The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-04-24

Of the hospital discovered that tho
Illinois aoldior-known by the record /
At tho head Of bis bed-was dead. |
Search was made Tor the missing man,
and as be could nowhere be found, the
Pennaylyanian was reported, officially
as a deaorler, while the Illinosian,
Henry Barton, was recorded as
dead.
] have said that the plan Of the de-
serto rwas a shrowd one. Let us
analytic il Tho only chance that
could prove uniayorable to the
venture was that the nurse, who had
waited upon both patients, might
detect it But he was aware that the
hospital was crowded and the attend
ants oyerworkedi that the dead sol
der would be buried, probably, that
day without being seen by any one
who had known either Of them
and he was willing TO take the risk.
He realized, too, beyond q doubt,
that being officially dead nobody would
pursue and arrest him as a deserter;
aud further, If they arrested him Us
the Pennsylvanian he could not be
identified as that individual. He
made no miscalculation in the matter,
and was soon hundreds of miles away.
Years afterwards Mrs. Barton fled a
claim for pension as the widow of
Henry Barton, submitting the usual
evidence to subshintiate it. In due
course OF time the pension was granted
granted at the rate of twelve dol
lars per month for herself and two
dollars per month for each Of her
children, with arrears, at the same
rate, from the date of the soldiers
death. This allowance placed her in
very comfortable circumstances She
was enabled to lift the mortgage that
was on the farm, aud deposit, besides.
quite goodly sum in the bank against
the "rainy day" we have all heard
about.
Meantime anothervery worthy little
woman IN one of the valleys Of the
Allegheny Range, in Pennsylvania
and whose husband also had been a
soldier-did not fare so well. Be-
lieving herself to be a widow she,
too, applied for a pension; but
her claim was speedily rejected on the
ground that record evidence in the
Pension bureau showed that the sol
dier deserted from the army in August
1868, while an inmate of the Nash
vile hospital.
When her grief was yet new Mrs.
Burton had resolved that she would
have the body of her husband re-
moved from Nashville and buried in
Illinois as soon as her means would
allow it. But the lapse of years and
the cares of her daily life made his
memory nebulous and dim whenever
it happened to rise before her and the
idea of re-interment was abandoned.
She reasoned that the expense would
be great, and that it would do no
good he was dead, and many others
who we're even better husbands and
oldiers than he must sleep in South
ern graves until the resurrection
morning, She would not disturb
him.
So it is, ever, and has been. How
soon, after death, even the creates
man dwindles into significance. How
speedily and surely, when he is aslool
in his little dormitory in the church
yard, do the people among whom h,
walked in liIe--whose activities anC
recreations, joys and sorrows h,
shared-forget him as though HI
never existed. How soon even thos
near and dear to him lose sight Of hin
or at best are bound to him by only
ghostly and fitful remembrance grow
ing fainter and fainter as the years 6,
by. Is it not better so?
Some months ago an army comrad
met Barton upon one of the crowGe,
} thoroughfares Of San Francisco, am
knew him. 81 am aware that Vol
have been dead for thirty years." h
said to him, "but ali the same you ar