gone, and he paid up his bill and
bought a kit of salt mackerel into the
bargain, SO Elnathan Jones says.
l could keep on tellin' things like
this, day in and night out for lots of
just such stories are told about Conky
all over Hampshire 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 "a, 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 a soldier can retreat in the
dark with fewer chances of Interrupt
ton. Out OF our company Of one hum
dred and fifty men, only sixty were
left! You can Judge from that Of what
the fighting was at Churchill's 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, dying the more
awful death of hunger. thirst and neg.
lect?
by -!' says Lew Bassett, .let's
go back for Conky"
That was the only time ever heard
an oath without feelin' of regret
A detachment of cavalry went out to
reconnoiter. Only the ruin Of the pre-.
ceding day remained where the boys
had stood and stood and stood-only to
be repulsed at last. Bluecoats and gray
coats lay side by side and over against
one another in the reconciling peace Of
death. Occasionally manned body
containing just remnant Of life was
found, and one of those 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 the temple, he shook his head,
md lyraxy what that