The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1901-05-16
COL. INGRAHAM's FUNERAL.
Famous Dime Novelist Was Pronounc-
ed Dead and MOurned as Such
Many Years Ago.
From GreenvilIe IS. o. News.I

From GreenyilIe IS. C.) News.l
Col. Prentiss Ingraham, novelist,
ex-Confederate officer, hero Of several
wars, and an adventurous spirit gene--
ally, had the floor.
Yes, " he said in response to an in
quiry, II was buried just back of lit
tie church at Marietta, Ga"
Alive ?" asked Mortified listener.
They didn't think I was at the
time" laughed the colonel, "but let
me explain. l was soldering then for
the lost cause, and in the course of nv
duties slipped away one night quite
onbeknownst, as it were, to do secret
service work. The next morning a
shell from federal cannon came over
my way and exploded right in front of
a man on my horse, with the result
that there were only scraps of him left.
Naturally enough, my friends thought
it was l, as the horse was still recog-
nizable, and they had funeral, at
which | was leading character, but
did not even do Il thinking part. My
sisters were notified of my death and
just back of the little church was
grave with a headstone bearing an in
scripton including my name and date
or two, Which was good deal more
than most soldiers got at that time.
OF course l didn't know nything about
all this, and when my work was finish
ed, which was in about ten days, l re-
turned to camp. got there about dusk
and headed for tent where we did our
eating, such as it was, and the first
man | met was Jake, our colored boy,
who was going into the tentwith two
bushel basin of soup occupying both
hands.
" Hello, Jake, says |, never think
ing about anything but the soups sa-
worry smell.
But Jake didn't say a word. He
just stared at me for an instant, turned
a grayish white, and dove headfore-
most into the tent, hurting the soup
basin before him and scattering its con-
tents over half dozen officers sitting
around the table. | was close OH his
heels, and as they looked up in sur
prise at the sudden shower of soup and
the unceremonious entry of Jake, they
saw me, and with smothered sort of
yell, they began tumbling over each
other, upset the table and the tent and
for the next ten minutes there was the
blamedest mix-up you eyer saw.
couldn't understand what it all meant,
but | had sense enough to know that
somebody would be hurt in the wreck
unless help came pretty soon, and
took hand at getting matters into
shape. BY doing this had a chance to
catch hold of an officer or two who
couldn't get away, and when they
found | wasn't ghost they grew calm
er and began to explain. That was
easy enough, you know, when things
were quieter and we had pulled Jake
outfrom the bottom and restored him to
consciousness, for the darkey had col
lapsed entirely. You know, darkies
have no use for ghosts.
They told me the story of a man
being killed on my horse, and thinking
it was /, they had buried me and had
Il real funeral sermon by a preacher
who lived in Marietta. Next day they
showed me the grave, and it made me
feel little bit queer to look at it, but
wrote to my sisters explaining that the
report OF my death was a mistake, and
they wrote me that they had gone into
mourning for me, but l needn't worry
on that account, as the black dresses
could lie trimmed in colors and still be
useful. You see, they were disposed to
have fun with me when they found
was all right. What newspapers were
in existence had nice notices of me, and
the pleasant things said about me in
letters of coincidence to the family re-
ally made me quite satisfied that some
thing had happened to call forth such
expressions"