Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1897-06-19
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|; Private Pat Flaherty.
THE OLD SOD.
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NITY MESSENGER GEORGE L.
u WARRINER always has good
supply of war stories on tap. In
MIR. WARMERS regiment, which was
recruited at Worcester and went
to the front from there, was n pri-
vate who might have been named Pat
rick Flaherty, but wasn't, and who
might have been French, but was Irish.
And he was an Irishman not only in
name and hair, but in that national
characteristic of witty retort and pc
culiar denseness in some directions.
While the company was in the bar
racks at Worcester it was the fashion
out of the lines through hole in the
high board fence, made by removing
the nail at the bottom of a wide board
and swinging it to one side. After the
men had got through they would let the
board swing back, and there was no
sign of exit. The officers finally discov
cred this method of procedure, anil
determined to put stop to it. They Sc
lected as sentry at the crucial point
Flaherty. He had impressed them as
man who would do his duty at what
ever cost, even though it meant stick
ing a bayonet into some ones vitals or
boring a hole through him with an
ounce of lead They also elaborated n
system of countersigns which they pro-
posed to have strictly enforced.
1t chanced that one night several of
hn fn hn nd
The password that night was "Ticon-
deroga." 1t was guarded very care
fully, but by some means the men got
hold of it and planned to make use of
it by getting outside the lines. So a
party of four or five started toward the
point in the line where Flaherty was on
picket. For safety's sake, one of the
party started ahead to experiment on
Flaherty with the password, while the
rest stayed behind to watch the out
come. If the advance guard got
through, all the rest had pretty good
assurance of going through also. The
soldier approached Flaherty in the dark
and the latter brought his musliet to
charge bayonets, and shouted:
"Who be yez?"
"a friend"
"Shure, and yez can't get out O. this
widout de countersign."
The soldier approached the picket and
whispered in his ear the word:
"Ticonderoga."
'Phwat did yez say?"
"Ticonderoga," repeated the guard
runner, in louder whisper.
THAT amt the worrud," said Pat,
and as the soldier made motion to
withdraw, he added, approaching the
point of the bayonet little closer to
his body: Don't yez move wan step,
or by the howly mither I'll stick this
inter yez."
The soldier knew Pat well enough
to know that he would do it in a second
Ii he made a motion, and so he stood
there passively while Pat yelled:
"Carp'ral of the guard!" In moment
or two the corporal came running up
to see what was the matter, but he was
halted by PAT, who said: "Give the
countersign."
"Ticonderoga," said the corporal, and
started to approach nearer.
"Howld up" interposed Pat, "yez
haven't got it right, either, at ali, at
all"
In vain the corporal protested that
that was the word that had been given
out. Pat would not let him move either
way, but kept the corporal and the pri-
rate standing there with his bayonet
vibrating between them while he shout
ed for the sergeant of the guard. The
word was passed along and finally the
sergeant arrived on the scene. Mean
while the guard runners companions
began to edge away to await develop
ments, remaining, however. within ear
shot.
whats all this trouble?" demanded
the sergeant, looking over the group.
"Give the countersign," said Pat
rick.
"Ticonderoga," replied the sergeant
Faith and yez haven't got it right,
oyther," said Pat, pointing his bayo-
net at the sergeant.
"Yes, it is, you fool" answered the
sergeant, "that's what all the plckets
have"
sit don't make wan bit of difference" !"
ssid Pat. IF yez don't give that coun-
tcrsign and yez move wan step, IN
put hole through yez."
Pat was getting angry by this time
and the protestations and threats of the
sergeant and corporal did not moe
him whit. Flaherty called this time
for the lieutenant OF the guard. He was
BY this time surrounded by pretty
peSpectaole-sized crowd OF puzzled otii-