The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-04-01
could not get we'll; but am greatly re.
lieveo by the use Of the Capsules.
Yours very truly,
E's q. II, Hlberon
A SOLDIER OF TRUTH.
A VETERAN S VALUABLE ADDITION
TO WAR LITERATURE.

Brothers, who Were on Opposite sides, |
Was Finally Uscd-A Mystery the Old
Soldier Didn't Try to Explain.
As the reporter was rapidly hurrying
past the door of saloon he was met by
On old soldier, who suggestively tipped
| his hat.
"If you will tell me story" re.
marked the reporter, accepting the tip,
"Ill pay for the potations. 1 have
thirst for story; you have thirst for
a drink. Let us exchange"
The veteran was quick to respond, as
the parchod soil responds to the grateful
rain, and, opening the door, he bowed
| the reporter in and escorted him to a ia
BILE in a quiet corner, where presently
the potables were served.
az don't think | could have earned
what / am now so greatly and CRATE
fully enjoying" said the veteran, with
glowing cheek, as he set down his
glass, after long swallow, chad it not
been that today | met an old comrade
from Kentucky, state you will re-
member, which had soldiers in both
armies, and good soldiers, may add.
|
comes to New York to buy goods every
year, was in the Federal army, and he
had a nephew in the same regiment
with himself and another in the Confed-
crate army. The young chaps were
brothers, and they were mighty fond of
each other, but they We're fonder of their
principles or patriotism or politics, or
whatever you may call it, so they agreed
} to disagree, and each one go to the side
he thought was the right side.
"It was a sad parting, for they had
been closer together than most brothers,
and before they separated they fixed up
; kind of signal to identify themselves
by, so that if one was wounded and left
on the field he could notify the other if
it happened they were on the opposite
sides in that particular fight. 1t was a
boyish kind of lottery chance Of one
Q in million, but it suited them, and
= that's all they cared for. The signal ar
] rangement was to be light chain with
: a note fastened to it, and the whole
!. thing was to be fastened to the bullet
j and dropped into the old muskets they
D had in those days. This was to be fired
b at random up into the air to fall among
the soldiers of the opposite side to be
picked up as it might and taken to the
man whose address was in the note,
along with other instructions to be fol-
lowed out by the brother who might be
in condition to do it. You can see how
childish and almost impossible it was,
but there was just that chance in it that
made it attractive to the boys, and they
told each other goodby and went their
ways, the one to the north, the other tC
the south, each bearing with him his
chain and note of Identification attached
to the bit of lead that some day might
bear on its wings the message of death. "
The veteran was becoming poetic and
pathetic, and the reporter suggested d
refilling of the glasses, and the sugges
tion met with immediate and pleased
approval.
For the first two years, continued
the veteran, 1.-The boys hadn't any occa
sion to use their signals, for they had
to gone through unscathed, and, besides
I'd they were serving in sections of the
ID country widely separated, but in 1868
le in the fall, they We're with the armies
lt fighting through Tennessee, though they
le had lost track of each other except in
general way
le Just what they knew of each other
d. whereabouts l dom know, but one nigh
er in November there was a skirmish some
ib where in the neighborhood of Knoxville
as in which 500 or 600 men on a side wert
ed engaged, without result, and both side
es had settled down for the night to wal
G,,l, ont hxy Iau1if,ht ThofI
he were lot of wounded men, and deaC
en- ones, too, for that matter scattered
It. through the woods, where most of tn,
go fighting had been. There was a cornfelt
OF about quarter of mile wide separat
re ing the woods, and there had been SOM
to scrapping in this open ground, thougl
most of the fighting had been done iron
st cover, as these small skirmish line fight
mt generally are.
We 81 was corporal of the guard tina
n night, and by o'clock there was onl
on an occasional shot, as if each side wa
he quitting reluctantly and by inches.
he am not positive, but it seems to me tina
Id l heard the last two shots before still
is, ness settled over all. What the detail
i'm Of the romance, or the tragedy, or what
'or ever you want to call it, are / don
vi know. l know, though, that during til
ats night we had re-enforcements, and whe
ak we began to cautiously peep around, q
ut, soon as the day began to break, we dis
I'D covered that the enemy had by som
nd hook or crook taken alarm and departe
m. in the night, leaving their dead on IL
ais field, and among them, when we sci
for out our burying party, we found one
ere those boys with u bullet through h
lung and another, bearing u chain and
Ish note, buried in his brain. On our sic
his we found the other nephew with bot
ed legs broken by a ball and a bull'
his through his heart, with chain an
lut note attached to it. -
m, The reporter threw up his hands
his amazement, not to say doubt.
as Il don't Try to explain it, " the vete
it an hastencd 20 say upologetically.
for know it is hard to explain. 1t is eve
5he hard to believe, but what is u man
nd do or to say when lie sees such thinl
lg, with his own eyes? New York Sun,
rn- -
III In the Louvre, at Paris, there is {
on interesting old vase Of Etruscan man
ga focture whose age is committed at abO