The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1897-07-02

each other half way in the river and
exchange newspapers. We became
friendly, and | went over to their
camp | brought Yankee picket
back with ME, and gave him bundle
Of fine old Virginia smoking tobacco
to give his friends, as they had wretch
cd tobacco. The upshot Of these vis
It's was that the Yankee pickets just
opposite US on the other bank Of the
river made an agreement with US that
we would not shoot at each other on
picket duty, as only a man was killed
now and then, and that wouldn't win
or lose the war for either side.
Feeling that this agreement would
be kept in good faith by the Yankees
| felt safe in building a camp fire when
| went on picket duty the next night.
A handsome fellow by the name of
Moore, from Bedford county, Va, was
on duty with me. He had just re-
ceived letter from his wife, and was
delighted to find in the envelope two
tintype pictures OF his two little chill
dren. As he sat by the fire and read
the letter he fondly kissed the pic
lures, and we discussed the prospects
ot the war closing soon. Finally he
arose to his feet and raised his hands
over his head to stretch himself
| saw the flash Of gun from the
Yankee picket line across the river,
and in an instant Moore fell prostratc
on the ground the blood gushing
from IA wound in the head. The bull
let had struck him over the left eye,
and he fell dead instantly.
81 could not understand why the
soldier had fired Whether it was Il
traitor who refused to keep the little
agreement we had made, or whether
the man who fired the shot was not
aware Of the agreement, know not.
At any rate, put out the fire, and
sworc that | would kill every Yankee
on sight after that.
"Bcfore the fire was out | pulled
| M0ore's body away. and in the glare Of
the light saw that MOorc's head was
resting on Il copy OF the New York
Herald, which | had gotten from the
other side. The blood from the wound
above the eye had spattercd on the
following headline in big black type:
All Quiet Along the Potomac.
"Wcll, do you know that headline,
written by some telegraph editor in
New York to denote that there was a
lul in the fighting, kept running
through my brain all night. In fact,
that headline seemed to have been
burned into my brain in the glare OF
the pickering light. as | pulled the
body Of my dead comrade aside, and
heard the waters of the river sing his
requiem at midnight.
1.-THE next day could not drive the
tragedy from my thoughts, and sat
down and penncd the poem, beginning
with this stanza:
All quiet along the Potomac, they say
Except here and there n stray picket
| II shot. as he walks on his beat to aud fro,
nv rifeman hid in thicket.
"ris nothing! A private or two now and then
win not count in the news OF the battle,
| Not an officer lost only one of the men,
Moaning out all alone his death rattle.
"Wcll continued Mr.. Fontaine, 81
showed a copy OF the poem to a com
rade, and he wrote copy for himself.
He would give copy to another COM
radc, and so on it went through the
camp Finally, dead picket was
found with copy OF the poem in his
pocket, but no name was signed TO it.
That copy reached Iiarper's Weekly,
or some Northern paper, and was
therefore first published in a North
crn paper, as an anonymous poem. 1T
was a long time aftcrward that |
learned that young girl in Massa-
chusetts claimed the authorship OF
my poem. But | can't see how a
young girl, far removed from the
scenes OF war and wholly without per-
sonal observation OF picket duty, could
have pictured these scenes in verse.
However, the poem is mine, and |
drew my inspiration from that mid
night scene in the rebel picket lines
on the bank Of the Potomac"
Capt. Boycott died in London a few
few days ago. He was about % years
Of age, and became famous through
hnin MI tho first man sllhlerlpd 10 tht