The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-04-26

disastrous. and reported back to the
major fifteen hundred rebel troops In
camp It was a disagreeable night
upon which TO be killed, and II l had had
my pick and choice Of the times and
places in my whole three years service
at which and upon which / should be
killed, / am sure / wouldn't have picked
either that time or that place. At any
rate, with all our shooting n cannon
aiding into that good old farmers clear
ing, there wasn't or hadn't been a rebel
soldier within twenty miles Of there. so
far as any OF us were able to ascertain
But all this was only an intimation OF
the driftwood piled upon the banks OF
the river Of genius, out OF which the
wand Of comedy drew shapes and forms
of grotesque mien with which TO people
the walking floats In the widest, most
ridiculous and most spontaneously ex-
travagant procession hat ever spurned
the earth with its "war-made corns,' for
on reaching Murray early in the morn
ing Of the following day We proceeded
to capture the town, and went into quar-
tiers in the courthouse. 1t was here We
were Joined about noon by two COM
panies of the Second Illinois, in advance
of the main army The cavalry looted
all the saloons in town and dealt out
the fluid joy with unstinting hand, and
the result was the grandest and most
jubilant spree / ever witnessed. Every
body was happy, ~good-natured and troll
icksome. Bacchus was in his most play
full mood, n a simultaneous raid was
made by some intuitive freak on all OF
the secret society halls in, the place. A
grand rush broke open the closets. chests
and sacred archives, and the boys ar
rayed themselves In jewels, symbols, re-
gala, robes, c~oronets, uniforms and
plumes in the most discordant relation
A-k 4l. ..oz 0rrI do
wise. A man with a 'Sons of Malta
false face. a Master Mason's" jewel
and a Red Mems" painted tomahawk
headed the procession. Nothing in the
history of the Mardi Gras, under the
Yelled Prophet of the Mississippi, ever
equaled the side-splitting comicality OF
this unique and indescribable spectacle,
1t would have caused the most eloquent
circus poster linguist, with his colossal
vocabulary and gigantic corrigenda dia
bolicum to have turned pale in the pres
| ence Of such a perilously unpronounc-
able congress of terrible sights. The
'bill-poster's dream" would create the
impression of the millennium to come Il
contrasted with a snapshot picture OF
this allegory Of Hades. . Each man wa:
succeed all over with comedy Thicker
than the spangles on the gaudiest circus
| clown that ever cut a throat with a piece
of soar or sawed wood with a hammer
| The Supreme Fol-Dod of the second de-
| tachment wore q pair of broadfall nan
keen pants, hind side before, a pigeons
tailed coat with brass buttons. a plus
hat with fur on II as long as the bristle'
in a whitewash brush. n a f1uted ant
ruffed shirt, a false face on the back o
his head and a dingy expanse OF shin be
tween the bottoms of the nankeen pant'
and the tops of his army brogans.
/ am of the opinion that Providence
or whoever 1t is gins the impulse
In the human breast, had this thing Z
happen In the way Ii did that Ken
tuckians might have a glimpse or TN
way the rest Of the nation looked upol
Kentucky neutrality" 1t was a spec
tacular digest OF the unity OF the grea
State which stood upon neutral groun'
and furnished recruits to both facuon
in the civil war.