The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1902-11-12
CARDS, THEN DEATH
A DOOMED oEseRTER WHO PLAYED
POKER AND WON.


As Preliminary to His Execution
He Had HIS Winnings Distributed
Among the Members of the SQUAD
That Shot Him to Death.
ut Is curious fact" said mem.
Der OF Company A, Third Maryland,
that military execution had peculiar
fascination for men who were daily
accustomed TO see hundreds slain in
battle. Men who shovel Il brcastwork
In on trench full of slain comrades
and chew bareback or eat salt pork
while ut the job with callousness
which only such frequent scenes or oe-
currences would make possible in the
human heart became peculiarly sensl-
tive and alive TO the solemn parade
and formalties of a military execution.
In our regiment we had private
soldier sentenced to be shot for desert.
Ing to the enemy His name was
Thompson. and he belonged to Com
pany X. This man Thompson had de.
serted OF yedette post one night and
our lines. where members of his own
company happened to be ON picket
duty. Thompson did not calculate on
this. His idea In coming In was TO sur.
render as a Confederate soldier and be
sent north. II happened near to the
Weldon railroad. where our division of
the Ninth corps WIS then posted OF
.a.ttt I,,i,,
taken to headquarters, and Il court
martial was Immediately convened. 1t
leaked out somehow that Thompson
was not the humble soldier he seemed,
but Confederate officer and spy. He
hnd been an officer In the United States
navy before the war He resigned and
went south, where he secured tie COM
mission OF colonel of Infantry
Being Marylnndcr of family, eff
forts were mnde to save his life, but In
u quiet way. as his relatives feared to
disclose his real Identity for fear he
would be hanged as II spy instead of
shot AZ q desertef. Friday, the day
set for execution In the Army of the
Potomac, came around too soon for
Thompson and his relatives. The night
previous he had been Informed that all
efforts had failed ut Washington
was on guard duty over him. and my
brother WIS one of the detail of twelve
men selected as the firing squad. My
brother didn't like the job, and came
to the tent where | was on guard To
consult with me how to get out of ii.
Thompson overheard our conversation,
and, knowing my brother by name, he
broke In: Say, Tip, you must not back
out. | want you in the squad, as
know you are dead shot and will
save me from the sergeant
ut was the practice for the sergeant
doomed man with a vollry 10 place the
muzzle of his rifle against the temple
of the prisoner nan and bll2W oeai Ppi hGBiEP
or the guard permitted us TO play cards
with the prisoner. He had roll of
bills. aud we were soon In II stiff poker
game. Two guards, including myself,
my brother Tip and Thompson, com
posed the quartet. We played until
gray daylight and Thompson skinned
the party of every dollar. He had
phenomenal luck aud watched the
game closely.
'In the afternoon he was to die and
about noon he asked to see the leuten-
ant OF the firing squad. Handing the |
officer $500, he asked him to divide II |
equally among the men detailed to |
shoot him.
"The division was drawn up and |
formed three sides of n square, the |
fourth side being open. where the grave |
of Thompson was freshly dug. The
band played the dead march In SAUL
and Thompson. at the head Of the FIR
Ing squad, marched around the three
sides OF the square with the coffin in
which he WAS TO be Enclosed carried i'm
medlately behind him. Reaching the
open space. the coffin was set down.
Thompson seated himself on the end of
1t. facing the firing squad. about twelve
PAGES distant, The death warrant wns
read. and the chaplain tied his hand
kerchicf over the prisoners eyes.
watched Thompson, curious TO note If
he would hear the reports Of the mus
kets that killed him. Presently | heard
the lieutenants low voice: Ready!
Aim! Fire"
''ln the next instant Thompson top
pied back into his collin a dead man.
The reports of the muskets he never
heard. as | saw him swiftly full over
before heard the guns crack, and 30
| settled this disputed point to my own
satisfaction. and to that extent the eX-
ecution Of Thompson Interested me and
no more. Washington Post.