Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-08-10
Went Rraxelx to Death.


The man who can face death without
a tremor and even give the command
which is to result in his body being
pierced by dozen bullets may without
question be considered as possessing
bravery of q high order and when to-
this is added the fact that his execu-
TONERS are all friends and sympathizers
the case seems all the more unusual.
An instance of this nature which Oe-
Cured during the civil war is related
by a Southern soldier, who, although,
he had witnessed violent deaths with
out number and had become Injured to,
scenes Of carnage, had lasting i'm
preston made upon him by one officers
herosm. He told the story rs fol-
lows:
lone morning l left my command for
walk and had gone but short dis
lance when / ran into little body Of
men. Two of them had their eyes blind
folded and their arms tied behind them
The first fellow couldn't have been
more than -. He was tall, straight as
an arrow, with dark, curling brown
hair, and his face was the handsOmeSt
and the saddest | ever saw. He was;
walking quietly and steady. ] couldn't
see his eyes, but not muscle of his
face was twitching, and his feet were
planted fairly and squarely on the
ground | noticed that he wore the
uniform of captain.
1.-THE second fellow had to be held up
or hn
fall to the ground perfectly limp and, it
seemed, Iifeless. When the men would
Get him uD he would scream and cry
like Il scared child. He was great
big, raw-boned North Carolinian, and
his terror would have been disgusting
if it hadn't been SO pitiable
81 followed the little procession for
hundred yards to where the line of
crosses stood. The captain was to be
shot first AS they placed him with his
back to the cross he said: Men, you
know me- I've led you in 80 fights, and
you've never seen me shy from gum
muzzle yet, have you? just want you
to take this bandage off my eyes, and
as long as I've got to die let me die like
a man. I've given you the order to fire
many a time and I'd like to give my
last order, if you'll let me- The lieu
tenant hesitated and then he said:.
Jack, I'll do it, if | get shot for it.
'.They unbound his eyes. He straight
ened himself for a minute, took long
look all about him, and then facing his
men said in as steady voice as | ever
listened to, Ready! Aim! Firen
'They fired, and he pitched straight
forward his full length, dead before he
struck the ground. Then they tried to
bind the Tar-heel to the cross, but he
writhed and moaned and twisted away
from it like a snake with broken
back They gave it up, and he was shot
while he was crawling along the
ground, screaming out prayers for
mercy.
II heard afterward that the captain.
hearing that his old mother was dying,
had asked leave to go to his home,
which was only II miles away. We
needed every man then, and the per-
NIT was refused. He slipped away,
but before he got back Grant made
one of his attacks on our lines. The
captains company went into action for
| the first time without him at the head
of it. He returned for court martial.
| DESERVING had become too common for
any excuse to be taken for it, and he
was ordered to be shot the next morn
| ing
| To pardon those absurdities in our
| selves which we cannot suffer in others
| is neither better nor worse than to be-
L 70, IA fools nnrSnlVnc than