Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1899-02-02

ant hospitality at one time or other. He
had objected to the few who had lost
heavily to him at cards, and the objec-
ton had been sustained, and when the
last day of the long session arrived and
the sad eyed pale faced, scrupulously
| groomed and dressed accused arose lie.
fore the dignified array and the little
line OF curious spectators to make his
last plea silence, not unmixed with a
certain sympathy, fell upon all hearers,
as in low voice and faltering accents the
friendless fellow began his story. Part
~ from manuscript, which he seemed
to find hard reading, but mainly as an
extemporaneous effort, his remarks were
substantially as follows:
'I've come to make clean breast of
it, gentlemen. I'm not fit to wear your
uniform. l never was. 1 never wanted
to. 1t was practically forced upon me
by men who ought to have known bet.
ter, who did know better, but who did
not care so long as they got me out of
the way My father as much as owned
more than one congressman in York
state. The Hon Mr. Cadger of the
military committee couldn't have been
renominated if it hadn't been for him,
and he didn't want me round home
any more. He got me kept Oh bureau
work long after all but few volunteers
were mustered out, and showed me
down to New Orleans, where I'd often
been steamboating before the war
81 had the fever there when l was
only 20 Perhaps he thought could
get it again and that would be the end
of me. If there's worse place for
young officer to start in than that in
fernal town was just after the war, it
amt on the map of these United States
had the luck and the opportunities Of
the devil for nigh on to year. got
more money and learned more ways of
getting it than l knew how to use. and
then got married.
"A homeless woman, q woman with
brains and good looks and education,
married me for the position could give
her, l suppose. They told me afterward
she did it out Of spite or desperation;
that she was a northern girl who had
been employed as governess in an old
southern family that was ruined by the
war; that she had a younger sister in
New York whom she was educating-a
girl who had a magnificent voice and
wanted to go on the stage-and all the
money she could save went to her She
got employment when Ben Butler took
command, for she knew all the southern
families that had money and plate and
jewels and those that had nothing but
niggers.
''She fell in love, they told me after
ward, with swell colonel who came
there on staff duty, for he cut dash
and made desperate love to her, until
his wife got wind of it and came down
there all of sudden, just after the
smash up Of the Confederacy, and put
a stop to his fun. That was in May,
and l got there in July. We were mar
ried that winter, and loaded her with
the best could buy and gave her all
she could spend on her sister until she
found out how my money was made
| there in cotton and cards. She thought
and I'd let her think so-that had
big property in the north. 1t was an
other woman gave her the tip, and then
the trouble began She swore we must
give up the house we lived in, the
horses and carriage and go to Il cheap
boarding house. She got the jewelers. to
take back the watch and all the trinkets
I'd given her at their own valuation
about quarter of what they cost me
She argued and pleaded and prayed and
swore she'd confess the whole thing to
General Sheridan. who came there right
after the riots of 1866 and took com.
maEd-and that would have sent me to
the peniteutiary
There were regular officers in ths
deals besides me, and they got wind OF
| 1t and tried to brihe her, and she'd cry
all night and nope all day and swear
she ID leave me unless cut loose from
the whole business and restored what
I'd made By God couldntl Id
spent it! ! was no worse than three or
| four others who had eyes open to their
| opportunities-two of EN- in the regu
lar army now-bang up swells. and at
last | couldn't stand it aud got to drink.
| ing. and then lost my card nerve, and
| the money Went with it, and it made me
sperate-crazy, | reckon, for one night
| when came home drunk and she made
scene, l suppose must have struck
her, and then she took sick and got
| delirlnEs, and ! was horribly afraid.
and SO were my partners. that she d give
up the whole business, so they got mo
leave of absence
They saw me- aboard the steamer
Or new fork My money was running
mort and they gave me enough to place
| DER in sanitarium ON the Hudson and
| get her sister with her, and then
came back and bad luck followed.
was strapped, when the old man told
me I'd have to go out and join my reg
iment, for he'd got me appointed in
the regulars. Why, some Of Sheridan's
officers, when they saw my name in
the papers, wrote to stop it, but it was
no use. The military committee in con-
gress couldn't go back on Mr.. Cadger,
and he daren't go back on my father.
But they got me sent out here to be rs
far away as possible, and, yes, there
were three deserters from Grams bat
terry aboard the steamer, so I learned,