Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1897-04-02

frightened, and his imagination has run
away with him. Now we can find out
much more easily what truth there is to
the case used to do little solitary work
during the war, and l would rather enjoy
trying my hand at it again. l will go up
TO this place, and If it is advisable to send
troops, why will be back to let you know
before the end of the week.
"Thcre were a number of us who advo-
Gated George Haller's going, and, God
help me, was one of them. He did go,
and none of us again saw him alive. -
The white haired captains voice died
away, and he was silent. Then slight
SILVER passed over him, and he shook him
self together.
"Haller refused to take even an orderly
with him. He thought he could investi-
gate more easily by himself and without
creating any suspicion. He set out from
the post the next morning. Thursday, hay
ing gained the consent of the old man
mean our commander of course-dressed
in his fatigue uniform and riding black
devil of a horse that lent him. insisted
on his taking the animal, for knew that
If he happened at any time to need speed
that horse could outstrip anything that
fed on the prairies. The darby courier
positively refused to go back.
"At the end Of seven days, when Haller
failed to either return or send us any
word, we began to grow anxious, and
when two weeks had passed away we all
felt that it had been great mistake to al
low him to go alone. Somehow | had felt
uneasy from the start and had cursed my
self roundly over and over again for my
share in the scheme. knew George Halter
was as brave a man as ever wore two bars,
and as able, but 1 felt that the whole
thing had been a piece of foolhardness.
Finally when another week had gone by l
became so restless that l could not stand
it any longer | therefore made application
for permission to go in search of Halter.
1 do not wish, captain, said the old
man, to lose my officers one by one, but
if you care to go up to this place and take
your company with you, you may do so.
will also let you have a troop of cavalry.
1t won't do you any harm to get out of
camp, and will give the men something to
do besides polishing their buttons
81 caught at the suggestion. and the
very next day we started. 1t took us three
days to make the march, and we reached
Cameron on the morning of the 18th.
found that the negro's story had not been
exaggerated. The piece was in ferment
still over the affair OF Halter l could
learn nothing. Nobody would acknowl-
edge having seen him.
81 made up my mind, however, that ev-
cry one was lying on this point, and
waited as patiently as l could. l felt posi-
tive that he had reached the place and felt
equally sure that he was dead. l made
quiet Investigations, but they resulted in
nothing, and for time it seemed that we
would never learn anything.
cone day, however, some three weeks
after our arrival one of my men came to
me with an anonymous communication
written in pencil on piece of common
wrapping p"0er. He had found it, he
said in from: of his tent, where it had been
dropped presumably by one of the visitors
who often came into camp to look at the
Yankee soldiers. The note ran as follows
1" L am n Union man, but dare not dis
close myself. 1t would cost me my life to
be known as friendly to you. There was
one officer who came here six weeks ago
He let people know who he was. This was
sure death. LightfOot found him out ana
his gang murdered him. l don't know
where or how, but he went out on the
Waco road with Lightfoot alone two days
after he came. We did not see him again
Lightfoot came into town at night riding
the soldiers horse, black and leading
his own. If l can learn more will send
you word.
"This news did not surprise me in the
least l put the note carefully away and
cautioned the man who found it to say
nothing. In a few days second note
came. 1t had been dropped in the same
place as its predecessor, but this time it
was wrapped about a couple of weather
stained infantry coat buttons.
There are human bones lying in the
mesquite bush about three miles north, >
the note said, close to the north fork of
the Leon and about 100 yards below the
ford. You can know the spot by rotten
pecan tree. l found these buttons there
"At this point the note stopped abrupt
ly. / read it over again carefully ard
marked down the directions. Then | called
in one of my officers and told him to take
detachment and search the spot described
thoroughly, bringing in whatever might
be found 1t was just after guard mount
when the party set out, and it returned
late in the afternoon. Lieutenant -,
who was in command of it, said he had
found the place, and had there discovered
a quantity Of bones scattered about in
Guiding skull There were sharp prints
III inc IpHCH lHNllCittlIlB bl!ul lncN ldu ucCu
stripped Of their flesh by coyotes A num-
Der of infantry vest buttons had also been
found and coat buttons. There was moth
ing else except few shreds of dark blue
cloth and a remnant of what had once
parently been an undershirt, the latter
colored and glued together with dri
blood
81 ordered these things taken to my
quarters and laid out on table. We were
unable to gain any information from the
skeleton itself hut on soaking the rem
uant of the undershirt in hot water found
1t to contain an inside pocket, in which
there was a quantity of paper money.
When washed clean, found the initials
&C. H.
~ never succeeded in capturing Light.
foot, but later on l did get hold of one OF
bis gang, whom l persuaded to confess
"Haller, 1t seemed, had made no secret
of his mission, and under an assumed
name Lightfoot readily gained his conf
dence. He went so far as to tell Haller
that he could show him the place where
tie desperate he sought had made his
headquarters The latter, he declared, had