The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-04-21

thO oStoslOij.
The spot selected for the dreadful
scene was rather more than mile up
the Heights, where high ridge of
ground formed a barrier for bullets
that might miss their mark.
Arrived here, the troops were formed
in two large squares of one rank each,
one square within the other, with an
open face towards the ridge. Two
graves had been dug near this ridge,
and coffin was just in the rear of
each grave. Twenty PAGES in front
was firing party of six files, under a
lieutenant. at ordered arms; the gen
eral and his staff sat on their horses
near the centre.
Outside the outer square, the great
crowd of spectators stood in perfect
silence. The condemned men had
and each one sat on his coffin, with
his open grave before him.
They were very different in their
aspect. One a man of more than
forty years, showed hardly a trace of
feeling in his rugged face; but the
other was a mere lad, of scarcely
twenty, who gazed about him with
wild, restless look, as if he could not
yet understand that he was about to
endure the terrible punishment of his
offence.
The proceedings of the court mar
tial were read, reciting the charges
against these men, their trial, con-
viction and sentence; and then the or
der of General Sheridan approving
the sentence ''to be be shot to death
with musketry." and directing it to
be carried into effect at twelve o'clock
noon of this day The whole scene
was passing Immediately before my
eyes; for a staff uniform will pass its
wearer almost anywhere in the army,
and passed the guards and entered
the inner square.
A Chaplain knelt by the condemn
ed men and prayed fervently, whisp
cred few words in the ear of each.
wrung thar hands, and retired Two
soldiers stepped forward with hand
kerchiefs to bind the eyes of the sui
ferers, and l heard the officer of the
firing party give the command in
low tOne,--
|Attentlon! acknowledgements"
L looked at my watch; 1t was MIN
ute past twelve. the crowd outside
had been SO perfectly silent that
tlutter and disturbance running
through it at this instant fixed every
body's attention My heart gave a
great iIImp as I saw q mOuntad Ordar-
ly urging his horse through the
crowd, and waving yellow envelope
over his head.
The squares opened for him, and he
rode IN and handed the envelope to
the general. Those who were per
mlited to see that dispatch, read the
following:
Washington, D. c., Feb %, 1875.
nn fsrtser orders Stop
the execution A. Lincoln.
The older of the two men had so
thoroughly resigned himself TO his
fate. that he seemed unable now TO
realize that he was saved, and he
looked around him in a dazed. be-
wildered way.
Not so the other; he seemed for the
first time to recover his consciousness.
He clasped his hands together. and
burst into tears. AS there was no
military execution after this at Har-
per's Ferry, I have no doubt that the
sentence of both was finally commut-
ed
Powerfully as my feelings had been
stirred by this scene, 1 still suspected
that the dispatch had in fact arrived
before the cortege left Harper's Fer
ry, and that all that happened after
wards was planned and intended as a
terrible lesson to these culprits.
That afternoon 1 visited General
Stevenson at his headquarters, and
after introducing myself, and refer
ring to the mornings scene on Bolivar
Heights, l ventured to frankly state
my suspicious, and asked if they
were not we'll founded.
Not at ALL" he instantly replied.
THE men would have been dead had
that despatch reached me two min
utes later"
"Were you not expecting a reprieve,
genersl?"
Il had some reason to expect it last
night; but as it did not come. and as
the line was reported down between
here and Baltimore this morning, l
had given it up. Still, in order to
give the fellows every possible chance
for their lives, left mounted order
ly at the telegraph Office, with orders
to ride at gallop If message
came for me from " ashington. 1t is
we'll l dld.-the precaution saved
their lives"
How the dispatch came to Harper's
Ferry must be told in the words of
the man who got it through
The telegraDher's story.
On the morning of the Oath Of Feb
ruarv. 1866, was busy at NV work in
the Baltimore telegram office send
ing and receiving messages At half
past ten o'clockofor / had occasion