The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-10-27
SERGEANT DECEIVED HER
ST. CLAIR FLUNKED ON DAY OF HIS
WEDDING AT MARTINsVILLE.
A Party Organized to Lynch This
Company II Soldier, who
Has Disappeared.

al MartnSVllie tuesday night, because of
a combination of circumstances. In order to
fully appreciate all the facts in the case
the story must be told from the beginning
in the language of Captain Monace, who
first introduced the man to the Marinsville
company of volunteers. That officer was
found last, night asleep in his "stall' in one
of the barns at the fair grounds, but cheer
fully sat up in the cold and smoky atmos-
phere. with his blanket wrapped around
him, and told the story as follows
Sometimes ! think St. Clair is crazy.
The whole thing is one of the strangest
affairs that has ever happened in my eX
perience with the world. When this COM
! pany came to the fair grounds last spring
not man of us knew u thing about drill
ing, but we came hoping to be assigned to
some regiment. OF course, most of the
boys are from the best families in the town
and have many friends there. During the
first few days we We're here we watched
the others drill and wished we could do
likewise. One day St. Clair came into the
barn we were camDed in and offered his
services to me as a drill master, showing
me d letter of recommendation from some
photographer in Indianapolis for whom he
had been working. He also said he had
papers at home in Stark county, Ohio,
proving that ne had been fourteen years in
the regular army and had been honorably
discharged. He was a thorough military
man and impressed me from the start.
However, / took him TO Major Condo and
asked his advice, Major Condo told me if
the man was what he represented himself
to be he was invaluable to the company
and advised me to take him. He only asked
80 a day for his work as instructor and l
all hot lI,,,+ I
him. He was everything that we expected
and more. for he proved to be the finest
tactcian in the regiment, without eXcep-
ton. Even Colonel Smith. congratulated
me on having such man, and to this day
thinks he is a wonder. There was not a
point about military matters that he was
not familiar with, and before long he had
all the boys thinking the world of him.
He was never sworn into the State service
with the rest of the company, he being at
that time simply hired to instruct the rest
of us. But when the company was about
to be sworn into the United States service
he came to me and said he wanted to be
taken into the company, and after consult
ing with the boys and finding they were
all favorabiy inclined to the plan we took
him in with the rank of sergeant. In the
meantime many people from home had been
here to see the boys, and among them was
Bill Balm and his two daughters.
HOW HE MET THE FAMILY.
1.-THE first time ever heard of st. Clair
in connection with the Balm family was
with the older sister, who is a school
teacher at home. After corresponding with
her for while St. Clair transferred his
attention to Maud, the younger sister.
How he first became acquainted with the
family was mystery to all, but it is sup
posed that being practically the idol of the
company. some of the boys introduced him
the same as they did to other people COM
ing from home. AT any rate, he made an
impression on all of the bainS, VINO adj
mired his soldierly bearing and his ready
tongue, which un1olded marvellous tales of
army life and adventure lie was a fluent
talker and during all the time he was in
the company, up till to-day, he has been
one OF the modeI men of the regiment. He
had bad habits and was apparently in
tensely modest and clean-minded. His way
of telling things was thoroughly convnc-
ing, and his apparent sincerity made him
loved by all the boys.
Nothing serious occurred until the regi-
ment went to Chiekamauga. Here St. Clair
began to receive and send many letters to
MartinsVille, and always to Miss Bain One
day he came to me and very seriously told
me he was corresponding with Miss Balm.
l. knowing her as L did, simply said: Wen,
you have nice correspondent She is of
a good family, and is all that you could
her, want you to think before you do
much writing, for she is a girl only seven
teen years old, and | think too much of her
and her family to see any harm come to
her. He assured me that he was simply
good friend to her, and the, matter
dropped. What made me so careful to eau
ton MIN about the matter was that he had
all the time been getting letters from the
Cincinnati hospital, addressed in a womans
handwriting. Nothing was said about the
matter for some time, until one day a cir
cumstance came up which made me suspi-
nt.N e Il kx,1 Il tl,-+ l.. i
no people living and that he had no prop
erty except a life insurance policy for 81, 900,
and that he did not know to whom to leave
1t. 1t was at the time we were getting
ready to go to Cuba, and every one was
making preparations, so that if any of us
did not come back his affairs would be
all straight. st. Clair on the day 1 speak
of, came to me and asked me for a fur
Tough in order to go to Cincinnati and settle
up his affairs. 1t was granted. Instead,
however of going to Cincinnati, he went
directly to Martinsville and stayed during
his furlough at the home Of Mr.. Balm. He
was treated very kindly there and came
back to camp at the end of his leave. On
his way back, in company with Captain
Jacobs. he told the latter that he was en-
gagged to Miss Balm and Captain Jacobs at
once, on his arrival in camp, came and told
me. Shortly afterward one of the boys saw
letter in which st. Clair was addressed
by Miss Balm as my dear husband. This,
st. Clair explained to me, was the result
Balm to address each other as husband
and wife in their correspondence, as they
had become engaged. About this time /
first began to warn Mr.. Balm. doing it in
a way that would not embarrass St. Clair.
OFFERED TO LEND $1,000
Things went along smoothly until we
were ordered home, and soon
rived here and were furloughed, st. Clair
made a bee line for Martinsville and stayed
during the whole thirty days at Miss Ban's
home. He appeared TO have made an i'm
preston on the family, for in spite of the
suspicious of us all, Mr.. Balm said to me
one day: Doc, / believe that man is all
right. He offered to loan me 81, 600. / hap
pened to say that l was going to draw that
amount in order to buy some cattle, and he
at once said he would let me have the
money. We'll, said l in a peculiar tone;
and he said he would. At any rate st. Clair
held his place in the estimation of the fam
lily and when we came back to camp it was
the understanding all over MartinsVille
that the wedding was to take place the
day after we were mustered out Why the
change was made to Tuesday l don't know,
but few days ago L got invitation, sup
but directed in St. Clair's hand, in which
the wedding was set for yesterday. Accord
ing to the invitation, il was to be a mill
tary wedding and Colonel Smith and near
ly all the officers were to be there. The
fact that they were not there saved them
and the rest OF us much embarrassment To 4
make long story short, st. Clair went to
lowed. Many friends of the family were
present ON the night of the wedding and
the front room was filled with about a
carload of presents. About the time the