Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1900-11-08
One For The Old Soldiers.
scENE--A CRY POLICE co1,R1

One FOR The Old Soldiers.
SCENE--A CITY POLICE COURT
Yer honor plead guilty; I'm hummer;
don't deny that through the whole long
summer
The sun-warmed earth has been my only
]. hain't been able fer to earn Twin,
a man ma With one leg planted intthe tomb
Bout bein' cooped up in a soldiers Home.
Where did lose my leg? At Spottsylvania,;
Perhaps you've read about that bloody
But then guess the story won't restrain
From doin' what the law sets down as
right. ~
I'm not. vag through choice. but through
misfortune,
An as fur drink-well, all men have their
An Judge, guess I'VE had my lawful por-
o. rough experience in prison vaults.
served as private in the Tenth New Jer-
An all the boys'll say done what's right;
Thar amt man can say that Ab-am
Bursey
Was ever found a Sinking in a. fight .
kiget IN the hell-born frightful roar o.
Whar shot an shell shrieked through the
darksome wood
You'd always find me doing best could.
" e aaQ brave OIL. teller tor a Colonel
We called him Sweety, but his name was
Sweet
Why judge, swearit by the Great Eternal
An you could alus bet your bottom dollar
In battle Sweety'd never hunt a tree,
He'd allus push into the front an holler
Brace up, my gallant boys, an follow mel
Well, Jest afore the spottsylvania battle.
i tell you, Abe, faint many things'll rattle
a tough OF weather-beaten cuss like me;
FIT II ye f 20 aet ge d got tdd aen
An faint any. use fer me to be concealin'
The skittish thoughts that in my bosom
play.
Fer many years you've been my neigh
Back in our little town in Old New Jersey
No one has got better name than you...
An now l want your promise squar'ly
That if the cause today demonds my life
You'll take me back an lay me by my wife.
Well, Judge, that day amidst the most in
An desperate bloody fight ever seed
Way up in front saw the daring Colonel
Throw up his hands an tumble of his
In half minute I was bendin' DER him,
An seem that he wasn't killed outright,
loaded him upon my back an bore him
Some little distance out O. the fight.
The blood from out gastly wound was
flowin,'
An so i snatched the shirt from off my
Fer could see the brave OF cuss war goin
To die unless / held the red tide back.
An pretty soon seed he war ar, reSiyn
ed my life,
Your OF wool shirt. along with your con
irwin
Has kept me from that grave beside my
wife.
Well. iI1dpe. while I stood thare hasida
him schemin
On how to get him in doctors care
ten-poung shell toward US came a
Just like ravin deamo on in the air.
An Wen it passed found n,aslef a lynn
That 'tarnal shell, that by us went flynn
Had tuck my leg along fer company.
Well. Judge, that's all; 'cept when the war
was over,
found msself cripple, an since then
| I've been sort of reckless, worthless,
aButjust as honest as the most o men,
| Never harmed woman, child or man
I've simply been bum, an hope the
/. court'll
! Be Just as easy on me as it can.
| Then spake the judge:t Such helpless,
worthless, creatures
/ Should never be allowed to bum and beg;
Your case, tbs true, has some redeemin'
4 For in your country's cause you lost leg;
| And yet feel the world eeeds an example
To checd the tendency of men to roam.
Z. The sentence is: That ali your life your
/ camp will
Be the best room in my humble home.'
The soldier started, dumb! Silent as a
i statue
Then in a voice of trembling pathos said: .
4 Judge, turn your head an give me one
| look at you
/ That voice. is like an echo from the dead
Then forward linped he, grimmy hand
II extended
/, While, tears adown his sun-burnt cheeks
4 did roll,
4 And said with slang and pathoS strangely
4 blended:
Why. Colonel sweety, durn your brave OIL
4 soul!'