The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-05-29
An Old Prosecutor of Prisoners is Recognized
Rounded-Up and Disposed Of.

have come up, and'll take charge of theS,
prisoners" remarked 81 to his partner, a:
they were getting ready to settle down fol
the night. It'll relieve us of the bother
of them, which would be more than til.
credit of taking them. The brigade'll gel
the credit all the same, which is the mex
best thing to the regiments. And | like
the LIST Oshkosh next to our regiment"
81 don't care a SUMMARIZE about the
prisoners" said Shorty sleepily. IF we
take the arms from those fellcrs and let
EN- loose they'll scatter to their homes
and the rebels'll never be able to get EN-
again. There's no more fight in that gang
we've got cooped up in there than there is
in drove of steers and not much more
sense. It's only when such fellers as that
Captain and Lieutenant round 'em up and
make 'em fight that they're at all danger
Gus. BY the way. l forgot that one-eyed,
snaggletOoI he'd galOot. who acted as rear
guard and covered me with his revolver.
| intended looking for him. | wonder if
broke his neck or caved in his head when
l swatted him with my carbine-barrel."
so. he's on earth yet" answered 81.
''Then l must be falling
"After you started down to the ford.
continued 81. Il went in to the meeting
house to look the prisoners over again. l
found a Teller with the ear-marks you give
and a yard or two of dirty muslin about
his head. He pretended to be suffering
awfully, but Sandy reported that he had
sneaked a baskctful of the grub that had
been brought for the wedding feast and
stuffed himself with it until his skin was
as tight as n gorged flea's. When | saw
him his face was all smcared with grease
from what he'd eaten. He begged hard TO
be parOled as a wounded man, but l told
him I'd think it over. He's one of that
overseer class that Abe Grimstead hates
so mOrtally, and thought mebbe I'd bet
ter let Abe have him."
'Abe'll just feed him to the hogs, if he
has his way"
IF we let him CO." continued ST, she's
| just vicious enough to be mean, without
courage to fight. He'd be stirring up
bushwhackers. and likely as not numbering
men that he can get n sneak on, just to
rob them. Hello, here he comes now. [
told ALI to bring him out and look him
over. | want to give ALI every chance to
learn his trade of bone-carpentering and
| joining"
YES" yawned Shorty. "and it'll be bet
| ter in every way to let him do his appren-
| tice work on rebels. There'll be more
Yanks and fewer rebels on account of it
| Leu ana supporter by ALL Tue man
came hating out, grooming dismally.
| At the sound of his voice Abe Grim
stead, still standing guard at the door,
started and followed him with his eye to
| the fire.
Hes certainly badly hurt. He may be
| dying" said ALT, who had the first requi
site for physician-strong sympathy
with the suffering. :.
whats the matter with you?" asked
81, helping ALT fix him a comfortable seat
on chunk by the fire.
"Was hit with bum-shel which killed
my boss and knocked ME senseless. /
know I'll never git over hit. I'm s goods
IA dead man now. l shall never draw a
well breath agin."
"First-class liar to begin with" COM
mented Shorty.
LET me take off this bandage." said
ALI sympathetically, making a motion at
| the same time to do so. III look at your
| wound and cleanse and dress it, and you'll
feel much BETTER
NO no: don't fetch hit at all. young
| feller," said the rebel decidedly. "Hit'll
make me powerful sight wuss if you
do"
30. no; guess not" persisted ALI kind
ly. I'm studying medicine. and | know
a good deal about wounds. and I'm sure
could make you feel much better
any one kin. If anybody in the world kin.
hits ole DIR. Wakum, over toward Lees
| vile. That ere bum-shell bored clean in
| ter my brains an more'n spoonful run
out
Great Jchosephat." murmured Shorty
to himself. 'how cOnceited he is to think
he ever had whole spoonful of brains"
AN if hits fetched agin keerlessly the
balance may run out. an leave me nOtlin'
moro IN think with than has snan-pnur1
Ole DIR. Wakum's the only man that on
derstands SIGH things. He's an Injun doe
tor. If kin only live to git to him may
live. That's my only chanst."
Here, lean against this said ALI. roll
ing up barrel behind his back. '.That'll
make you more comfortable. Let me feel
your pulse"
Il expect we might as well turn him
loose Shorty" said 81.
Abe Grimstead left his post by the door
and strobe over to the fire.
Say, amt your name BOlly Buck
staffT' he inquired of the prisoner
Bolivar Buckstaff's my NAME an
swcred the prisoner, with n rousing inter
est. as if he had heard that voice before.
Wasn't You one of the train-guards on
the Georgia Railroad. from Chattanooga
to Atlanta, and from Atlanta to Macon:
''Ycs. | was on that dooty till the Yam
KEGS got the road" and answered the pris-
oner rather slowly and reluctantly, as he
scanned his interrogation.
Il thought SO, you offscouring Of the
bottomless pit" roared Grimstead. Don't
you know me. you devils offal?'
You're Abe Grimstcad. the injinecr."
said the rebel. with an ashy look creeping
over his face .'What're you doin' IN
Yankee clothcsi"
.'You miserable. salivated hound, you're
the whelp that sneaked on me and helped
catch me when ! was trying to get through
to our lines. and beat and kicked me, ard
used to sit guard over me in the cab. abus-
ing me TO everything you could Jay your
tongue to. All the vileness there is in
that black heart of yours you'd pour out
on me. and threaten to shoot me if | dared
talk back. | told you then I'd get even
with you if it took me 100 years. And
you're the scabby varmint. too. that used
to beat and rob the wounded prisoners on
their way to AndersOnylle.'
Sis and Shorty's faces took on vim
dictivc look as they watched Buckstaff.
Remember that poor devil you shot as
he was trying to escape, jumping from the
car. and running mp the bank!' continued
Abe How you fired shot after shot into
him as he lay bleeding on the bank? Lord,
the memory of that makes me want to
blow your head off this minute"
And Abe leveled his carbine close to
Buckstaff's head.
Hold on, Abe said 81. stepping in
front of Grimstead and pushing aside his
muZzle. Are you sure this is the MANI"
Sure of it," shouted Abe. Gould