The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-04-10

| Wncn Two weeks mad passed away we al
felt that 1t had been great mistake to al
low him to go alone. Somehow Ihad fel
uneasy from the start and had CURSED my
self roundly over and over again for m,
share In the scheme. KNEW George Halle
was as brave man as ever wore two bars
and as able, but / felt that the Who'll,
thing had been piece Of foolhardiness
Finally when another week had gone by ]
became SO restless that could not stand
1t any longer. therefore made application
for permission to go in search of Halter.
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 80.
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
II 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 4th ]
found that the negroes story had not been
exaggerated The place was in a ferment
still over the affair. OF Halter I could
learn nothing. Nobody would acknowl-
edge having seen him.
II made up my mind, however, that ey-
cry one was lying on this point, and
waited as patiently as could. felt posi-
tive that he had reached the place and felt
equally sure that he was dead I made
quiet Investigations, but they resulted in
nothing, and for time it seemed that we
would never learn anything.
"One day, however, some three weeks
after our arrival one of my men came to
me with an anonymous communication
written In pencil on a piece of common
wrapping paper. He had found 1t, he
said, In front 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:
i am 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 lot people know who he was. This was
sure death. Lightfoot found him out, and
his gang murdered him. I 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, a black, and leading
his own. II can learn more, will send
you word
"This news did not surprise me in the
least. put the note carefully away and
cautioned the man who found 1t to say
nothing. In few days a second note
came. 1t had been dropped in the same
place as Its predecessor, but this time 1t
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. found these buttons there
"At this point the note stopped abrupt
ly. l read 1t over again carefully and
marked down the directions. Then called
in one of my officers and told him to take
q detachment and search the spot described
thoroughly bringing in whatever might
DC 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
in the bones indicating that they had been
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 a few shreds of dark blue
cloth and remnant Of what had once up
parently been an undershirt, the latter dis
colored and glued together with dried
blood .....
II ordered these things taken to my
quarters and laid out on a table. We were
unable to gain any information from the
skeleton itself, but on soaking the rem.
nant of the undershirt in hot water found
1t to contain an inside pocket, in which /
here was quantity of paper money.
When washed clean, l found the initials
@. H. -.-a 5s
II never succeeded In capturing Light
DOT, but later on l did get hold of one Of
lis gang, whom persuaded to confess.
Halter, 1t seemed had made no secret
Il his mission, and under an assumed
lame Lightfoot readily gained his conf,
ence. He went SO far as to tell HalleI
hat he could show him the place where
l.c desperate he sought had made his
eadquarters. The latter, he declared, had
ed with his gang after the massacre of
no blacks. The two then rode out to the
Waco road together, and coming to a place
Thcre there were several of Lightfoots
ang concealed the poor, unsuspecting
GLOW was shot down without warning.
This much l learned from the member ,
the gang who fell into my hands. He r
lade no attempt to smooth over the rough :
arts of his confession, and his last words =
ere:
q We left the Yankee in the mesquite. I
reckon the coyotes attended to the rest of I
Now you all can go ahead with your
,ngin,' 7
And that, y said the captain as he re- i
GIFTED his cigar, sis the reason remem.
II that one entry in the register so dis n
nctly. Do you wonder at it'll. r.
atlin in New York Commercial Adver. n
ser.