The Columbus journal., 1900-10-10

There r those who recall enter
tainingly recollections Of photograph
ing the dead. says the Philadelphia
Times. With one Of these the narra-
tor is acquainted. and in . recent con-
versation he INDUCED in tales Of expe-
riences that are worth repeating. Said
he: Il first took pictures OF the dead
On the battlefield of Antietam. It was
4 warm September morning three days
after the great fight. I had a boy with
NE to assist In preparing the chemi-
Gals. He only worked for an hour.
With boyish curiosity he went poking
about and picked up an unexploded
shell. He was then on the bank Of a
creek about half a mile OF. I never
knew how it happened. but the bomb
exploded and almost blew him to
pieces. A little darby came up to
where I wac waiting for the boys re-
turn and completely unnerved me by
shouting: Say. boss. de red-headed
semmen has done gone and blowed
hisself up VIII a she'll He was a
bright. intelligent boy, and 1 felt his
loss keenly, but I pressed the negro
boy into service and went to work. It
would be useless to go over the scene
Of that carnage again to tell of the
chastity aftersights of that awful fight.
which made 30 many widows and or
phans. l was nervous and excited and
you can depend it did not tend to quiet
my nerve when I unwittingly planted
one leg of the camera stand on the
chest of a dead union drummer boy.
BY some mean he had been partly
buried in a patch of soft soil. Moth
Ing was visible but the buttons of his
blouse and one foot. A darkroom was
improvised by hanging heavy army
blankets from the limbs of a low tree.
and after taking four negatives ] pack
ed up my traps and started for Phila-
ielphia. It was a slow and dangerous
journey, but I made it safely and be-
gan printing pictures. They sold like
wildire at 50 cents and 81 each. I was
nearly $4,000 in pocket in less than
two weeks and determined to repeat
the program after the next big battle.
It came with Fredericksburg. My anx-
iety to get a view Of the field after the
of the union army led to trou-
BILE. I was captured by three confed-
crate stragglers and taken down the
in q row boat. They
suspected me Of being a spy. I sup
pose. and the photographing apparatus
a blind. At any rate the valu-
able camera, chemicals, Jars and ev-
srything else were dumped into the
river. / was taken before Gen. Lee. |
personally. and charged with being a
spy. No explanation availed anything. |
1t was not believed that I was a pho
One Of Gen. Lees staff
think his name was Murray-proposed
that I should be tested. An aid de
camp galloped OF and procured the
necessary apparatus and I photograph
ed the rebel general and his entire
stan on a day cold enough to freeze
the words in . mans mouth. The on
cers were evidently impressed with the
ldea Of my innocence. A short consul
tation followed, and then Gen. Lee |
himself said to me: Sir. 1t appears
that you n simply engaged in earn
Ing q livelihood. and I believe honest
y. You are at liberty I was blind
folded. put back in the boat and land
within twenty miles Of where Burn
side had his winter quarters. From
hat day to this I never knew where I
Here is the picture Of Lee and
his STAFF" and the photographer ex-
the faded likeness which had
probably saved his life.
Il recall an instance" he went on.
which is probably the most remark
lble thing OF the sort ever related.
TWO young men came into my place in
he winter of 1874 or 1875. I forget
which. and said they wanted a photo
graph Of their dead father. whose
sody ~ In . receiving vault They