The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1896-04-22
"REMINISCENCES.

| Susie ~ Rest
"REMINISCENCES.
Nothing that can happen to a people
is as demoralizing in its effects as war;
especially civil war Outside of the
cost to the governments engaged, and
the devastation and waste Of property
and substance, the demoralizing effects
on character can never be eflaced
While a war of any kind is horrible
enough, civil war is infinitely worse
in every particular. After lapse Of
more than thirty years, the animOsi-
ties and bitterness of our own civil war
are only beginning to disappear, and
the huge debt owed by the United
States Government will be a remind
er, for years to come, of what war costs.
Some writer has said: ''Oh, Liberty.
what crimes are committed in thy
name" If there is latent disposition,
however slight, in any young man, to
evil, a soldiers life develops it TO the
fullest extent. The writer knew any
number of young men who We're NOR
al, well-behaved citizens, or at least,
civil, at home, who developed into
very tough characters in the field.
May kind Providence protect US from
another civil war. During the late war,
particularly along the border, there
were many instances of theft and ra-
pine committed by both sides that
ought to have brought blush of
shame 10 their cheeks. Hundreds Of
horses were driven across the border
that had been owned by nOn-cOmbat-
ants, for which no reeOmpense was
ever made. A troop of cavalry served
in Virginia and Maryland, whose prin-
cipal service seemed to be 10 ride back
and forth along the pike, and coming
i'm the direction of Western Pennsyl-
vania and Eastern Ohio, it required
several horses frequently, for each
man. Some of these young fellows
came this way so often that people be-
came well acquainted with them
One in particular. whose name has es-
capped the writer, came about once a
month, and usually stayed several
days at Petersburg. He seemed civil
enough, only he had different horse,
or several, sometimes. He was known
to everybody by the name of Lily
Jane because he was constantly sing
ing song, in which ale went out
the new-cut road, and she went out
the lane where he 'met her on the
corner,r with the refrain at the end OF
every verse: ''Sing go long Lily Jane"
The last time this young man pissed
through Petersburg he was in the conn
plny of squad of United States sol
diers, and was somewhat encountered
in his movements by manacles.
"Lizy Jane" evidently failed to meet
him at the corner on time. Once some
of these cavalrymen were coming west,
and this side of Frostburg, on the top
of Savage mountain some lumber
teams had halted to eat their dinner
and feed their horses, among them be-
ing one old, inOffensive and innocent
German, whose name is not remem-
bered at this writing The old man
had taken the harness off his horses,
TO let them cool off, the day being
warm, and he was lying down under
tree, the harness being close by on
the ground. When the soldiers came
along, one of them rode over the old
Germans harness, who politely told
him not to do 50. Without any furth-
er provocation or parley, the soldier
drew his revolver, and riding to where
the old man lay, shot him dead. He
was never arrested or punished. He
turned his horse into the pike, and,
with his companions, rode off west
ward, leaving the old man lie as he
had fallen. Another time the same
man, with the same comrades, pOssi-
bly,, or, at least, some of the same COM
mand, came through Petersburg, also
going westward; they were ali drunk,
and this one particular person attempt
ed to ride into the bar-room of the hO-
tel, kept at that time by James AL
bright, a cripple, who always used
crutches, and who now lives in Ursina.
He rode his horse over the pavement,
and up the stone steps, with his front
feet inside the door, when Mr.. Albright
caught the horse by the bride and
forced him back again. The soldier,
in his drunken frenzy pulled out an
immense pistol, cooked il, and aimed
it directly at Mr.. Albright, and would
most certainly have shot him, had not
one of his companions, more sober, or
sensible, or merciful, charged up on
his horse, and taken the pistol from
him. The writer's blood fairly ran
cold at the sight, as he stood close by,
but powerless to avert the threatened
crima.
What has seen written on this mat
ter, has, of course, no reference to sol.
diers, for, as a rule, the American soI-
diers are the most gentlemanly of any
in the world, and the best; but every
body knows there was Judas even
among the selected twelve. rhe
American soldier is the best in the
world, as a matter of eolrse, because,
under our free institutions he could
not be otherwise. Unlike the mon-
arches of the old world, we have no
classes or castes- Every man is a mon
arch, and as good as every other man,
and, sometimes, as the Irishman said,
"a great deal better" During the
spring of 1864, the writer sat in the
lecture room with students who were
members of militia regiments of their
state, who were under obligations to
enter the L. ;. service for one hun
dred days, in case they were callei on.
The writer distinctly remembers some
half-iozen who responded to the call,
ami, in two weeks from the time they