The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-06-17

with the heap growing all the time. The
messenger made selection and removed
the shoe but there was no money. He
tried again and again, but did not hit It.
Then he gave up and searched no further.
Soon after he let go a soldier who had
been slightly wounded in the head came
along and looked the scrap heap" over
and said TO himself
There are some good shoes here, and
II would be a pity TO bury them with legs
and feet. III change mine for a bet
ter pair"
In overhauling the relics he came upon
Corporal McFadden's left leg. He re-
moved the shoe and found It fit. Then he
found a right one and was provided for
Grant moved by the flank that night. and
the Confederates did the same. The field
was left In possession of the Union forces.
Next morning the work of burial began.
While a big hole had been dug for the
amputated arms and legs Corporal Nc
Fadden sent word TO the sergeant In
charge of that detail about his $500.
He's crazy" replied the sergeant.
Here's a whole wagon load OF left legs,
all looking alike, and how are We TO pick
out hs?"
No effort was made to do so. After an
hour or so the last BD,b was tossed into
the pit, and the men began shovelling In
the dirt. As they worked away the SER
geant suddenly said
Here now, but you've overlooked that
leg In the bushes YOU. Smith. haul 1t out
and dump IL in
but there's something inside the sock"
said Smith. Hold easy. now, till / see
what IL is"
with his knife the soldier ripped up
the sock, and there was the corporars
greenbacks Only three of the party saw
the money. They winked Mt each other
and pocketed the find and later on made
a divide. That closed the incident for
several weeks. Corporal McFadden was
sent 10 n hospital i'm Washington and
soon rallied The soldiers who had gob-
bled his money went to the front, and
one day before Petersburg Smith was
mortally wounded. To ease his con-
science he told about the divide" and
a chaplain wrote down his confession.
When the other two men were called up.
they denied the story. a surgeon and a
staff officer became interested with the
chaplain on one side. and tho captain Of
Company u, the colonel Of the Sixteenth
and others took up the other side. Curl
ously enough. the soldier who stole Me-
Faddens shoe came forward and ac-
knowledged IL. but IL was long time
before the money could be traced. BY
this time coonels, brigadiers and major
generals had become Interested, and Cor
poral MCFadden's name was a household
word I'm the Army OF the Potomac AT
length tho guilty private broke down and
confessed. lie got OFT with three months
In a military prison. while the sergeant
was drummcd out OF the army. Between
them they had 20 make good the 500. and
the boys OF the Sixteenth chlppcd in as
much more. and so the soldier who lost
his leg and his shoe and his bank deposit
didn't come out so badly after all. On
the day Lee surrendered. and while we
were having n lively sklrmsh. a staff
officer rode up and ordered US TO fall
back and announced that negotiations
were In progress, There were cheers
all along the line, but later on we be-
gan 10 doubt the good news
Boys" shouted an Grishman I'm Com
pauy Il. don't ye be afcared OF the
news. Sure. an army that can find Nc
Fadden's money can smash the Confed-
crate states. an wen sll he going home
by this time tomorrow"