The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-08-20

nlajuts from the boys. Yours sincerely,
j. s. Barnhart.
Company e. Seventeenth Confederate Dis
mounted Cavalry.
Two Good Stories.
One of the most gallant members of th'
Terry Rangers (the Eighth Texas cavalry
was Tom Blank. Always at the front in
fight when present with his company. ht
was not always present because of an inor-
dinate thirst for liquor. Whenever and
wherever he found that, 1t was his habit
TO appropriate as much as he could carr,
inside Of his skin and in such other recep-
tacles as came handy.
] One day, when he was exceedingly well
! loaded. he grew too independent to stay
with his command, and wandering away
| from 1t soon lost it. But, although lost
and drunk, neither his soldierly instincts
nor his desire to serve his country aban-
doned him. Discovering man in blue
uniform, he charged upon the gentleman
with a blood curdling rebel yell, bride
reins and pistol in his left hand, and bot
tie OF old Bourbon in his right, and can
teen of whisky floating in the air behind
and, pointing the bottle at him, demand
ed an instant surrender. While surprised
by the novelty of attack and weapon pre-
scented, the Yankee lost no time in comply
ing with the peremptory summons. He
was Federal cavalry officer. who, having
that morning been cut off from his COM
mand and life inside the Confederate lines.
had been hunting chance all day either
to rejoin his comrades or to surrender to
a respectable Confederate. Bushwhackers
were in the vicinity and he feared being
captured by them and shot for spy.
You surrender, do you, you d blue
bellied son of a gum" shouted Tom be-
tween hiccoughs, when he saw that the Of
ficer made no effort to fight or run.
"of course / dc" answered the officer.
Here's my sword and pistol" and he Of
fered them to Tom,
oh, d-n your sword and pistol--I've
got plenty of my own and don't want to
be bothered with yours. Here, take n
drink--take big one-Ive got dead coolies
of it, and, unslinging his canteen. Tom
passed il over
Too polite to refuse such pressing in
vitation the officer took a long and strong
pull at the canteen and, as he handed it
back. remarked:
Well am your prlsoner--where is your
command"
"Dam-f-no," drawled Tom as rapidly
as hiccoughs permitted. Its somewhere
roun' an all we've got to do is to find it,
But while we're huntin' fer it les have
good time-you carry the canteen and I'll
Keep the bottle--it's so handy"
And to find the Terry Rangers captor
and captive Immediately set out. Tom
Blank changing the direction of their
march every time he and the officer took a
drink, and that was every quarter of
mile. They made so little progress that
night overlook them and they went into
blvouac, the officer stealing corn from a
near by patch for both horses. dividing
the contents of his well filled haversack
with the Confederate, and finally lying
down by him and going to sleep.
Tom was the first to awake next MORN |
Ing. Turning up the bottle, which LAY be-
side him, and snding it empty, he rolled |
over and discovered the still sleeping man |
in blue Nightly puzzled, for he remem-
day, he gave the officer a shake which |
caused him TO spring into sitting position
and face Tom. Then, with drunken gray
ty, Tom asked:
Say, Yank, which one of us is the pris.
oner--you or me? Did you capture ME or
lie capture you-that s the question
Nv by, you captured me and / am the
prisoner" explained the officer laughing.
Don't you remember it?"
Remember ILL., exclaimed Tom with a
proportioned TO his thirst. eve
been drunk again, reckon, and I'd give a
horse for drink OF liquor"
Thereupon the gallant Federal produced
he canteen, in which he had been careful
o save two or three hairs of the dog which
lad bitten his captor. Then. producing his
laversack, he and Tom ate light break
asst, and. that concluded, set off again in
earch of the Rangers. Finding them III
amp near blythe officer was at once pa
oiled, But before he left camp he told
he incidents of story which, but for him.
lad been left unwritten
Stories about commands usually read
'est in pairs. Frank Elan was another
allant member OF the Terry Rangers AL
ways acting in perfect good faith himself.
e despised anything like trickery, wheth-
+ in friend or enemy. One day at MUIR
reesboro. when the Rangers had attacked
he flank of a Federal cavalry brigade
nd were having things pretty much their
wn way, ELAN pushed ahead of his COM
AIDES and managed to get fairly between {
squad of twenty-five or more Federals {
nd their command When, few minutes ,
tier, he came back with only five pris- .
ners, he was making the air around him Z
lue with cuss words.
What the devil and Tom Walker are (
on so mad about. Frank Elam?" asked ,
is captain
why, captain" said the enraged Elan.
just charged over yonder in that lane G
nj cut on nearly company of the :
ankees, and excepting these five men !
ere, every ID son of. gun of EN- ran /
ght by me just as II warnt thar and q
dn't have 'em cut off at ALL" q
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